Hello, all! I’m Ann – the founder and editor-in-chief of Suburban Prairie Homemaker. I’m so thankful to Michelle for inviting me to be here with you today. She is such a generous, kind and wonderful hostess!
As a homeschooling mom, I know how important it is to get your kids into the kitchen. Not only does it make wonderful memories, but it also is a fun way to learn math and science principles. Plus, when do you ever get to eat a chemistry experiment in school?!
March 1 is Peanut Butter Lovers’ Day, and I thought it would be fun to do a peanut butter filled cupcake inspired by one of my favorite treats – Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups.
In our house, all cooking and baking is gluten free. But don’t worry, that doesn’t mean flavor free!
Here’s what we’ll be baking today:
And here is the recipe:
- 1 box Betty Crocker Gluten Free Devils Food Cake Mix (you can use regular as well)
- 1 cup buttermilk
- 1 cup mayonnaise
- 2 eggs, beaten
- 2 t. vanilla
- 2 cans Betty Crocker Rich & Creamy Vanilla Frosting, divided
- 1 cup peanut butter + 3 tablespoons, divided
- 2 tablespoons butter
- pinch of salt (omit if your peanut butter is already salty)
- 1/2 cup Pamela’s baking mix (or 1/2 cup Bisquick-type baking mix of your choice)
Preheat your oven to 350 degrees. Put cupcake papers in 2 muffin tins
Add cake mix to mixing bowl. Beat in buttermilk, mayonnaise, eggs and vanilla until smooth. In a separate mixing bowl, beat 1 cup peanut butter, butter and salt into 1 can of frosting. Add baking mix, and be sure to combine well.
Now the fun part! Measure 1/8 cup (2 tablespoons) cake batter into each of the muffin papers. Using a cookie scooper, gently place 1 scoop of the peanut butter frosting mixture into the cake batter. This is a great project for a little sous chef. If you have extra peanut butter mixture, save it for later (I’ll share why in a minute). Add another 1/8 cup of batter to each paper.
Bake for about 25 minutes. A skewer inserted into the center should come out clean (you may have melted peanut butter). I tested mine in the center, and also at an angle just to be safe. Allow to cool completely before frosting.
While the cupcakes are baking and cooling, make up some peanut butter frosting. In a mixing bowl, beat the 3 tablespoons peanut butter and remaining can of frosting together until smooth and creamy. Spread or pipe as desired onto the cooled cupcakes.
Eat and enjoy!
If you should have extra peanut butter-baking mix-frosting mixture leftover, you can drop it by spoonfuls onto a parchment lined cookie sheet. Bake at 350 for about 8-10 minutes. Allow to cool completely before eating. Bonus!
So I love to do cupcakes with little ones because it teaches a concept called one-to-one correspondence, specifically one scoop of batter in each cupcake paper. You can practice colors by using different colored baking cups and describing the batter. Baking also teaches measuring and counting, and it’s a delicious way to present “what if” thinking – for example, “what will happen when we put these in the oven?” Use it as a language activity to practice adjectives. And it’s never too early to learn about kitchen safety and cleanliness!
I had a great time visiting with you all today, and sharing these yummy cupcakes with you. I hope sometime you’ll pop over and visit me at the Suburban Prairie Homemaker. There, we celebrate anything and everything about the adventures of homemaking – and some days are more adventurous than others!
