Peanut butter is not just for sandwiches or cookies! Peanut Butter Cupcakes may just be your new favorite treat.
While you may be a peanut butter fan in all of its savory and sweet forms—think sandwiches, peanut butter crackers, plus cookies, Reese’s Cups, Buckeye candy, and even peanut butter pie—you may not have tried peanut butter cupcakes. While they may not be as well-known as the other peanut butter standards, it’s high time you tried them if you love peanut butter. Cupcakes are a great medium for all the nutty sweetness of this distinctly American spread.
Sometimes, cupcakes look pretty but don’t have a ton of flavor. With the double dose of peanut butter in these cupcakes, however, you get plenty of flavor. You know the perfectly sweet taste of biting into a Girl Scout peanut butter sandwich cookie (sometimes called Do-Si-Dos)? That’s the flavor you get in these cupcakes. Amazing!
You will love not only the flavor of peanut butter cupcakes but also their tender, moist texture. No dry cupcakes here. Each bite is perfectly airy cake topped with fluffy buttercream icing. They are easy to make and really can work year-round. Take them to your next potluck or make them as a birthday treat.
Baking With Sour Cream
You might be surprised to see a savory ingredient like sour cream used in cupcakes. Don’t worry, you won’t taste the sour cream in the finished product! There’s a reason sour cream is used in a variety of baked goods. Cookies, cakes, and cupcakes can sometimes call for sour cream. That’s because sour cream is high in fat and acidity, both of which help produce a more moist, tender crumb. The fat helps add moisture to the texture, and the acid breaks down the gluten so you get that perfect bite. In this cupcake recipe, you use half a cup of sour cream. You’ll never taste it, but it makes a difference in the final product.
How Do I Store Leftovers?
Store leftovers in an airtight container for 2-3 days at room temperature. You can also store them in the fridge for up to 5 days.
Serving Suggestions
Peanut butter cupcakes are lovely for a birthday party, an office treat, or a bake sale. If you’re serving them at a large function, they go well with a variety of other sweet treats. For instance, serve them with M&M Cookie Bars and Chocolate Chip Cookies. If you want to add some color to them, you can always top them with white or rainbow sprinkles (the ones also known as “jimmies”) right after frosting them. You can also mix things up and try frosting them with Chocolate Fudge Frosting for that powerhouse combo of chocolate and peanut butter that is so good.
Peanut Butter Cupcakes
Ingredients
- 1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
- 2 1/4 teaspoons baking powder
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1 cup packed light brown sugar
- 1/4 cup granulated sugar
- 1/2 cup sour cream
- 2/3 cup creamy peanut butter
- 3/4 cup whole milk
- 5 tablespoons vegetable oil
- 1 large egg
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
For the Frosting:
- 1/3 cup unsalted butter softened
- 1 cup creamy peanut butter
- 1 3/4 cups powdered sugar
- 4 tablespoons heavy whipping cream plus more if needed
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- Pinch of salt
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 350°F.
- In a bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, and salt.
- In a separate bowl, combine the brown sugar, granulated sugar, sour cream, peanut butter, whole milk, vegetable oil, egg, and vanilla extract, whisking until the mixture is smooth.
- Combine the wet ingredients with the dry ingredients and stir just until mixed. Avoid overmixing.
- Line your cupcake pan with paper liners. Spoon the batter into the liners, filling each about 2/3 full. Bake for about 20-25 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Remove from the oven and let the cupcakes cool completely on a wire rack.
- While the cupcakes cool, beat the butter until creamy. Mix in the peanut butter, then gradually add powdered sugar and heavy cream, alternating between them. Stir in vanilla extract and a pinch of salt. Taste frosting and add more cream or powdered sugar to reach your desired taste and consistency.
- Once smooth and fluffy, spread the frosting onto the cooled cupcakes. Enjoy your cupcakes!
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