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Original post published May 13th, 2017. Post last updated on March 3rd, 2021.
With chocolate outside and a creamy filling inside, plus a touch of sea salt on the top, these chocolate peanut butter muffins make the best peanut butter muffin recipe for breakfast or brunch!
Why Make These Chocolate Peanut Butter Muffins?
These chocolate peanut butter muffins make the ideal sweet treat for breakfast or brunch. I enjoy eating one (or three…) as a mid-day snack, alongside a cup of my favorite tea. But they’re perfectly tasty for dessert, too.
This peanut butter muffin recipe includes a chocolate batter base, made even more chocolatey with the addition of semi-sweet chocolate chips. I’ve topped the muffins with a sprinkling of sea salt. After baking, I’ve filled each one with an injection of creamy peanut butter for the perfect salty-sweet combination. What could be better than that?
Chocolate and Peanut Butter: The Perfect Pairing
Chocolate and peanut butter represents one of those perfect food pairings. It’s right up there alongside sea salt and caramel, tomato and basil, apples and cinnamon, bacon and eggs, spaghetti and meatballs, or grilled cheese and tomato soup.
The combination of sweet, creamy chocolate and salty, savory peanut butter creates a rich and satisfying bite, both in terms of taste and texture. (And with a little bit of a protein boost from the peanuts, you can kinda sorta pretend you’re getting some kind of nutritional benefit, too…)
Chocolate and peanut butter features prominently in many desserts, snacks, and sweet treats: peanut butter cups, Girl Scout cookies, trail mix, chocolate peanut butter pretzels, frosted layer cakes, peanut butter Easter eggs. I personally love a good Reese’s Peanut Butter Cup, a Snickers bar, or handful of Peanut Butter M&Ms. Ooh, or a scoop of Peanut Butter & Company’s Dark Chocolatey Dreams, right out of the jar!
When it comes to finding ways to combine chocolate and peanut butter, the sky’s the limit. Don’t believe me? Check out this roundup of peanut butter-and-chocolate treats.
Filling Each Muffin with Peanut Butter
After baking, I’ve filled each muffin with a squirt of creamy peanut butter. To do this, simply fit a disposable piping bag with a round metal tip. Then fill the bag with peanut butter, and squirt!
To make the filling process easier, you can use a paring knife or a metal skewer to pre-pierce a hole into the bottom of each muffin. (Similar to the process you’d use for filling choux buns or eclairs.) After piercing, insert the piping tip into the pre-made hole.
I suggest choosing a creamy, traditional peanut butter for this recipe. Natural peanut butters contain too much oil, while chunky peanut butters will clog the piping tip.
Peanut Butter Muffin Tips & Tricks
You can use a silicone mini muffin pan for this recipe, or a standard metal mini muffin tin. If using a metal tin, I suggest lining it with paper or silicone cupcake liners to prevent the muffins from sticking.
I made this recipe using a silicone mini muffin pan, and ended up with about 28 “oversized” mini muffins. You can fill the cups with a bit less batter for a more standard-size mini muffin (yielding about 36 pieces) or make this recipe in a traditional muffin tin for approximately 12-14 full-size muffins.
Muffin Topping Variations
To add even MORE chocolatey, peanut buttery goodness to this recipe, punch things up by decorating the tops of your muffins with a peanut butter candy. Reese’s Pieces or Peanut M&Ms would work nicely. (The addition of candy will make these more of a dessert rather than a breakfast muffin, but nothing wrong with that!) Or, keep things simple by omitting the sea salt and sprinkling crushed salted peanuts on top of the muffins instead.
Make-Ahead and Storage Suggestions
These peanut butter muffins are best enjoyed on they day they are made. Store leftover muffins in an airtight container at room temperature, layered between sheets of wax paper or parchment, for up to one week.
Chocolate peanut butter muffins can also be layered between sheets of parchment, or individually wrapped in foil, and frozen for up to three months.
Other peanut butter and chocolate recipes you might enjoy:
Chocolate Peanut Clusters
Quadruple Peanut Butter Cookies
Peanut Butter Eggs
Rainbow Peanut M&M Cookies
And if you do make these, or any of my recipes, don’t forget to tag me @bastecutfold or use the hashtag #bastecutfold on Instagram. I always love to see what you’re making!
Chocolate Peanut Butter Muffins
- Total Time: 30 minutes
- Yield: 28-30 mini muffins 1x
Description
Mini chocolate peanut butter muffins with chocolate outside and a creamy filling inside, plus a touch of sea salt on the top!
Ingredients
275 grams all purpose flour (2 1/8 cups)
100 grams cocoa powder (1 cup)
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon fine sea salt
2 large eggs
210 grams granulated sugar (1 cup)
150 grams plain Greek yogurt (1 5.3-ounce container)
60 grams canola oil (1/3 cup)
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
130 milliliters water (2/3 cup), plus more as needed
150 grams semi-sweet chocolate chips (1 cup)
Coarse sea salt, for sprinkling
225 grams creamy peanut butter (1 cup)
Instructions
Preheat oven to 375° F / 190° C. Lightly grease a 24-cup mini muffin pan* with cooking spray, or line with paper liners. Set aside until ready to use.
In a large bowl, whisk together flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.
In a separate bowl, use a whisk or electric hand mixer to combine eggs, granulated sugar, Greek yogurt, canola oil, and vanilla extract.
With a rubber spatula, fold the flour mixture into the wet ingredients. Slowly add water and combine until smooth. If batter seems too thick to spoon, add additional water 1 tablespoon at a time.
Add chocolate chips and stir to combine.
Spoon muffin batter into prepared pan. Sprinkle each muffin with sea salt.
Bake in preheated oven for 15 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out clean. Remove pan from oven and transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.
Remove cooled muffins from the pan.
Fit a disposable piping bag with a 1/4-inch round metal tip. Fill bag with one cup of peanut butter.
Turn each muffin upside down and inject it with the peanut butter**, taking care not to overfill. Use a butter knife to scrape away any excess peanut butter.
Serve immediately.
Store leftover muffins in an airtight container at room temperature for up to five days.
Notes
This recipe makes approximately 28-30 mini muffins, or 12-14 standard-size muffins.
*You can use a silicone mini muffin pan for this recipe, or a standard metal mini muffin tin. If using a metal tin, I suggest lining it with paper liners to prevent the muffins from sticking.
** To make the process easier, you can use a knife or metal skewer to pre-pierce a hole into each muffin bottom. Then simply insert piping tip into the pre-made hole and fill.
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 15 minutes
- Category: Breakfast
- Method: Oven
- Cuisine: Breakfast