PB&J cupcakes turn your favorite sandwich into your favorite dessert. The frosting is to die for!

I’m kind of obsessed with peanut butter and jelly. In middle school, my best friend and I used to compete to see who could pack the most loaded PB&J for lunch - we’re talking triple and quadruple layer stuff. This is one of my more fantastical PB&J creations... Peanut Butter and Jelly Cupcakes.

I used to think that PB&J’s had to be between two slices of bread to be legit… that is until my Romanian crew coach, in 8th grade, taught me differently. You see, one day some teammates and I were hanging around after practice, when she offered to make us some peanut butter and jellies.

Of course, we eagerly accepted, but did she come back with sandwiches? No. She brought us each a spoon with a hunk of peanut butter and a dollop of jam balanced precariously on it. It was unexpectedly hilarious, but the point still stands: all you need is peanut butter and jelly for a great PB&J.

Let’s talk about these PB&J cupcakes a little bit, shall we? The actual cake portion is quite possibly the fluffiest, most tender cake I’ve ever tasted. Plus, it’s loaded with peanut butter (as in over ½ cup for only a dozen cupcakes, people). But, do you see that soft crumb?!

Next, a piece of the center is removed, filled with your favorite jam or jelly, and then plugged back up - a secret jam surprise to be revealed only after you bite into it! (By the way, if you don’t happen to own a cupcake-corer, you can totally use an apple corer, or even a small paring knife to core the cupcakes.)

Lastly, the whole thing is topped with a good piping of silky-smooth peanut butter buttercream, and a drizzle of jam, for good measure. Oh, and sprinkles… sprinkles make everything better. That’s just pure science right there.

If you don’t own any pastry tips, just go ahead and spread the frosting onto the cupcakes - don’t worry, it won’t be any less delicious! Also, you really don’t have to include the jam drizzle on top. I just think that it adds a great pop of color, and balances out the P to J ratio a bit.

How about some homemade jam for your PB&J cupcakes? Try Tracy's Rhubarb Jam recipe, or classic Raspberry Jam.