bite-sized pb&j cups

When I want to feel the nostalgic satisfaction of childhood  I need look no further than my pantry. Peanut butter and jelly sandwiches were by far my favorite of sandwiches and still are today! Sandwiches mind you, are not something we make here on Un-Pampered Chef...so how can I incorporate them? Glad you asked! Luckily I happened upon this great recipe from my grandma for peanut butter cookies but decided to take it a step further. Trust me: like most of the treats made on here, these peanut butter and jelly cups are AWESOME!

I was afraid that when these were done the peanut butter flavor would be too much but once they cooled down, it was perfection! The way the jelly filling tastes contrasting with the cookie, you'd think we shrunk down the whole sandwich and made it bite size. I feel like this can only be defined into three words: super nom nom. Hope you guys enjoy!

*Note: these are made in mini muffin pans - If you don't have one, pick them up at your local store for under $15*

Peanut Butter & Jelly Cups (makes 48 small cups)

• 1 cup peanut butter
• 1 cup butter
• 1 cup brown sugar
• 1 cup granulated sugar
• 2 eggs
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 3 cups flour
• mini cupcake liners
• preheat oven to 350°F

Strawberry Jelly Filling

• 4 oz cream cheese (room temperature)
• 2 cups powdered sugar
• 4 tablespoons strawberry jelly (or other flavor of choice!)

Beat cream cheese with powdered sugar and add jelly. Once mixed, refrigerate until ready to add later.

Beat butter, peanut butter and sugars together until creamy. Add eggs (one an a time), then vanilla extract. Mix the baking powder with flour and add to creamy mixture (adding flour a cup at a time). 

Line the muffin pan with liners and with a spoon, loosly put enough batter to fill each cup. I rolled mine into balls before placing them in each one just to keep things clean! Now with a small flat object (I used the bottom of a shot glass), lightly press on the cookie dough to push down and fill each cup around 3/4 full.

Using your finger, push in the middle of each cup about where your nail meets your cuticle (roughly 1cm down). This forms a small well where we will be adding the jelly cream filling! Now remove the filling from the fridge and either using a spoon or piping bag add enough filling a little past the top. After cooking, the cream will set and concave slightly.

Place pan(s) in the oven and bake at 350°F for 12-15 minutes. Let cups cool for about 30 minutes once done to allow cookie to harden. Now take off the wrapper, close your eyes and think back as a kid while you take a bite into this peanut butter and jelly bite-sized treat!