Banana Cupcakes with Peanut Butter Cream Cheese Frosting -- The Birthday Table That Doesn’t Need to Change

June. Turned twenty-six. The blog following hit 50,000 this month, which is a number I never imagined and still don't fully comprehend. Fifty thousand people. Fifty thousand kitchens. Fifty thousand families making my recipes, reading my stories, following a girl from Broken Arrow who posts receipts on the internet and tells people they can feed their families on almost nothing.

Birthday dinner. Same as always: spaghetti and meatballs, full crew, the wobbly table, Linda's cake, Mama's $20, Dustin's gas station flowers (sunflowers, always sunflowers, always wilted, always perfect). The traditions are carved in stone now. They don't change because they don't need to change. The people change — Brayden is five and tells jokes at the dinner table (bad jokes, five-year-old jokes, but he tells them with confidence). Harper is four and corrects everyone's grammar (she said "it's 'fewer,' not 'less'" to Dustin last week and he looked at me like our daughter had just recited the Constitution). Wyatt is nineteen months and silent, eating his meatballs with the contemplative focus of a monk at supper. Colton is two and throwing food at Brayden (this is their dynamic — one throws, one laughs, both get in trouble).

I blew out twenty-six candles and I didn't make a wish this year. For the first time in my life, I didn't wish for "next year, better." Because this year is good. This year is enough. The house is here. The kids are here. The job is here. The cookbook is in progress. The blog is growing. The garden is growing. Mama comes every Wednesday. Cody is sober. Dustin opens the car door. The food is on the table. Every night, the food is on the table. I don't need better. I need this. I need exactly this. And I have it.

Linda’s cake is always the centerpiece, but these banana cupcakes have become my contribution to our birthday table — something the kids can hold in their hands and eat without forks while Wyatt contemplates his meatballs and Colton throws food at Brayden. Peanut butter and banana is a combination that feels like home to me, which is exactly the right flavor for a year that finally, fully feels like enough. If you’re celebrating something — or just need a reason to — this is the recipe.

Banana Cupcakes with Peanut Butter Cream Cheese Frosting

Prep Time: 20 minutes | Cook Time: 20 minutes | Total Time: 40 minutes | Servings: 24 cupcakes

Ingredients

• For the Cupcakes:
• 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, softened
• 3/4 cup granulated sugar
• 2 large eggs
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 3 ripe bananas, mashed (about 1 1/4 cups)
• 1/3 cup sour cream
• For the Peanut Butter Cream Cheese Frosting:
• 8 oz cream cheese, softened
• 1/2 cup creamy peanut butter
• 2 cups powdered sugar, sifted
• 2–3 tablespoons heavy cream or milk
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Instructions

1. Preheat & prep. Preheat your oven to 350°F. Line two 12-cup muffin tins with cupcake liners and set aside.
2. Mix dry ingredients. In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Set aside.
3. Cream butter and sugar. In a large bowl, beat the softened butter and granulated sugar together with an electric mixer on medium speed until light and fluffy, about 2–3 minutes.
4. Add eggs and vanilla. Beat in the eggs one at a time, mixing well after each addition. Stir in the vanilla extract.
5. Add banana and sour cream. Mix in the mashed bananas and sour cream until combined. The batter may look slightly curdled — that’s okay.
6. Combine wet and dry. Add the flour mixture to the banana mixture and stir gently until just combined. Do not overmix.
7. Fill and bake. Divide the batter evenly among the prepared cupcake liners, filling each about 2/3 full. Bake for 18–20 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
8. Cool completely. Allow cupcakes to cool in the pan for 5 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely before frosting.
9. Make the frosting. Beat the softened cream cheese and peanut butter together until smooth and fluffy. Add the powdered sugar one cup at a time, mixing on low. Add vanilla and 2 tablespoons of heavy cream, then beat on medium-high until light and spreadable. Add more cream as needed to reach your desired consistency.
10. Frost and serve. Pipe or spread frosting generously onto each cooled cupcake. Serve at the table, at the birthday party, or any night that deserves to feel like a celebration.

Nutrition (per serving)

Calories: 245 | Protein: 4g | Fat: 12g | Carbs: 32g | Fiber: 1g | Sodium: 160mg