Home » peanut butter

Tag: peanut butter

gluten-free pb&j whoopie pies | a recipe from frannycakes.com

Gluten-Free Peanut Butter & Jelly Whoopie Pies

Friends are good for a lot of things. Answering the phone when you need someone to talk to about your latest roommate troubles. Volunteering to drink a bottle of wine and “help” with your website. Enabling you to eat that pint of Ben & Jerry’s. Challenging you to make a creative peanut butter & jelly themed birthday treat…for the second year in a row.

And since our friendship was based on a mutual love of an obscure 1-hit wonder girl group (because how else do you know that your friendship is built to last?), I had to come up with something.

After some thought (and brain racking), I thought some peanut butter & jelly whoopie pies would do the trick. Peanut butter cake filled with peanut butter butter cream and jelly. It was just the kind of treat that my friend wanted.

So, turn up your girl power pop playlist and get to baking.

gluten-free pb&j whoopie pies | a recipe from frannycakes.com

 

Gluten-free PB & J Whoopie Pies
Author: Mary Fran Wiley
Prep time: 20 mins
Cook time: 30 mins
Total time: 50 mins
Serves: 24
Ingredients
  • for the cake
  • 315 grams (2¼ cups) gluten-free all-purpose flour*
  • 1 gram (1 teaspoon) xanthan gum**
  • 10 grams (2 teaspoons) baking powder
  • 5 grams (1 teaspoon) baking soda
  • 3 grams (½ teaspoon) salt
  • 205 grams (3/4 cup) smooth peanut butter
  • 85 grams (6 tablespoons or ¾ stick) butter, softened
  • 100 grams (½ cup) granulated sugar
  • 110 grams (½ cup firmly packed) brown sugar
  • 3 large eggs
  • 1 cup + 2 tablespoons (265 ml) buttermilk
  • for the filling
  • 170 grams (1½ sticks) butter, softened
  • 65-130 grams (1/4-½ cup) smooth peanut butter
  • 675-900 grams (6-8 cups) confectioner’s sugar
  • 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
  • ½ cup (118 mls) milk
  • pinch of salt
  • ½ pint jar of your favorite jam or preserves
Instructions
Make the cakes
  1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit (175 C). Position one rack in the center and one in the top third of the oven. Grease 2 whoopie pie pans.
  2. In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, xanthan gum (if using), baking powder, baking soda and salt. Set aside.
  3. In the bowl of a stand mixer, cream together the peanut butter, butter, sugar and brown sugar for 3-5 minutes. You want the mixture to be light and fluffy.
  4. Add the eggs one at a time, beating for 1 minute on medium and scraping down the sides of the bowl before each addition.
  5. Add half the flour mixture and mix on low speed and slowly add the buttermilk.
  6. Scrape down the sides and add the rest of the flour mixture until the batter just starts to come together. Remove the bowl from the mixer and finish stirring with a spatula.
  7. Use a spring loaded ice cream scoop or spoon to add batter to each “well” of the pan.
  8. Bake for 12-15 minutes – they are done when they are golden brown and a toothpick comes out clean. Repeat with the remaining batter.
Make the peanut butter buttercream
  1. In the bowl of a stand mixer combine the butter, 65 grams (1/4 cup) of the peanut butter, 450 grams (4 cups) of the sugar, the milk and the vanilla.
  2. Beat on medium for 3-5 minutes.
  3. Gradually add the remaining sugar 1 cup (115 grams) at a time, beating for 2 minutes after each addition.
  4. When the frosting is firm enough to pipe, stop adding sugar and add the salt. If the frosting is too firm or not peanut butter-y enough you can add more peanut butter. I used ¼ cup and nearly the full amount of powdered sugar. Your results will depend on the humidity, the type of peanut butter and how soft your butter was.
Assembly
  1. Pipe a ring of frosting around the flat side of half the cakes, leaving the center empty.
  2. Fill the center with a dollop of jam and top with one of the cake pieces without frosting on it.
3.2.2807

 

NaBloPoMo November 2014

gluten-free peanut butter chocolate cupcakes from frannycakes

Gluten-free Double Chocolate Peanut Butter Cupcakes

Just for one moment imagine you have met someone incredibly interesting. And that someone happens to be handsome. Fairly funny. A giant nerd who loves sic-fi and web related nerdery. He wears google glass and loves open-source software. Now imagine he can recite Shakespeare and quoted the first sentence of Pride & Prejudice when you were discussing your favorite books.

