The magic combination of chocolate and peanut butter vies with maple for the number one spot in my affections. If I buy a candy bar it’s going to be a Reese’s or Butterfinger; you just can’t beat that sweet and salty blend.
I’ll have to admit that these muffins require a lot of bowls and utensils, so I must really think they’re worth the trouble, because anyone who knows me or reads my blogs can tell you that dishes are the bane of my existence. Cleaning up my messes is a miserable chore that curbs my baking enthusiasm a bit…probably a good thing!
There really is no way around the multitude of bowls you’ll need. Muffin batter doesn’t like to be over-stirred, so it isn’t a good idea to make the batter, split it up and add chocolate to one bowl and peanut butter to the other; it would take too much stirring and you’d end up with very heavy muffins. I don’t like overly sweet, light muffins (if I want cupcakes I’ll make cupcakes) but I do like to have them rise prettily.
So you have to split the dry ingredients between two bowls, mix the wet ingredients in two bowls (I use big glass measuring cups) and combine the streusel in a small bowl. Yep – 5 bowls! Have I lost you yet? Hey…if I can do it, you can do it!
I made jumbo muffins – the recipe makes six. But you can make 12-14 regular size muffins if you prefer. If you really want to take them over the top you could put a peanut butter cup in the bottom of each liner before adding the batter. Just remember that you’re displacing some of the batter, so you’ll probably have a couple extra muffins. A drizzle of chocolate over the streusel once the muffins have cooled would be lovely too.
Chocolate Peanut Butter Streusel Muffins
Without further ado…here’s the recipe:
| Chocolate Peanut Butter Streusel Muffins | Print |
- 2 cups all purpose flour
- ½ cup sugar
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 2 eggs
- 1 cup buttermilk
- ½ cup vegetable oil
- 2 teaspoons vanilla
- ½ cup peanut butter
- 2 tablespoons brown sugar
- 1 tablespoon milk or buttermilk
- ¼ cup unsweetened cocoa
- 2 tablespoons strong coffee
- ½ cup all purpose flour
- ½ cup brown sugar
- ½ cup chopped peanuts (I used unsalted dry roasted; salted peanuts are OK)
- 5 tablespoons melted butter
- Heat oven to 375 F
- In each of 2 medium bowls, sift together 1 cup flour, ¼ cup sugar, 1 teaspoon baking powder, ½ teaspoon baking soda, ¼ teaspoon salt.
- In each of 2 small bowls, combine 1 egg, ½ cup buttermilk, ¼ cup vegetable oil, 1 teaspoon vanilla.
- In one of the small bowls, add the peanut butter, 2 tablespoons of brown sugar, 1 tablespoon milk or buttermilk. Mix well.
- In the other small bowl, add the cocoa and coffee. (Throw in a few chocolate chips if you desire.) Mix well.
- In a small bowl combine the ½ cup flour, ½ cup brown sugar, peanuts, and melted butter. Stir lightly with a fork to blend. (This is your streusel topping.)
- Gently stir the peanut butter mixture into the dry ingredients in one of the medium bowls. Stir the chocolate mixture into the dry ingredients in the other medium bowl.
- Either using a “separator” cut from card stock (or a paper plate) or a wide, flat spatula, put peanut butter batter on one side of a muffin liner and chocolate in the other, filling a little more than half full. (There will be just a little more peanut butter batter than chocolate) Remove the separator and repeat.
- Generously cover the top of each muffin with streusel.
- Bake for approximately 20 minutes for regular size muffins or 25 minutes for jumbo. Test with a toothpick, and cool on a rack.
Get everything ready before you mix the wet and dry ingredients!
Filling the muffins liners half & half.
Generously cover with streusel, and bake.
These muffins are just begging for a cup of hot coffee. I can’t stand to hear a muffin cry, so I’ll oblige – and wash those pesky bowls in the morning!
The next blog you’ll see will probably be child-friendly, since I’m flying down to visit my grandbabies in a few days. Maybe I’ll even let one of them write the blog, too! Sounds like a great vacation for me – I’ll just sit back and be “The Relaxed Baker” for a while.
Chocolate and peanut butter — heck yeah!!
Looking forward to a guest blog — perhaps your granddaughters are making breakfast for Mommy while she recuperates?