Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Muffins
E
By Emma
Certified Culinary Professional
•
Recipe tested & approved
Tall, domed peanut butter muffins dotted with mini chocolate chips and crunchy nuts. Batter rests to let gluten relax, giving rise to better texture and higher peaks. Using part oat flour for a slight nutty depth, with brown sugar swapped in for white to deepen flavor. Baking starts hot to jumpstart rise, then drops to avoid crust burning. Peanuts on top add texture and aroma. Avoid overmixing or muffins turn dense. Alternate liners for space, creating tall tops. Watch muffins visually; look for golden sides and dough pulling from edges. Cooling briefly in pan before cooling rack keeps bottoms soft but structured.
Prep:
50 min
Cook:
17 min
Total:
Servings:
12 muffins
#baking
#muffins
#peanut butter
#chocolate chips
#oat flour
#American cuisine
Peanut butter muffin experiments taught me don’t rush rest. Batter right out of mixing—flat, heavy puck tops. Waited 45 mins last batch, dang, tops stood proud like little domes. Oat flour swaps 1⁄4 cup of all-purpose for subtle nuttiness. Brown sugar boosts depth, not overt sweetness, balances peanut butter flavor. Using natural peanut butter with stirred oil creates moistness, but chunkier texture; creamy ones make batter smooth but less interesting crumb. Lining muffin tins with liners only every other cup—gave extra space, letting muffins climb higher, not crammed and sad. Chocolate chips keep getting swallowed up if you fold too hard; fold gently, barely. High initial oven temp pushes rise—oven spring is magic. Then drop heat to cook through without darking crust. Sounds crackle from baking, smells like peanut brittle. Worth the wait, trust this method for big tops and a tender crumb.
Ingredients
- 1 cup all-purpose flour
- 1⁄4 cup oat flour
- 1 tsp baking powder
- 3⁄4 tsp baking soda
- 1⁄2 tsp salt
- 3⁄4 cup milk
- 1⁄3 cup peanut butter, preferably natural with some oil stirred in
- 1⁄4 cup packed brown sugar
- 1⁄4 cup granulated sugar
- 1⁄3 cup vegetable oil
- 2 large eggs
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 3⁄4 cup mini chocolate chips plus extra
- 2 Tbsp crushed roasted peanuts, unsalted
About the ingredients
Flour blend here mattered; oat flour addition quiets gluten’s harsh edges, adds subtle flavor—not just fluff. Baking powder and soda both needed to balance acidity from peanut butter and brown sugar. Salt isn’t optional—it sharpens. Natural peanut butter is my pick; the oil keeps muffins moist but watch batter texture. No peanut butter? Try almond or cashew butter but omit a bit oil. Sugars split brown and white for caramel notes plus classic sweetness. Vegetable oil preferred; butter makes batter thicker and sometimes dense. Eggs usual for structure. Milk should be room temp or warmed slightly to help sugar dissolve and improve texture. Mini chocolate chips, not chunks, so they melt into pockets, not puddle. Crushed peanuts for final crunch; skip if nut allergy but add toasted oats for crunch.
Method
- Preheat oven to 425F. Line two 12-cup muffin tins with 6 liners each; place liners in every other cup to space them out. Helps tops rise taller.
- In a large bowl, sift together all-purpose flour, oat flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Toss to combine evenly.
- In another bowl, whisk milk, peanut butter (stir oil back in for looser texture), brown and white sugars, vegetable oil, eggs, and vanilla extract until homogenized. Slightly lumpy is fine.
- Fold wet into dry carefully, just until no dry streaks remain; overmix and muffins stiffen. Gritty texture from peanut butter chunks is normal.
- Add mini chocolate chips; fold a couple of times to distribute. Don’t break chips; they bleed color.
- Cover bowl with plastic wrap; rest batter 30-60 minutes at room temp. Gluten relaxes, batter thickens, better muffin domes result. Skip rest—muffins stay flat.
- Scoop batter with a 2 Tbsp cookie scoop into prepared liners, filling about 3⁄4 full. Do not overfill or batter spills over edges.