Don’t forget to imagine him as charming. The sort of charming that disarms you. Makes you want to hang on his every word. He tells you stories about a past filled with the types of risks you wish you took.

Oh, and then he kisses you. A real foot-popping kiss. An earnest, sweet kiss. The kind you both want to call all your girlfriends to discuss but want to keep it to yourself just a little bit longer.

Yes, imagine all that (although, if you would rather a surfer dude with a love of detective novels, feel free to replace my dream dude for yours in this little fantasy).

gluten-free double chocolate cupcakes from frannycakes

But as a cupcake. (Yes, I totally went there. And, no, I am not ashamed).

It is no secret that I have a life-long love affair with baked goods, so it should come as no surprise that I might have fallen in love with these particular cakes. Because unlike the boy, there is something real to the relationship. There is more than boyish charm and nerdy good looks. There is cake.

gluten-free peanut butter chocolate cupcakes from frannycakes

More precisely, there is moist chocolate cake, velvety chocolate buttercream, surprise peanut butter centers. This is a serious cupcake. Appropriate for any situation in which a cupcake needs to love you back. Like the time when the aforementioned boy decides you are not the girl of his dream, you know it’s ok because you have this cupcake.

A magic gluten-free cupcake that loves you.

gluten-free double chocolate peanut butter cupcakes from frannycakes

Gluten-free Double Chocolate Peanut Butter Cupcakes
Author: Mary Fran Wiley
Prep time: 1 hour
Cook time: 25 mins
Total time: 1 hour 25 mins
Serves: 30
This is a recipe for winning at life or at least for winning at dessert (or a bake sale or office party).
Ingredients
  • For the cupcakes
  • 63 grams (1/2 cup + 3 tablespoons) cocoa
  • 1 cup boiling water
  • 3 large eggs
  • 1 tablespoon vanilla
  • 235 grams (2¼ cups plus 2 tablespoons) GF AP flour*
  • 1 teasponn xanthan gum**
  • 300 grams (1½ cups) granulated sugar
  • 15 grams (1 tablespoon) baking powder
  • 5 grams (3/4 teaspoon) salt
  • 227 grams (2 sticks) butter, softened.
  • Filling
  • 170 grams (1 1/2 cups) confectioners’ sugar
  • 135 grams (1/2 cup) creamy peanut butter
  • 26 grams (2 tablespoons) butter, at room temperature
  • 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • For the Frosting
  • 8 large egg whites (30g each–total 225g, or 1 cup)
  • 400 grams (2 cups) granulated sugar
  • 560 grams (5 sticks) of unsalted butter, softened but cool, cut into cubes
  • 30 ml (2 tablespoons) pure vanilla extract
  • ¼ tsp salt
  • 400 grams (about 2 cups of discs) high quality chocolate
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Instructions
Bake the cupcakes
  1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Prepare the cupcake tins with papers & grease the tops.
  2. In a medium bowl, whisk together the boiling water and cocoa til smooth. Let sit for a couple minutes to come to room temperature.
  3. In a second bowl, lightly beat together the eggs, ¼ of the cocoa mixture and the vanilla.
  4. In the bowl of a stand mixer, combine the flour, sugar, baking powder and salt and stir on low to combine.
  5. Add butter and the remaining cocoa mixture and mix on low speed until all ingredients are moistened. Increase speed to medium for a minute and a half to develop structure.
  6. Scrape down the sides of the bowl and add the cocoa & egg mixture in 3 batches, beating for about 30 seconds after each addition.
  7. Use a scoop and fill the tins ½-2/3 full. You should end up with exactly 30 cupcakes.
  8. Bake for 20-25 minutes. If you are baking with multiple pans in the oven at once, rotate them halfway into baking.
  9. The cake should spring back when lightly pressed, or a toothpick inserted into the center should come out clean.
  10. Cool in the pans for about 5 minutes, and then move to a cooling rack until completely cool.
Make the filling
  1. While the cupcakes are baking, make the filling.
  2. In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, or using a handheld mixer, beat together the sugar, peanut butter, butter, and vanilla at medium speed. The dough should end up slightly crumbly.
  3. Roll the dough into 30 balls, about 1 teaspoon each. Set aside.
For the frosting
  1. While the cakes cool, make the frosting.
  2. Combine the egg whites and sugar in a small pot until they reach 140 degrees fahrenheit.
  3. Transfer to a clean stand mixer bowl. Using the whisk attachment, beat until light and fluffy (soft peaks).
  4. Switch to the paddle attachment and add the butter one chunk at a time until it is all combined.
  5. Melt the chocolate in the microwave on half power, heating it first for 30 seconds, and then in 15 second intervals after that, always stirring after each burst of heat. Once melted, let the chocolate cool so that it is still melted but just warm, not hot – you don’t want it hot so that it melts the butter, and then add it to your frosting, beating and scraping down the sides so you have a velvety and evenly mixed buttercream.
Assemble the cakes
  1. Remove the centers from the cupcakes using a cupcake corer, melon baller or pairing knife.
  2. Place one peanut butter ball in each cake. Top with the tops of the centers so there is cake on top of the peanut butter. You just want the top 1/4 inch or so of the removed center.
  3. Pipe a generous swirl of buttercream on each cupcake.
Notes
*I test all recipes using Cup4Cup Gluten-Free All-Purpose flour and it is by far my favorite. If you cannot find it where you live, Jules Nearly Normal flour is a close second. [br]**Omit if your blend contains xanthan gum, guar gum or expandex.
3.2.2124

