Tender and delicious, these Chocolate Peanut Butter Muffins combine two great flavors in a satisfying treat just right for breakfast or snack time.

Both of my daughters moved up to new schools this year. How is it possible that I have kids in middle and high school?

After a long day of classes and activities, my girls come home hungry. They’re always excited to find baked goods to snack on, especially when those baked goods take the form of Chocolate Peanut Butter Muffins.

Cocoa powder and chocolate chips fill these tender treats with chocolate goodness. A generous spoonful of peanut butter swirled into the batter of each muffin adds rich, nuttiness, and a sprinkling of peanuts on top provides extra peanut flavor and a satisfying crunch.

Chocolate and peanut butter, these classic companions, are like the friends I hope my daughters will always have. Both ingredients are interesting and full of personality; they’re as delightful on their own as they are together. And when they do spend time together, their perfect teamwork brings out the best in both. I’ll take my life lessons where I can.

As for these muffins, their good-natured chocolate and peanut butter collaboration makes them serious winners.

My sweet-toothed husband keeps suggesting that I boost the sugar and fat to transform this recipe from muffins to cupcakes, but my kids just shake their heads. They know what’s what.

While I’ll happily allow a one of these muffins to masquerade as a healthy snack, they know I’ll never offer up proper cupcakes as snack food.

Besides, there’s no reason we can’t have both: Chocolate Peanut Butter Muffins for snack-time and Chocolate Peanut Butter Cupcakes for dessert. Duh.

Until I get that cupcake recipe figured out, my husband will just have to keep eating his muffins with ice cream.

Print Recipe

5 from 1 vote

Chocolate Peanut Butter Muffins

Prep Time10

Cook Time15

Total Time25

Course: Breakfast, Brunch, Snacks

Keyword: chocolate, chocolate and peanut butter, kid-friendly recipe, muffins, quick breads

Servings: Serves 8 to 12

Author: Suzanne Cowden

Ingredients

2 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
¼ cup dark cocoa powder
1½ teaspoons baking soda
½ teaspoon salt
1 cup buttermilk
2/3 cup brown sugar
¼ cup vegetable oil
1 large egg
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
2/3 cups semisweet chocolate chips plus a handful for sprinkling on top
½ cup peanut butter
1/2 cup lightly salted peanuts coarsely chopped

Instructions

Preheat oven to 350º F. Grease or paper-line 12 standard-sized muffin cups.
Combine flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, and salt in a large bowl. Whisk until well mixed.
In a separate bowl, whisk together buttermilk, brown sugar, oil, egg, and vanilla.
Add the wet ingredients to the dry and mix until just combined, no more than 15 to 20 strokes. Fold in chocolate chips.
Divide the batter equally between muffin cups; they will be quite full. Grease a small spoon and dip it into each mound of batter, twirling and pressing down to create wells in the centers. Fill each well with a generously rounded teaspoon of peanut butter. Swirl the peanut butter into the batter with a skewer.
Sprinkle chopped peanuts and chocolate chips over the tops of the muffins. Press the toppings gently into the batter.
Bake for 13-16 minutes, until muffins are set and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out mostly clean.
Let cool in pan for about 5 minutes before removing to a rack. Serve warm or at room temperature.