I want to thank all of you who participated in my recent CSN giveaway! (They have some fabulous stuff, don’t they?) And the winner is…
A huge congrats to Natalya S.! Natalya please email me and I will have your prize sent out.
Ok, so I have a little confession to make. Remember back, before the chill of autumn’s crisp coolness took hold and required a warm blanket, a crackling fire, or a bowl of warm soup to cozy up with in the evening. Go back even longer than that, before the warmth of summer drove us to take refuge in cool breezes, swimming pools, and tall glasses of iced tea. Yes, I’m talking about last spring. That’s when I made these glorious cupcakes. I had every intention of sharing them with you sooner but somehow they got pushed to the wayside. And it’s a shame because they in fact deserve the limelight.
These cupcakes are based on the classically delicious combination of peanut butter and jelly, but have a bit of a dressed-up, elegant look (it’s the jelly drizzle…a splash of red always feels so glam ;) ). I made a peanut butter cake (which I based on my recipe for Classic Yellow Cake), basic buttercream, and a jelly drizzle. And let’s just say that I know I won’t be able to wait until next spring to make them again. 
Peanut Butter & Jelly Cupcakes
(Yield: About 20 cupcakes)
Cupcakes:
1 1/2 c sugar
1/2 c canola oil
2 large eggs
1 c low-fat or fat-free milk
1 c smooth peanut butter
2 tsp pure vanilla extract
2 c all-purpose flour
2 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
Buttercream:
1 stick salted butter
1/4 c no-trans fat vegetable shortening
1 lb (16 oz) powdered sugar
1 TB pure almond extract (or pure vanilla extract, if you prefer)
4 TB milk (more or less to reach your desired consistency)
Jelly Drizzle:
1/2 c red raspberries (frozen is fine)
1/2 c water
2 TB honey (more or less depending on your preferences and how sweet your berries are)
2 tsp cornstarch mixed with 1 TB cold water
Muffin tray and paper liners
For the cupcakes: Preheat the oven to 350F and line a muffin tray with paper liners. In a large bowl, beat together the sugar, oil, and eggs until they’re light, glossy, and pale yellow (about 2 minutes). Beat in the peanut butter and then the milk and vanilla. Beat in the flour, baking powder, and salt until just combined. Fill the muffin tray and bake for about 18-20 minutes, until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out with just a few crumbs. Allow to cool completely before frosting.
For the buttercream: Cream together the butter, shortening, and almond extract. Alternate beating in the powdered sugar and milk, adding 1 TB of milk at a time until it reaches the right consistency.
For the jelly drizzle: In a small saucepan over medium heat, combine the berries, water, and honey and simmer for about 5 minutes. Strain the berry mixture through a fine mesh sieve; return the liquid to the saucepan over low heat (discard the pulp). Whisk in the cornstarch slurry and heat (stirring constantly) until thickened.
Frost the cupcakes with the buttercream and decorate the tops with a drizzle of jelly.
I’m Faith Gorsky, the writer, cook, and photographer behind An Edible Mosaic. My goal is to inspire you to get in the kitchen and try something new! Feel free to 
Louanne says
September 19, 2010 at 8:44 amLove pb&j sandwiches, so this is a cupcake of my dreams! I agree, the red drizzle is très glam!
BeadedTail says
September 19, 2010 at 8:57 amThose looked like a much glamorous version of pb&j! Yum!
Katerina says
September 19, 2010 at 9:39 amThey look so sophisticated with the glaze above them.
Heavenly Housewife says
September 19, 2010 at 10:01 amThose cupcakes are so sweet, and such a fun flavour too. You did the piping so beautifully too :)
Hope you are having a wonderful weekend.
*kisses* HH
Natalya S. says
September 19, 2010 at 10:22 amThanks so much, I can’t believe I won! Your cupcakes are so pretty, I love that they’re based off the classic combo of PB&J!
Parita says
September 19, 2010 at 11:27 amSo cute!
Krista says
September 19, 2010 at 11:41 amThe cupcakes look divine and I love the way you topped them. The icing looks like a cloud!!
Congrats to the winner!
Carol says
September 19, 2010 at 11:43 amCongrats on the win!
PBJ cupcakes! Fantastic! I love PBJ!
Maria @ ScandiFoodie says
September 19, 2010 at 1:01 pmThese cupcakes look delicious! I think I could eat the jelly drizzle with a spoon :-)
Bridgett says
September 19, 2010 at 1:32 pmA big congratulations to the winner! These little cupcakes are perfect for my family. I would love to give these a go very soon. Yours are so pretty as well!
Julie says
September 19, 2010 at 1:33 pmI love the flavors in these cupcakes. The pictures are great, too!!
pachecopatty says
September 19, 2010 at 1:40 pmAbsolutely beautiful, the jelly drizzle is the perfect touch:)
Monet says
September 19, 2010 at 3:46 pmCan I please have one of these right now? They would be perfect treats for my plane ride! But I would probably make everyone around me jealous! Thanks for sharing love!
Carolyn Jung says
September 19, 2010 at 4:11 pmLove the jelly drizzle! Looks perfect for the upcoming Christmas holiday, too. Super festive.
