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Peanut Butter Cupcakes

Adapted from Aunt Sammy’s Radio Recipes Revised (1931) / Tender, lightly sweet with a hint of peanuts, these vintage cupcakes are the perfect base for your favorite chocolate frosting, although we highly recommend the Minute Fudge Frosting on our website! Try filling the centers with chocolate frosting, too - you won't regret that decision!
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Ingredients
  

  • ½ cup salted butter, softened
  • ½ cup salted peanut butter (regular processed; I used Jif)
  • ⅔ cup granulated sugar
  • ⅓ cup brown sugar
  • 2 eggs, lightly beaten `
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla
  • 3 cups all purpose flour
  • 4 teaspoons baking powder
  • ½ teaspoon salt
  • 1 ¼ cup milk
  • ⅓ cup finely chopped peanuts (for the batter)

Garnish

  • 1/2 cup roughly chopped peanuts

Frosting

  • Chocolate frosting of your choice; try the Minute Fudge Frosting on our website

Instructions
 

  • Preheat oven to 350°F.
  • Line standard muffin tins with paper liners (24 cupcakes total).
  • Whisk together the flour, baking powder, and salt and set aside.
  • Cream the butter, peanut butter, brown sugar, and granulated sugar together until light and fluffy.
  • Add the beaten eggs gradually, mixing well after each addition.
  • Add the vanilla and mix until incorporated.
  • Add the flour and milk alternately in three additions, beginning and ending with the flour. Mix just until the batter is smooth; do not overmix.
  • Fold in the chopped peanuts.
  • Divide the batter evenly among the prepared muffin cups, filling each about two-thirds full. Note that the batter will be quite thick; this is how it should be. 
  • Bake for 15-17 minutes, or until the tops spring back lightly when touched and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Watch carefully over the last few minutes, as these are quick to overbake. 
  • Remove cupcakes from the pan right away to prevent the residual heat from overbaking them, and transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.
  • Frost with Minute Fudge Frosting, or the chocolate frosting of your choice.
  • To frost with Minute Fudge Frosting: Dip each cupcake top in the frosting, then immediately top with chopped peanuts. Let set completely. For a thicker layer of fudgy frosting, make a 1.5x batch.
  • To add a fudgy center: Make a 1.5x batch of Minute Fudge Frosting. Use a knife to carve a cone-shaped hole in the top of each cupcake, reserving the cutout. Fill the hole with frosting, then replace the cutout on top. Let set, then dip the top in the remaining frosting to cover and garnish with chopped peanuts. Let set completely.

Notes

YIELD: 24 cupcakes
Peanut Butter: This recipe was tested with both natural and processed peanut butter. Processed creamy peanut butter (such as Jif or Skippy) yields a slightly sweeter, softer cupcake. Natural peanut butter yields a slightly less sweet, denser cupcake — if using natural, stir well before measuring to fully incorporate the separated oil.
How to Measure Flour: Spoon the flour into the measuring cup, then level off the top with a straight edge (like the back of a knife). Avoid scooping directly with the measuring cup, as this packs the flour down and can result in more flour than the recipe intends.