PEANUT BUTTER AND JELLY CUPCAKES WITH PEANUT BUTTER BUTTERCREAM FROSTING

Peanut Butter and Jelly Cupcakes with Peanut Butter Buttercream Frosting image

Provided by Food Network

Categories dessert

Time 35m

Yield 24 cupcakes

Number Of Ingredients 18

2 cups granulated sugar
2 sticks unsalted butter
4 eggs
1/4 cup oil
1 teaspoon vanilla flavoring
3 cups all-purpose flour
2 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1 cup buttermilk
1 pound unsalted butter
1 teaspoon vanilla flavoring
4 cups confectioners' sugar
5 ounces peanut butter
1 teaspoon all-vegetable shortening, such as Crisco
1 bag marshmallows
2 pounds confectioners' sugar
1 jar or can grape jelly
Chopped peanuts, for garnish

Steps:

For the cupcakes: Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Cream the granulated sugar and the butter until thoroughly mixed. Add the eggs one at a time. Add the oil and vanilla. Cream the batter until fluffy.
Combine the flour, baking powder and salt in a separate bowl. Alternate mixing in the flour mixture and the buttermilk into the creamed mixture, until completely mixed. Distribute the batter into the cupcake liners. Bake the cupcakes, about 12 minutes.
For the peanut butter buttercream: Mix the butter on high speed for 3 minutes. Add the vanilla flavoring on low speed. Slowly add the confectioners' sugar on low speed. Mix in the peanut butter.
Grease a microwave-safe bowl with the shortening. Add the marshmallows and microwave on high for 30 second increments. Stir the marshmallows with a spatula between the time increments. Mix in the confectioners' sugar until the consistency you desire is reached. Shape the marshmallow mixture into the desired shape using your hands.
Squirt the jelly filling into the center of each cupcake. Pipe the peanut butter buttercream in a ring onto the top of each cupcake. Fill the center of each peanut butter buttercream ring with more jelly filling. Place the chopped peanuts on the outside ring of the peanut butter buttercream. Garnish each cupcake with the marshmallow worms.