 

Peanut Butter & Jelly Cupcakes

My birthday is a once a year occasion. Which is sad because the more birthdays I have, the more excuses I would have to bake a cake. The good news here is that I have friends. And all of those friends have birthdays. And the best part is that friends with birthdays challenge me to make cupcakes, cakes and other desserts that I wouldn’t normally make.

gluten-free peanut butter and jelly cupcakes

Like these cupcakes. Peanut butter & jelly cupcakes. I had used the combination in some gluten-free blondies last fall, and thought that was enough exploration of the classic combination. A peanut butter & jelly chocolate at the French Laundry made me certain that I could never live up to something that elevated a childhood classic.

But when my friend/coworker/fellow WordPress geek/the person responsible for my further downfall into nerdiness, Andi, asked for peanut butter and strawberry jelly cupcakes for her work birthday treat, I couldn’t refuse. In fact, I spent a couple of weeks thinking about how I would make it happen. Peanut butter filled vanilla cakes with strawberry frosting? Strawberry cakes with peanut butter frosting? The ways this could have gone… But, I remembered. Joy the Baker had a recipe for Peanut Butter Birthday Cake in her cookbook. And that Joy, she has never steered me wrong.

gluten-free peanut butter & jelly cupcakes from frannycakes

So, I made a gluten-free buttermilk peanut butter cake. I frosted them with a classic American buttercream augmented with some peanut butter. But the crowning jewel? More of Mammacake’s home made strawberry preserves. (I might have used a whole jar…)

piping practice

These cupcakes also happened to be the first chance I had to use my new piping skills from the Wilton BlogHer workshop. I felt pretty accomplished piping buttercream flowers onto the tops of all of those cupcakes.

