PB&J Vegan Breakfast Cupcakes

PB&J Cupcakes are awesome for breakfast or snack. Served with a glass of cold Vanilla Almond Milk. SOOOOOOoooooo good! Michelle baked these for us this week; family, friends and coworkers were just
raving them. They are lightly sweetened which made them lower on the calories. She also switched out the Jelly/Jam filling for pureed fresh fruit, which was tasty! Especially sense she made some extra fruit to pour on the top. So here it is just as she typed it. I haven't got her converted to my usual format for recipes, so this will have to do until I take the time to retype it ;)

Vanilla Cake

3 cups whole wheat pastry flour

1 tbl baking powder

1/2 c sugar

1/2 c Earth Balance or other vegan margarine

1-1/2 tsp egg replacer, such as Ener-G

3/4 c plain soymilk or almond milk

3-4 tsp vanilla extract

1. Preheat oven to 350F.  Line muffin pans with paper liners or if you are reducing waste, spray muffin pan with pump spray.

2. Sift together flour and baking powder into bowl.  Cream sugar and margarine with electric mixer 5 minutes, or until fluffy.

3. Stir egg replacer into 1/2 cup water in bowl.  Add to sugar mixture, and beat until combined.  Combine milk and vanilla in bowl.  Reduce mixer speed to low, and alternate adding flour mixture and milk mixture, ending with milk mixture.  (Do not overmix.)

4. Fill each muffin pan three-quarters full, and bake for 16 to 19 minutes, or until toothpick inserted in centers comes out clean.  Cool.

makes 18 cupcakes

Peanut Butter Frosting

1-1/4 c natural peanut butter

1 c Earth Balance or vegan margarine

2-3 c confectioner's sugar, to taste and texture

1 c peanuts

1 c fruit puree with 1 tsp vanilla

1/4 c melted chocolate, optional

1. Beat peanut butter, margarine 5 to 7 minutes, or until light and fluffy.  Reduce mixer speed to low, and gradually beat in confectioner's sugar until incorporated and mixture is spreadable.  Transfer to pastry bag fitted with large round tip or zip lock bag and snip corner off.

2. Press 1/2-inch-deep indentation in top of each Cupcake with knife or finger.  Pipe thick ring of frosting around rim of Cupcake; leave indentation clear.

3. Place peanuts on plate.  Roll frosted rims in peanuts to coat.

4. Transfer fruit puree to pastry bag fitted with a small tip or zip lock back and snip the corner.  Fill indentations to frosting rims with puree.  Drizzle with melted and cooled chocolate if desired.