- Sprinkle extra mini chocolate chips and crushed peanuts atop each. Adds texture and that toasty aroma.
- Bake at 425F for 5-6 minutes then lower heat to 345-350F. Bake 12-15 more min. Muffins should be golden with slightly puffed tops. A toothpick poked near center should come out mostly clean with a few moist crumbs.
- Listen for the faint crackle on top; smell nutty peanut aroma intensify. Avoid opening oven multiple times—oven spring happens fast and lost heat ruins rise.
- Cool muffins in pans 8-10 minutes to set interiors. Then transfer to wire rack to prevent soggy bottoms. Serve warm to enjoy melty peanut butter pockets and soft crumb.
- Leftover muffins reheat in microwave for 10-15 seconds. If batter too stiff after resting, loosen with splash more milk next try.
Cooking tips
Lining muffin tins with every other cup still puzzles some; think of giving batter breathing room. Batter resting crucial; skips yield flat tops and tighter crumb. Folding wet/dry together—don’t stir. Just fold down and scoop around, repeated gently. Overmix toughens muffins; pockets of flour okay. Watch batter consistency—too thick, add splash milk; too thin, add spoon flour next batch. Bake high temp whole first 5-6 min for jumpstart rise. Then reduce to medium-low prevents crust burning. Muffins start shiny on tops, then get matte and golden. Toothpick test best close to center but avoid stirring holes in liner. Muffins crackle lightly as they firm up. Smell shifts from raw peanut butter to nuttier, roasted aroma. Cooling in pan sets muffin interiors; removing too soon risks breakage. Store uneaten muffins covered but not airtight to avoid sweating and sogginess.
Chef's notes
- 💡 Batter resting crucial. Skip this rest, muffins stay flat and dense. Resting relaxes gluten, thickens batter, domes rise taller. Covered bowl, 30-60 minutes at room temp. Watch batter texture. Too thick? Add splash milk next try. Rest varies by flour blend and peanut butter moisture content.
- 💡 Liners in every other cup for more room. Muffins climb higher; not cramped. Crowded tins lead to squashed tops, uneven bake. Also helps heat circulate. Double liners is waste. Space them out like this always. Helps domes form and prevent spillover during rise.
- 💡 High oven temp start is jumpstart. 425F for 5-6 min sets muffin structure fast. Then reduce to 345-350F to finish baking without dark crust. Crust color changes signal doneness; look for golden matte finish, slight puff on top. Toothpick test best but near center only, avoid liner holes.
- 💡 Folding is delicate. Wet into dry, just fold gently until no dry streaks. Don’t stir or overmix. Peanut butter chunks create gritty texture; normal. Overmix = tough muffins. Chocolate chips fold in carefully; break chips and they bleed color into batter, mess with muffin look and texture.
- 💡 Peanut butter type shifts texture. Natural with oil stirred in yields moist, chunkier crumb. Creamy peanut butter = smooth but less complex crumb textures. Use almond or cashew butter if no peanuts but reduce added oil, batter consistency changes. Egg structure and oil balance critical with swaps.
Common questions
Why rest muffin batter?
Gluten needs to relax. Batter thickens too. No rest means flat, denser muffins. Rest 30-60 minutes, covered, room temp. Shorter rest possible but less dome. Some skip rest but lose rise and texture.
Can I swap peanut butter?
Almond or cashew butter works. Oil content differs. Reduce extra oil if creamy nut butter. Texture changes; nut flavor shifts. Watch batter thickness. Also allergens if skipping peanuts. Adjust sugar if needed.
What causes dense muffins?
Usually overmixing. Stir too much and you activate gluten too much. Muffins stiffen, lose soft crumb. Also filling liners too full or skipping batter rest cause flatness. Oven temp too low at start can fail to jumpstart rise.
How to store leftovers?
Cool completely first. Wrap loosely or use container not airtight to avoid soggy crust. Refrigerate for longer storage, reheat briefly in microwave to revive softness. Freeze wrapped tight; thaw at room temp with short reheat. Avoid airtight for day storage, trap moisture.