Lazaro says
September 19, 2010 at 4:28 pmLovely presentation on the cupcakes. Great job!
Cara says
September 19, 2010 at 5:01 pmI love those!
They are so cute…and I am quite sure, they are super delicious.
Mo says
September 19, 2010 at 5:09 pmCongratulations to Natalya! :)
These look delicious, and I especially love the jam drizzle!
Reeni says
September 19, 2010 at 5:20 pmPeanut butter + jelly + cupcakes = insanely delicious! I have a PB and jelly muffin to post but the idea of a cupcake sounds so much better! These are pretty too!
Lorraine @ Not Quite Nigella says
September 19, 2010 at 5:31 pmOh my, these look amazing Faith! :o Two of my favourite things in one portable snack! :D
5 Star Foodie says
September 19, 2010 at 5:44 pmScrumptious cupcakes! Love the jelly drizzle on top!
Swathi says
September 19, 2010 at 7:09 pmCongrats to winner and lovely cup cake Faith
The Southern Cookbook says
September 19, 2010 at 8:53 pmThat’s one awesome cupcake. looks good :)
Krista says
September 19, 2010 at 10:17 pmOh how scrumptious! I never thought of making peanut butter cake before, but that is MARVELOUS! I love peanut butter so much. :-) These are delight. :-)
Diane says
September 20, 2010 at 1:12 amI always say I can eat anything except peanut butter:-( Not sure why but it is the one and only food that I really dislike. I like the look of the roasted tomato sauce though.
The fig tree is quite special in our garden, and no matter what the weather does it always seems to produce masses of fruit. The one we had in S.Africa was not a patch on this one. Diane
coco says
September 20, 2010 at 3:43 amthese are really cute cupcakes. Personally i don’t like cupcakes but I’d definitely make these as gift! :)
Honey @ honeyandsoy says
September 20, 2010 at 3:53 amPBnJ is one of my favourite childhood snacks. Remember Goober’s? I was always annoyed when my slice if bread didn’t have the perfect swirl of the container. Absolutely love the idea of these cupcakes… Spring is here so I will have to make them!
Barbara says
September 20, 2010 at 4:42 amWhat adorable cupcakes, Faith! I love the way you piped on the jelly!
HPD says
September 20, 2010 at 4:51 amDelish!
FOODESSA says
September 20, 2010 at 7:53 amFaith…my little God son loves PB…I’ll be passing this tasty recipe of yours to his Mom who’ll no doubt be thrilled about this. The special icing touch should put a great big smile on his face ;o)
Flavourful wishes,
Claudia
Dawn (HealthySDLiving) says
September 20, 2010 at 10:18 amPeanut Butter and Jelly Cupcakes? Pretty much sounds like the most delicious cupcake EVER!
Blond Duck says
September 20, 2010 at 10:40 amPeanut butter and jelly is the ultimate combination.
Juliana says
September 20, 2010 at 12:01 pmFaith, the peanut butter cupcakes look awesome…must taste SO good…the cake looks so fluffy :-)
Jen says
September 20, 2010 at 3:20 pmI’m glad that you shared these and yes they fo deserve the limelight! I love the raspberry jelly!
Mary says
September 20, 2010 at 3:26 pmThese look so inviting. I love peanut butter and jelly, so these have my name written on them. The drizzle gives them real pizzaz. I hope you are having a great day. Blessings…Mary
Anna Johnston says
September 20, 2010 at 4:56 pmSo true Faith, these little beauties sure do deserve the limelight. Red & White is oh so glam.
Anh says
September 20, 2010 at 5:25 pmLovely cupcakes, Faith! Peanut butter is such a fav ingredient isn’t it?
Lentil Breakdown says
September 20, 2010 at 6:17 pmVery cute. I feel myself reverting back to childhood!
Treat and Trick says
September 20, 2010 at 7:09 pmThese are real treat for the eyes and the stomach! Looks really yum…
Ameena says
September 20, 2010 at 8:34 pmThese are beautiful cupcakes! I love the icing designs, and even the photos sans icing are gorgeous.
Congratulations to the winner – your name is beautiful Natalya!
Blond Duck says
September 21, 2010 at 11:02 amHappy Tuesday!
Velva says
September 21, 2010 at 11:21 amThese cupcakes looks absolutely delightful. Very nice.
tasteofbeirut says
September 21, 2010 at 11:33 amThese would not last one hour if my kids and their friends were around! They are grown, but still love the thought of cupcakes and the P&J flavors! In fact, a jar of peanut butter was one of my son’s requested birthday present this summer while in Lebanon!
marla {family fresh cooking} says
September 21, 2010 at 7:57 pmThese are gorgeous, wish you could make them for my daughters birthday next month :)
Xiaolu says
September 21, 2010 at 9:02 pmI’m just glad you shared these with us at all. Sounds delish and oh so pretty. I really can’t resist :).
Danielle says
December 8, 2010 at 7:11 pmYummy, thanks for the recipe! I love seeing all the peanut butter and jelly recipes(: It’s really cool, now they even have peanut butter and jelly m&m’s!