gluten-free pb&j cupcakes in holder

Gluten-Free Peanut Butter & Jelly Cupcakes
Recipe Type: Dessert
Cuisine: American
Author: Mary Fran Wiley
Prep time: 20 mins
Cook time: 25 mins
Total time: 45 mins
Serves: 24
The cake is adapted to be gluten-free (and cupcakes) from the Joy the Baker Cookbook by Joy Wilson. The frosting is how my mom taught me to make it when I was a kid. The preserves were stolen when Mammacakes wasn’t looking.
Ingredients
  • for the cake
  • 315 grams (2 1/4 cups) gluten-free all-purpose flour*
  • 1 gram (1 teaspoon) xanthan gum**
  • 10 grams (2 teaspoons) baking powder
  • 5 grams (1 teaspoon) baking soda
  • 3 grams (½ teaspoon) salt
  • 205 grams (3/4 cup) smooth peanut butter
  • 85 grams (6 tablespoons or 3/4 stick) butter, softened
  • 100 grams (½ cup) granulated sugar
  • 110 grams (½ cup firmly packed) brown sugar
  • 3 large eggs
  • 1 cup + 2 tablespoons (265 ml) buttermilk
  • for the frosting
  • 170 grams (1½ sticks) butter, softened
  • 65-130 grams (1/4-½ cup) smooth peanut butter
  • 675-900 grams (6-8 cups) confectioner’s sugar
  • 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
  • ½ cup (118 mls) milk
  • pinch of salt
  • filling
  • 1/2 pint jar of your favorite jam or preserves
Instructions
Make the cupcakes
  1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit (175 C). Position one rack in the center and one in the top third of the oven. Line a cupcake tin with papers and grease the tops (just in case)
  2. In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, xanthan gum (if using), baking powder, baking soda and salt. Set aside.
  3. In the bowl of a stand mixer, cream together the peanut butter, butter, sugar and brown sugar for 3-5 minutes. You want the mixture to be light and fluffy.
  4. Add the eggs one at a time, beating for 1 minute on medium and scraping down the sides of the bowl before each addition.
  5. Add half the flour mixture and mix on low speed and slowly add the buttermilk.
  6. Scrape down the sides and add the rest of the flour mixture until the batter just starts to come together. Remove the bowl from the mixer and finish stirring with a spatula.
  7. Use a spring loaded ice cream scoop or spoon to fill the cupcake papers 1/2-2/3 full.
  8. Place one cupcake tin on each rack and bake for 10 minutes. Rotate the pans and bake for another 8-12 minutes. You want a toothpick to come out clean and the top of the cakes to bounce back if pressed.
  9. Cool completely on a cooling rack.
Make the frosting
  1. In the bowl of a stand mixer combine the butter, 65 grams (1/4 cup) of the peanut butter, 450 grams (4 cups) of the sugar, the milk and the vanilla.
  2. Beat on medium for 3-5 minutes.
  3. Gradually add the remaining sugar 1 cup (115 grams) at a time, beating for 2 minutes after each addition.
  4. When the frosting is firm enough to pipe, stop adding sugar and add the salt. If the frosting is too firm or not peanut butter-y enough you can add more peanut butter. I used 1/4 cup and nearly the full amount of powdered sugar. Your results will depend on the humidity, the type of peanut butter and how soft your butter was.
Assembly
  1. Remove the centers of the cupcakes with a cupcake corer or a paring knife, being sure to leave a little cake at the bottom of your well.
  2. Pipe in the jam or preserves until the well is almost full. Replace the tops of your holes (you will toss some cake, just save the part that is the very top of the removed cake) to keep the jam from making the frosting mushy.
  3. Pipe your frosting on your cupcakes. I made rosettes because I don’t think these need that much frosting, but you will have enough frosting to do a normal swirl if you would like.
  4. Sprinkle with decorative sugar, if you feel like it. I used pink to represent the strawberry jam inside.
Notes
*I prefer Cup4Cup gluten-free all purpose flour and use it in all of my tests. You would also have good results with Jules Nearly Normal Flour and Better Batter.[br]**If your gluten-free all-purpose blend includes xanthan gum or an equivalent (the ones listed above all do), you can omit this.
3.2.2124

 

peanut butter gluten free blondies

“This is the marry me juice” (and a recipe for gluten-free pb&j blondies)

peanut butter gluten free blondiesI burst into a fit of giggles every time I hear this phrase.

Uncontrollable, side-splitting giggles.

That is a quote from a recipe called Engagement Chicken. Apparently it is a thing that girls make when they want to catch themselves a fine young gentleman. I happen to think it is funny. Like a chicken has magic properties. (On the other hand, these cupcakes do have amazing man-catching powers). That phrase has become something of an inside joke with a couple of my friends.

And it is kind of related to today’s post.

Kind of.

Today’s post isn’t about man bait. It is about great pairs.

Sonny & Cher. Sherlock Holmes & Dr. Watson. Lucy & Desi. Root beer & Vanilla Ice Cream. Nutella & bananas. Tom & Jerry. Bert & Ernie. Kermit & Miss Piggy. Peanut Butter & Jelly. Andy & Emily.

You haven’t heard of Andy & Emily? That’s ok. They aren’t exactly famous.

Andy is my cousin and one of my best friends (also, he is the one who gave me the nickname of FrannyCakes). Emily is my brand-new cousin-in-law. (And if it isn’t really a thing, I don’t care).

They got hitched Labor Day Weekend, and it was quite the celebration.

There were silly photos in a photo booth. Dancing. Silliness. Oh, and some mushy true love stuff transpired.

An excellent start for their life together.

A perfect pair for that list.

Welcome to the family, Emily! You and Andy make a great pair.

Just like peanut butter & grape jelly (does any one else have fond memories of Goober peanut butter? I might have mentioned before that I have the palate of a four year old…). These are slightly addictive.

