Peanut Butter Muffins with Chocolate Chips

You don’t have to be a kid to appreciate the allure of these peanut butter muffins. Peanut butter makes them so satisfying, and those little bursts of chocolate chips are everything. Wholesome enough to be breakfast, they also make the perfect lunchbox treat or anytime pick-me-up snack.

If you loved my Double Chocolate Muffins, I know you’re gonna love these too!

ingredient notes for the best peanut butter muffins

• peanut butter 
  • although I love natural peanut butter I don’t like to bake with it because of the oily separation. Jiff is my baking fave, creamy or crunchy is up to you. You can use no a sugar peanut butter, but don’t use a low fat variety. Note: Jiff and Skippy both have ‘natural’ varieties that are a good compromise and will work well in these muffins.
• vegetable oil
  • the oil in the muffins keeps them exceptionally moist. Use a neutral vegetable oil like canola, corn, or safflower.
• mini chocolate chips 
  • or substitute regular chocolate chips!
• flour
  • I use all purpose flour, measured by fluffing the flour first, then scooping it with your measuring cup, and leveling off with the side of a knife. You’ll get accurate, consistent amounts.
• brown sugar 
  • brown sugar contains molasses that that makes baked goods extra moist and flavorful.
• vanilla extract
  • you won’t taste it as vanilla, exactly, but it serves to enhance all the flavors.

the problem with baking with peanut butter – solved!

We’re big fans of the stuff here, but, if you’ve ever tried to bake with peanut butter, you might have found that it can be tricky, and a lot of recipes come out sort of dry and dense. That’s because peanut butter actually has a tendency to soak up liquid in baking recipes, resulting in less than optimum results.

I’ve solved all that here, with extra liquid ingredients for a nice, sweet, moist muffin that even keeps on the counter for a day or so with no problems. (P.S. my Old Fashioned Peanut Butter Cake is another fan favorite recipe that puts peanuts and peanut butter center stage.)

make these peanut butter muffins perfect for you!

• make mini peanut butter muffins
  • This recipe can be made as mini muffins. Use a nonstick mini muffin pan and also grease it. Minis cook quickly, so check on them after 10 minutes.
• change up the flour
  • You can experiment with using part oat flour or whole wheat flour. White whole wheat flour or whole wheat pastry flour would also be good alternatives.
• use up that leftover buttermilk in your fridge
  • I love to bake with buttermilk, and it would work nicely in this recipe.
• add peanut butter powder
  • For an extra dose of pb flavor and protein, try subbing 1/3 of the flour with peanut butter powder (Trader Joe’s carries it.)
• try peanut butter chips
  • If you’re not a fan of chocolate, double down on the peanut butter flavor with peanut butter chips! For a super decadent version, you could even use mini Reese’s cups.
• lighten these muffins up
  • You might experiment with substituting applesauce for the oil. Fair warning: I have not tried this, but it has worked in other recipes.
• make them dairy free
  • If you cannot tolerate dairy you can try an alternative milk like almond milk, and use dairy-free chocolate chips. Be aware that the muffins may not be as moist.
• make gluten free peanut butter chocolate chip muffins
  • Use a good quality all purpose gluten free baking mix in place of the flour. I like Bob’s Red Mill or King Arthur Flour’s products.