Peanut Butter Muffins

Peanut butter muffins are moist, soft and have a tender crumb! Add chocolate chips for gooey chocolatey muffins! Follow our easy 3 tips for making bakery muffins. 

Why these are the best peanut butter muffins

• Packed with peanut butter 
• Made with everyday ingredients & prepped in 10 minutes
• Add in chocolate chips for extra delicious bakery muffins
• Moist, soft muffins with tender crumb
• Tall and domed muffin tops (bakery style!)

Ingredients

creamy peanut butter: adds flavor

granulated sugar & brown sugar: adds sweetness and flavor

egg: binds the batter together by providing structure

vegetable oil: adds fat and moisture 

buttermilk: makes the bread moist & fluffy

vanilla extract: adds flavor

all purpose flour: flour is necessary to build structure

baking powder: helps to leaven and lift the batter

salt: just a pinch to balance the sweetness and enhances the other flavor

How to make peanut butter muffins

1. Combine the peanut butter, granulated sugar and brown sugar with electric mixer.
2. Add in eggs, buttermilk and vanilla extract.
3. Add the dry ingredients, and chocolate chips if adding. 
4. Fill the liners to the top with batter. Yes – to the top! 
5. Press additional chocolate chips on top of the muffins and sprinkle with sanding sugar. 
6. Bake for 7 minutes at 425ºF, then keeping the muffins in the oven, turn the temperature down to 350ºF and bake for 16-21 minutes. 

How to properly measure flour

• Fluff the flour with a fork
• Use a spoon to scoop the flour into your measuring cup
• Use a butter knife to level off the flour in the measuring cup

Sticking the measuring cup straight into the bag of flour will result in too much flour to be packed into the cup, which can result in dry peanut butter muffins.

Gluten free peanut butter muffins

I have made this recipe multiple times with King Arthur’s Gluten Free Measure for Measure Flour with great success. You can also try another brand of gluten free all purpose flour. Be sure to measure the flour properly. 

Total time required

• 10 minutes to prep the batter
• 15 minute rest (this helps produce domed tops!)
• Bake for 7 minutes at 425ºF
• Bake for 16-21 minutes at 350ºF
• 20-30 minutes to cool

How to make bakery muffins with domed tops

Bakery muffins are known for their high domed tops. I used a few techniques to help “lift” these peanut butter muffins so they would have domed tops.

1. THE REST PERIOD

Let the batter rest for 15 minutes after it’s mixed and before you scoop it into the muffin pan. During the resting period, starch molecules in the flour are absorbing the liquid in the batter, causing them to swell and giving the batter a thicker consistency (ref the kitchen whisper).

2. BAKE AT HIGH TEMPERATURE INITIALLY

Bake the muffins at a high temperate (425ºF) for 7 minutes then lower to 375ºF. Starting the muffins off at a higher temperature causes the batter to rise rapidly, producing a domed shaped.

3. FILL THEM TO THE TOP

Fill your muffin liners to the top with batter. Yes, this goes against everything you’ve heard but it’s important in helping the muffin gain that height.

★ Expert tips for making muffins

• Measure the flour using the spoon and level method.
  
• For best results, make these peanut butter muffins with buttermilk. This recipe has not been tested with whole milk, skim milk or a milk alternative. 
  
• Allow the batter to rest for 15 minutes. 
  
• Top the muffins with chocolate chips and sanding sugar for a true bakery style muffin. 
  
• Bake at a higher temperature initially to cause the muffins to rise quickly.