Fluffernutter Cupcakes
If you know me IRL, it would likely surprise you to know that I used to be painfully shy. But that’s not really the beginning of my story. Let’s try again…
I am the oldest grandchild (of 15) on my mom’s side of our big extended family. I lived the early days of my life surrounded by adoring grandparents and a house full of teenage aunts and uncles. I’ve been told that such support and affirmation contributes to the development of one’s confidence and tendency to trust others. Mostly, I think it just encouraged me to talk. A lot. Peppered throughout every report card from kindergarten until third grade were comments like, “Aaron is very social.” They didn’t mean it as a compliment. Whether at school, church, or my stodgy paternal grandparents’ not-for-small-kids house, everyone seemed to just want me to be quiet.
As it turns out, three weeks in the hospital due to a ruptured appendix leaving me an even skinnier and weaker kid did the trick. I began fourth grade tender and tired, less physical and active than before, which caused me to become more reserved as the months and years ticked past. Eventually, the steady approach of puberty and the growing sense that I was gay (in an Evangelical Christian household) culminated in a seventh grader who wanted nothing more than to be invisible.
I have far less clarity about how I fought my way back to the chatty, social, confident and opinionated guy I was by my mid-20s, let alone how each decade since has worn away my willingness to mask or cover who I am in any way. But here I am…or at least, here I was until a couple of years ago.
If you know me IRL, you most likely know I’ve had some serious career set-backs of late. In actuality, it began with a two-year evolution of being disempowered, then ignored, then silenced, then made expendable and laid off, dumping me into an atrocious job market where I’ve lingered now for 21 months and counting. Essentially, another round of “Just be quiet.”
So, I’ve been struggling to feel like I have anything to contribute or anything to say that others actually want to hear. I share this as a small bit of explanation for the long pause on the blog, but not as a plea for pity, nor because I have a solution to share. Except maybe this bit of wisdom from someone who succeeded against big odds and very vocal naysayers:
"Start where you are. Use what you have. Do what you can." —Arthur Ashe
So, this is the [re]start of me exercising my voice. Believing that what I have to say matters. Reaching out to tell you you’re not alone. Giving that shy little kid a big hug and telling him not to let anyone shush his talkative little people-loving self — by way of the most childhood-invoking, gooey, indulgent flavor combo I could muster. These cupcakes are so decadent they’re a little obscene and a WHOLE LOT delicious! Your inner child will love them.
Enjoy!
King Arthur All-Purpose Flour
King Arthur Pure Vanilla Extract
King Arthur Muffin Pan
Breville Hand Mixer
Fluffernutter Cupcakes
makes 12 cupcakes
INGREDIENTS
PEANUT BUTTER CUPCAKES
1 + 1/4 cups (156g) good all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
2/3 cup (166g) peanut butter
1/4 cup (57g) sour cream, room temperature
1 egg, room temperature
3/4 cup light brown sugar
1/3 cup vegetable oil
1 + 1/2 teaspoons good-quality vanilla
3/4 cup whole milk or buttermilk, room temperature
MARSHMALLOW FILLING/FROSTING
3/4 cup butter, room temperature
2 tablespoons vegetable shortening
2 cups (210g) powdered sugar
1 7-oz jar Marshmallow Fluff
1 + 1/2 teaspoon good-quality vanilla
Generous pinch of salt
FLUFFY PEANUT BUTTER FROSTING but reduce the confectioners’ sugar to 2 cups and the heavy cream to 2 tablespoons (because the marshmallow is SWEET!)
INSTRUCTIONS
Make the cupcakes
With the rack set to center, heat oven to 350. Line a 12-cup muffin pan with paper liners, and lightly spray with cooking spray.
In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.
In a medium-large bowl, whisk the peanut butter, sour cream and egg until smooth. Whisk in the brown sugar, followed by the oil and vanilla until incorporated. Whisk in the milk until smooth.
Add the wet ingredients to the dry and stir gently with a silicone spatula until no streaks of flour remain. Be careful not to overmix.
Pour or spoon the batter into the prepared pan, filling the cups about 2/3 full.
Bake for 22-24 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.
Allow the cupcakes to cool completely before filling and frosting.
Make the marshmallow filling (and the Peanut Butter Frosting)
In a medium-large bowl, use a hand mixer to beat the butter on high until very smooth. Add the powdered sugar and mix on low until well combined. Add the Marshmallow Fluff, vanilla and salt, and mix on low until fully incorporated and uniform.
Once the cupcakes are cool, use an apple corer to remove the center of each cupcake about 1/2 the depth of the cupcake. Fill a piping bag with the marshmallow filling, cut off the tip to create a 1/2” opening, and pipe each cavity full to the top. Empty the remaining filling back into the bowl.
Frost the cupcakes
Whip all the remaining marshmallow filling into a fluffy frosting consistency. (If the mixture is too sticky or not thickening, add a tablespoon of powdered sugar and continue whipping.) Refill the piping bag with the marshmallow frosting.
Fill a second piping bag with the peanut butter frosting, also cutting off the tip to create a 1/2” opening.
Secure the open tops of the piping bags with clips or twist ties. Fit a third piping bag with a large swirl piping tip. Insert both bags of frosting into the piping bag, making sure the ends are all the way into the piping tip. Test to be sure you’re getting fully swirled frosting before piping onto the cupcakes.
Pipe the swirled frosting onto the cupcakes in rosettes or basic swirls.
