Peanut Butter and Jelly Cupcakes with Peanut Butter Chocolate Ganache

For argument’s sake.

Let’s pretend that tomorrow at approximately 6pm, you had to squeeze yourself into a SIZE TWO.  (yes. ONE plus ONE = TINY)  Brown, shiny, highly form fitting Calvin Klein dress.

To go to a formal. With the boy who you made sweet potato pesto lasagna rolls for last week.

!!!

Right?

And, you know….hypothetically speaking.

Could you please explain why, instead of going on a cabbage diet or some kind of juice cleanse detox like any sane and rational human being would do for at least the month before (okay, so…you totally did make a dish with cabbage in it last week. Baby steps)…you were in the kitchen making CUPCAKES with PEANUT BUTTER and JELLY and CHOCOLATE and everything else that is good and right in this world?

You could at least have been baking things that you knew you wouldn’t love with the fiery passion of a thousand suns!!! At. Least.

I am an enigma even to myself sometimes.

I mean…my “friend” of a “friend” who all of this babbling nonsense is totally about is an enigma even to myself sometimes.

Seriously…she’s such a weirdo.

So…to sum everything up.

These are crack. You should make them immediately.  Amen.

Oh and…if you could think skinny, size two thoughts for my “friend” of a “friend” at approximately six pm eastern standard time tomorrow (Saturday) which is when my…err…”her” zipper will be being…zipped.  We would really appreciate it.

And PS – for the peanut allergic out there…these can totally be made with sunflower butter!  DO IT.

Peanut Butter and Jelly Cupcakes with Peanut Butter Chocolate Ganache
Makes 2 dozen, adapted from Martha Stewart’s Cupcakes and Smitten Kitchen

Ingredients

For the Cupcakes

:
• 1 3/4 cups AP flour
• 1/4 tsp baking soda
• 3/4 tsp baking powder
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 3/4 cup unsalted butter, room temperature
• 1 1/3 cups sugar
• 2/3 cup creamy peanut butter, preferably natural-style
• 3 large eggs, room temperature
• 1/2 tsp pure vanilla extract
• 1/2 cup nonfat Greek yogurt
• 3/4 cup coarsely chopped salted roasted peanuts
• 1/2 cup raspberry preserves (I use Bonne Maman…because what else is there, really?)

For the Frosting:

• 6 oz lowfat cream cheese
• 2 cups confectioner’s sugar
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1 cup creamy peanut butter (NOT natural this time)
• 1/2 tsp pure vanilla extract
• 1/2 cup heavy cream

For the Ganache:

• 8 oz semisweet chocolate, coarsely chopped
• 3 tbsp peanut butter
• 2 tbsp light corn syrup
• 1/2 cup heavy cream

Instructions

For the Cupcakes:

1. Preheat oven to 375,  Line muffin tins with paper liners.  Whisk together flour, baking soda, baking powder and salt.
2. Cream together butter and sugar with an electric mixer on medium-high speed until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes.  Reduce speed to low and mix in peanut butter.  Add the eggs, one at a time, beating until incorporated (about 30 seconds each) and scrape down the sides of the bowl after each addition.  Mix in vanilla.  Gradually add the flour and beat until just combined.  Mix in the greek yogurt and peanuts.
3. Divide batter evenly among the lined cups, filling each until 3/4 full.  Bake, rotating tins halfway, until golden and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean (about 22 minutes).  Transfer tins to wire racks and cool completely before removing cupcakes.
4. When cupcakes are completely cool, use a knife to cut a shallow circle in the tops of the cupcakes (go about halfway down the cupcake). Pop out the cylinder you just made.  Try not to eat all 22 of them.  And fill them with the preserves.

For the Frosting:

• With an electric mixer on medium-high speed, beat cream cheese and sugar until pale and fluffy.  Add salt and peanut butter and beat to combine.  Beat in vanilla.
• In another bowl, with an electric mixer on medium speed, whisk cream until medium-stiff peaks form.  Fold the cream into the peanut butter mixture.

For the Ganache:

• In the top of a double boiler set over simmering water, combine the chocolate, peanut butter, and corn syrup.  Cook, whisking often, until the chocolate is melted and the mixture is smooth.
• Remove from the heat and whisk in the heavy cream.  Place in the fridge.  Stir every ten minutes until chocolate on the outside of the bowl starts to set.  Spoon about 1 tbsp ganache onto the center of each cupcake (on top of the jelly!).  Using a 1M Wilton tip, pipe the peanut butter frosting in a circle around the ganache.

This post has been submitted to Project PB&J – a blogger cooking contest celebrating National PB&J Day!