Gluten-Free Peanut Butter & Jelly Blondies
#ratingval# from #reviews# reviews
Print
Recipe Type: Dessert
Author: Mary Fran Wiley
Prep time: 10 mins
Cook time: 30 mins
Total time: 40 mins
Serves: 24
A classic bar cookie paired with one of food’s greatest pairs: peanut butter & grape jelly.
Ingredients
  • 280 grams (2 cups) gluten-free all-purpose flour*
  • 1/2 teaspoon xantham gum(omit if using a flour blend that includes this)
  • 1 teaspoon baking powder
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 175 grams (1 1/2 sticks) butter, melted
  • 215 grams (1 cup, packed) dark brown sugar
  • 100 grams (1/2 cup) granulated sugar
  • 3 eggs
  • 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
  • 150 grams (generous 1/2 cup) smooth peanut butter**
  • 100 grams (1/2 cup) grape jelly***
Instructions
  1. Position a rack in the center of the oven and preheat the oven to 325 degrees F.
  2. Grease a 9×13-inch pan or heatproof glass dish and then line the pan with parchment paper, leaving about an inch of overhang on the long sides.
  3. In a medium mixing bowl, whisk together the flour, xantham gum (if using), salt and baking powder. Set aside.
  4. In a seperate, large mixing bowl, stir together the melted butter, brown sugar, granulated sugar, eggs and vanilla. For a denser blondie stir until just combined. For a lighter, cake-ier blondie, lightly beat the eggs before adding them to the sugars and butter.
  5. Stir in the flour mixture into the buter mixture. Spread the batter evenly in the prepared pan with the back of a spoon or a rubber spatula. (You might want to grease the spatula if you are having problems spreading the batter)
  6. Slightly melt the peanut butter and jelly in separate dishes in the microwave, and spoon them out all over the top of the batter.
  7. Swirl the batter with a spatula or butter knife, but be careful not to go all the way to the bottom of the pan, or the blondies might fall apart.
  8. Bake for 30 minutes, or until a wooden skewer inserted near the center comes out clean.
  9. Set the pan on a wire rack to cool for 15 minutes.
  10. Grasp the edges of the parchment and carefully lift the blondies out of the pan. Cut into bars.
Notes

*I usually use Cup4Cup brand all-purpose flour, but you could use most commercially available flour blends or a home-made AP blend.
**You could use SunButter to make these nut-free.
***Grape jelly is my favorite, but strawberry jelly would work just fine too.

WordPress Recipe Plugin and Microformatting by EasyRecipe
2.2.8

This post is linked to Slightly Indulgent Tuesdays.

 

 

whoopie pies on a cooling rack

Making whoopie (pies)

whoopie pies on a cooling rackSo, I have nothing in my fridge. There is a bottle of white wine (named cupcake, go figure), some condiments, left over rice, milk and eggs. Now, I have a stocked pantry and some left overs in the freezer, so I am not going to go hungry. But none of that sounds good. Not even remotely.

So, what do I do? The only thing that a single girl with no one who relies on her for dinner would do, I bake something!

Today, I had wanted to make whoopie pies. Not because I love them or had a craving for them but because I had never had them before. And then I decided that because I happened to have some peanut butter around that they would be peanut butter whoopie pies. Because, frankly, nothing goes better with chocolate than peanut butter.
whoopie batter
They were a fantastic success. I guess if I had smooshed them a little, I would have gotten them a bit flatter like real whoopie pies. But they taste divine, so who cares!

Chocolate Peanut Butter Whoopie Pies

(make about 18)

  • 2 cups gluten free flour blend (I used Jules’ Nearly Normal Flour)
  • 3/4 teaspoon xantham gum (if not using Jules’s flour)
  • 1/2 cup cocoa
  • 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 1 stick unsalted butter, softened
  • 1 cup granulated sugar
  • 1 large egg
  • 1 cup milk

Preheat oven to 425 degrees.  In a mixing bowl, whisk together flour, xantham gum, salt, baking soda and cocoa. In the bowl of a mixer beat butter and sugar until creamy. Add milk and egg and mix on medium for about a minute. Add half the flour mixture and stir. Once combined add the second half of the flour mixture until just blended.

On greased baking sheets, put 1 tablespoon scoops of batter about 1.5 inches apart. Bake for 5-7 minutes. When done the cakes will spring back when gently pressed. Cool for 5 minutes on the baking sheet and finish cooling on a rack.

Add a dallop of filling and smoosh 2 cakes together for a super delicious treat!

Peanut butter filling:

  • 1 stick softened butter
  • 2 T milk
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla
  • 1/4 cup peanut butter
  • 2-3 cups powdered sugar

Beat butter, vanilla and peanut butter together until light and fluffy. Stir in 2 cups powdered sugar until combined and then beat. Add more sugar and milk until desired consistency is reached.