These peanut butter and jelly cupcakes have a brown butter peanut butter cupcake base filled with strawberry jelly, then topped with creamy peanut butter frosting and garnished with crushed peanuts and fresh strawberries!
Preheat the oven to 350°F and line a 12 cup pan with cupcake liners.
Whisk the cake flour, baking powder, and salt together in a large bowl.
Using a hand mixer or a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, cream together the softened brown butter and creamy peanut butter until fully combined and smooth.
Then add in the brown sugar and granulated sugar and cream until light and fluffy.
Add in the eggs and vanilla and continue to mix until fully incorporated.
Stir in about half the flour mixture. Then stir in the milk and the rest of the flour and mix until just combined.
Pour about ¼ cup of batter into each cupcake liner (they should be about halfway full).
Bake at 350°F for 18-22 minutes or until a cake tester comes out clean.
Remove from pan and let cool on wire rack. Let the peanut butter cupcakes cool completely before filling and frosting.
Use a cupcake corer to remove the center of each cupcake, then fill with 1-2 teaspoons of strawberry jelly.
Peanut Butter Frosting
In a large bowl using a handheld mixer or stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, cream the room temperature brown butter and peanut butter together until smooth.
Add in the powdered sugar and mix until fully incorporated.
Mix in the vanilla and beat the frosting on high for 4-5 minutes until light and fluffy!
Add in 2-3 tablespoons of heavy cream if needed to thin out the frosting.
Frost the cooled cupcakes with peanut butter buttercream. Then garnish with a drizzle of jelly, crushed peanuts, and fresh strawberries!
Notes
These cupcakes will last in the fridge for up to 3 days. However, they taste best when served at room temperature! I like to let them sit at room temperature for about an hour before serving. Wait to top with fresh strawberries until immediately before serving.For best results, use processed peanut butter like Jif or Skippy that doesn't separate. Natural peanut butter has too much oil and will negatively affect the recipe. Brown the butter: In a small saucepan, melt butter over medium heat. Once melted, stir frequently and watch closely for the formation of brown specs on the bottom of the pan and a nutty aroma. Once you see brown specs, stir for just a few more seconds (it browns super quickly). Remove from the heat and immediately pour into a different bowl to prevent it from burning. Let cool to room temperature. I recommend making the brown butter the night before you make the cupcakes, so that it has time to fully cool to room temperature! Note: For every ½ cup (1 stick or 113g), you'll lose about 1 tablespoon (14g) to evaporation while cooking. So you can either add in an extra 1 tablespoon before browning, or if you're browning big batches, just make up the weight difference in your recipe with regular unsalted butter if needed.