Peanut Butter and Jelly Muffins

by Averie Sunshine on May 28, 2013

I’ll take peanut butter and jelly in any form. PB & J sandwiches are fine.

But peanut butter muffins with strawberry jelly-filled centers definitely trump sandwiches.

Of all the Peanut Butter Recipes I’ve posted, there’s peanut butter cookies, cake, and bars up the wazoo, but I’ve never posted a peanut butter muffin recipe. It was time to remedy that.

The muffins are fast and easy to make, and come together in minutes with just one bowl and a whisk. No need to haul out your mixer.

The peanut butter does double duty of not only adding flavor, but it keeps the muffins soft and moist. I used oil rather than butter, which I prefer in muffins, cupcakes, and cakes because it keeps them extra soft and springy. Using buttermilk keeps them fluffy, lighter, and moist.

Between the peanut butter, oil, and buttermilk, they’re big softies.

Normally I don’t like surprises, but sinking my teeth into the strawberry jelly filling that’s hiding inside is a surprise I’m on board with.

I didn’t use liners because I didn’t want ruffled edges. I wanted muffins, not potato chips. Instead, I sprayed my muffin pan with floured cooking spray. No issues whatsoever with sticking.

When you’re filling the pan, don’t be scared to fill the wells up to nearly the top, a solid three-quarters full. This is what creates big, bakery-style domed-top muffins. I filled my 12-Cup Muffin Pan perfectly with the batter. Just enough and none leftover.

I used my tw0-tablespoon cookie scoop, sprayed with cooking spray so the batter slides off easily, to fill each muffin cavity with about 2 tablespoons batter. It’ll come about one-third of the way up.

Then, add a nice dollop of jelly to each cavity, before topping with more batter.

When covering the jelly with batter, make sure it’s completely covered. If it’s not, exposed areas will be prone seeping out, caramelizing (burning), and sticking to the sides of the pan.

They’re soft, fluffy, and light, with just the right amount of density.

The peanut butter flavor is distinct, but not overpowering, perfect for breakfast, brunch, or snacks when you don’t want or need a super intense blast of peanut butter. If you want intense, try these.

The sweet jelly is the perfect compliment to the peanut butter, and it was fun watching my 6-year old bite into these and watching her eyes light up when she discovered the jelly filling. She’s missing her two front teeth right now, and soft, moist, tender food is perfect for my toothless princess.

I’ll never say no to a great PB&J sandwich, but the muffins are my new favorite way to eat PB & J.

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Soft, fluffy, peanut butter-scented muffins are filled with sweet, strawberry jelly, creating a fun twist on PB&J. You'll never look at a PB&J sandwich the same way when you can have PB&J muffins in about 30 minutes. They're fast and easy to make, and come together with just one bowl and a whisk. Biting into a tender muffin and hitting an unexpected patch of jelly is the best kind of surprise.

Yield: 1 dozen medium-large muffins

Prep Time: 10 minutes

Cook Time: 24 minutes

Total Time: 34 minutes

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup light brown sugar, packed
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon baking powder
pinch salt, optional and to taste
1 large egg
1/2 cup buttermilk
1/2 cup milk (I used unsweetened vanilla almond milk; use any kind of milk - soy, cow, rice, goat, coconut)
1/2 heaping cup creamy peanut butter
1/3 cup canola or vegetable oil
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
about 1/4 cup strawberry jelly, jam or preserves (or try raspberry, grape, cherry, or your favorite), divided

Preheat oven to 350F. Spray a standard 12-count muffin pan with floured cooking spray, or grease and flour the pan; set aside. For cosmetic reasons, I prefer to avoid the ruffled edges that paper liners create.In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the the first six dry ingredients, ending with optional salt.In a separate medium bowl, whisk together the next 6 wet ingredients, ending with vanilla extract.Pour the wet ingredients over the dry ingredients, and fold to incorporate using a rubber spatula. Don't stir vigorously or beat; just make sure everything is combined and there are no unblended dry ingredients hiding at the bottom of the bowl or in the folds of the batter. Don't overmix or muffins will be tough. Batter will be quite thick.Using a 2-tablespoon cookie scoop that's been sprayed with cooking spray (helps batter to slide right off), fill muffin wells with about 2 tablespoons of batter each, coming about one-third of the way full. Re-spray scoop with cooking spray every third or fourth scoopful of batter, or as necessary.Add 1 to 1 1/2 teaspoons jelly to the center of each cavity (marble-sized mounds)Top each muffin with remaining batter, about 2 tablespoons each. Fill muffin cups up to a solid 3/4-full, nearly filling to the top. This creates domed, high-top muffins. Underfilled cups create flatter muffins, and you'll also end up with extra batter.Bake for 20 to 25 minutes, or until tops are golden, set, domed, and springy to the touch; don't overbake.Allow muffins to cool in the pan on top of a wire rack for 5 minutes before removing them from the pan. Then place on a wire rack to cool completely.Tip: If you've accidentally overbaked your muffins, wrapping them while still warm in plasticwrap, and putting them inside a large Ziplock, and sealing it, will help muffins soften over the next day. Muffins are best fresh, but well-wrapped, they will keep airtight at room temperature for up to 5 days, or in the freezer for up to 4 months.

Recipe from Averie Cooks. All images and content are copyright protected. Please do not use my images without prior permission. If you want to republish this recipe, please re-write the recipe in your own words, or simply link back to this post for the recipe. Thank you.

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Even after writing my first cookbook with 100+ Peanut Butter Recipes, Peanut Butter Comfort: Recipes for Breakfasts, Brownies, Cakes, Cookies, Candies, and Frozen Treats Featuring America’s Favorite Spread, I’m still not sick of peanut butter.

Book release is just days away on June 4. Thanks to everyone who’s pre-ordered your copy!

Peanut butter and jelly fan?

Do you have a favorite muffin recipe?

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