bakery style peanut butter chocolate chip muffins
I guess I’ll spare you the inevitable harhar do you know the muffin man? joke in this post.
That’s honestly gotta be the most overblown joke amongst food folks. And I’m sure I have perpetuated it, too, in some recipe or another. Now, if I call myself the muffin maniac, does that make things better?
Maybe it’s one of those jokes people who aren’t funny but want to make themselves out to be funny put in their back pocket to impress those whom they don’t even need to impress. I really don’t know. Coming from a rather uncomical person by the name of Me.
I used to bake muffins all the time, with no real method, just out of enjoyment. I’d oft follow recipes I pulled from the Internet’s ass: muffins are one of those accessible treats that serve almost any time of day. Quick breakfast? Muffin. Nifty brunch? Muffin. Snack with coffee? Muffin. Dessert? Muffin. The muffin man knows his shit when it comes to choosing a marketable baked good.
I’ve shared blueberry and chocolate chip muffins now, and it was time to throw down a mean Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Muffin. These tall drinks of water are just stupendous: soft a fluffy, with a crisp and blooming muffin top, and of course a ton of chippies and a big hit of peanut butter. No disputing the perfect match that is pb and choco. No? If you have an allergy to either, then you’d probably take that claim to court, in which case you’d win, and I’d pay up.
If mom likes muffins (out of the gutter) these are perfect for Mother’s Day. You can prep them a couple days before and pop em in the microwave or oven to reheat, and they’re still just as good. Matter of fact, I downed one just now as an afternoon treat with coffee. Only problem with that scene is that it’s near 4 pm and I probably shouldn’t be drinking coffee. Oh well.
No Bluffin’ with Muffins
Muffin batter is not complicated in and of itself. I use a big hit of Greek yogurt to tenderize the batter even more. They key to the big muffin top lies in the leaveners, letting the batter hang out after it’s mixed, and “shocking” the muffins with a high temperature start in the oven.
First order of business, though, is to make your batter. Wet ingredients first: oil, brown and regular sugar, and peanut butter, then eggs, vanilla, yogurt (use whole milk, lower fat won’t do), and milk.
In a separate bowl, sift together flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Yes, the “tablespoon” of baking powder is not a mistake. This is key. As far as sifting goes, I plop everything in a fine mesh sieve and shake it over a big bowl for a nice fine texture.
Add the dry ingredients to the wet and mix until just combined. Fold in mini chocolate chips with a spatula until distributed, but don’t get overzealous and yearn for a perfectly smooth batter. Lumps are necessary. I like mini chocolate chips here, but if all you have is regular sized morsels, you can use those. The aesthetic result more than anything will differ.
Next step: cover the bowl and let the batter rest at least 15 minutes. The longer the better here, though, so you can even pop the bowl in the fridge for an overnight chill session. This method yields taller and moister muffins, a similar effect to chilling cookie dough.
Fill ‘Er Up!
Usually when dealing with, say, cupcakes, you don’t want to fill the tins all the way to the top. Here, we do just that. This helps create that beautiful domed cap on the baked muff.
Line a full muffin pan with parchment liners, and 2-3 more of a second muffin tin. I got 14 out of all my test batches, but 13-15 is normal. Scoop the batter into the tins (I use an ice cream scoop) and gently level out the tops so the muffins rise evenly. Sprinkle with a few more chocolate chips, if you please.
Start the muffins for 5 minutes at 425 degrees, then, without getting excited and opening the oven door, lower the temp to 350 to finish baking. Depending on your oven you may need 15-20 minutes. Check them after 15 for doneness.
Cool the muffs for a big in the tins, then move to a wire rack to continue cooling. Or, grab one by the horns and chow down while they’re melty and warm. Legit the best way to eat a muffin. If it were me, I’d brew up some good coffee for the occasion, too.
One note about this recipe: the peanut butter. While I love eating a natural peanut butter that separates when it sits, I prefer baking with an emulsified peanut butter. Jif Natural is my usual choice: it contains palm oil, so it won’t separate, but is still less scary ingredients-wise than a totally processed form. You can use full on natural peanut butter if you wish, but keep in mind the texture may differ. I find it creates a grittier finish.
Really love drizzling some extra peanut butter and sprinkling flaky salt on a warm muffin. A pat of regular butter in the venter of a halved muffin is glorious. Or, they’re great unaltered, too.
To store the muffins, cover them tightly and keep at room temperature for up to 3 days, or in the fridge up to a week. These freeze wonderfully, too, sealed up for up to a couple months. A quick zap in the microwave for in the oven at 350 for 5 minutes or so does the trick to melt down that gooey chocolate.
Enjoy, friends! And happy weekend to you!
Tried this recipe out? Leave a rating and comment below with your thoughts, and don’t forget to come say hi on Instagram and show me what you made!
Cupcakes and muffins, oh my!
Double Chocolate Chip Protein Muffins
Milk Chocolate Banana Mini Egg Cupcakes
bakery style peanut butter chocolate chip muffins
Ingredients
- 1/3 cup canola oil
- 1/2 cup sugar
- 1/2 cup dark brown sugar
- 1/2 cup creamy peanut butter
- 2 eggs, at room temperature
- 2 tsp vanilla extract
- 3/4 cup plain whole milk Greek yogurt, at room temperature
- 1/4 cup whole milk, at room temperate
- 2 cups all purpose flour
- 1 tbsp baking powder
- 1 tsp baking soda
- 1/4 tsp kosher salt
- 1 1/2 cups mini chocolate chips, plus more for sprinkling
- peanut butter and flaky salt, for serving
Instructions
- In a large bowl, beat the oil, sugars, and peanut butter until fluffy and combined, about 2-3 minutes. Beat in the eggs, one at a time, then the vanilla and yogurt. Beat in the milk until the batter is smooth.
- In a separate bowl, sift together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Add to the wet ingredients and stir until just combined. Fold in the chocolate chips with a spatula. Do not overmix.
- Cover the bowl in plastic wrap and let sit at room temperature for at least 15 minutes, or up to an hour. If resting for longer, transfer to the fridge for up to overnight. Bring to room temperature before baking.
- While the muffins rest, preheat oven to 425 degrees. Line a 12-cup muffin tin with parchment liners, and 2-3 slots in a second muffin tin.
- Remove the plastic wrap from the bowl. Being careful not to agitate the batter too much, scoop into the prepared muffin tins. Fill those fuckers all the way to the top. Sprinkle with additional mini chocolate chops. You may get anywhere from 13-15 muffins with the batter.
- Bake for 5 minutes, then reduce the oven temp to 350 (do not open the oven door) and bake for 15-20 minutes longer until an inserted toothpick emerges with just a few moist crumbs. Cool for 5 minutes in the pans, then transfer to a wire rack to continue cooling. Eat some warm, or cool completely and move to a covered container to store.
