When it’s cold outside, my mind turns to boredom. Then baking. Then baked concoctions fit for a 5-year old. I swear, mine is the most unsophisticated palate when it comes to dessert — peanut butter and jelly cupcakes. Can it get more Sesame Street?

First, line two muffin tins with paper holders. Set the oven to 350 degrees.

2. In a large bowl, sift together 1 1/2 cups flour, 1 1/2 tsp. baking powder and 1/2 tsp. salt.

3. In a separate large bowl, cream together 1 stick softened unsalted butter, 1 cup sugar and 1 tsp. vanilla extract. Add 2 eggs, one at a time, beating well with an electric mixer, then add 1/2 cup whole milk.

4. Slowly add the flour mixture and combine until the batter is uniform. Do not overmix.

5. Fill each cupcake liner halfway with batter. It’s important not to overfill. (You’ll see why a few photos down.)

6. Drop slightly less than a full tablespoon of jam in the center of each cupcake. I used homemade grape jelly I made last summer. It sure is a treat to open a jar of tart, bright summer-y preserves when it looks like this outside:

Back to those cupcakes:

I put in a little too much jelly. Which is why I recommend using not quite a tablespoon in each.

7. Top with more batter so that they are a little more than three-quarters full. As you can see, mine are a little too full.

8. Bake for 20-25 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out cake free (you may see some jam), or until the cupcakes spring back when touched slightly. Ideally, you want your cupcakes to look like what you see above once they come out of the oven. But…

….if you filled them too much, as I did with some of mine, the jam spills over onto the tin and sticks like cement…..

….making removing them from the tin a messy, sticky business. It’s better if your tray of baked muffins comes out looking like this:

(save for that one jammy splotch.)

9. Next up, whip up some crazy delicious PEANUT BUTTER FROSTING: Beat 1 1/4 sticks of unsalted softened butter and a huge spoonful of creamy peanut butter in an electric mixer. Add 2 1/2 cups powdered sugar, 1/4 tsp. salt and then 3 tablespoons of whole milk. Add more milk or sugar to loosen or tighten the icing, respectively.

This makes too much frosting for 12 cupcakes, but given that my husband eats peanut butter and Duncan Hines cream cheese frosting sandwiches for lunch, I don’t think he’ll mind.

ENJOY!