Okay, confession time: When I was a kid, I didn’t like peanut butter and jelly. Weird, right? I think it had something to do with the thick, sticky texture of peanut butter. I did not like the way it stuck to the roof of my mouth, not one little bit. My dietary staple was either a cheese sandwich (what Andrew now refers to as a “regular sandwich”) or a grilled cheese. Now, I’ll still take a grilled cheese over PB&J any day, but I have finally come around on the combination of peanut butter and jelly. I think it was sometime during college or maybe med school that I began making them out of necessity more than anything – the quickest, easiest thing I could grab to take with me that didn’t need refrigeration. In any case, I am now a total convert and have seen the error of my ways.
I made PB&J cupcakes last year for a coworker’s birthday and while they were good, they were a bit too dense and peanut buttery for me. (I have previously discussed my strong feelings on the balance between the peanut butter and jelly components.) This time around, I used a lighter, fluffier frosting and made minor changes to the cake to create a lighter crumb. I was much happier with these results. Give them a try, and be sure to enjoy with a big glass of milk!