These Chocolate Peanut Butter Muffins are moist, fluffy, and the perfect excuse to have chocolate for breakfast – and peanut butter, too! Made with whole-grain flour and no oil needed. Dairy free and gluten free friendly recipe.
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It’s muffin time, friends!
Muffins are one of my favorite things to bake because they’re quick and pair perfectly with your favorite cuppa. I mean muffins + coffee = heaven. Or tea, whatever you prefer.
And if you are one of the many chocolate peanut butter lovers, be sure to check out Homemade Peanut Butter Cups, Peanut Butter Energy Balls, Chocolate Peanut Butter Overnight Oats and Peanut Butter Oatmeal Cookies.
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
- Chocolate and peanut butter is a match made in heaven!
- Intense peanut butter flavor with 2x the creamy peanut butter!
- Easy recipe full of healthier ingredients you can feel good about.
- Super kid friendly – and mom approved!
- Make a double batch – enjoy now and freeze the rest for later!
Recipe Ingredients
If you’re a fan of FMK and into homemade treats, this quick and easy chocolate and peanut butter muffin recipe comes together with an ingredient list that’s full of pantry staples or those easy to spot at the grocery store. We will need:
- whole wheat pastry flour (or gluten-free all-purpose flour) – whole wheat pastry flour is milled from a softer grain of wheat than traditional flour and has a slightly nutty flavor, which I LOVE in these chocolate muffins. If you are looking to make these gluten-free chocolate peanut butter muffins, feel free to use an equal amount of your favorite gluten-free all-purpose flour.
- unsweetened cocoa powder (or cacao powder) – the darker the cocoa powder, the better! If you have cacao powder, that’s even better, since it is more natural and less processed.
- baking soda, baking powder + salt – the baking soda and baking powder give these muffins their lift. The salt brings out all those chocolate and peanut butter flavors.
- applesauce (or mashed banana) – make sure to use unsweetened applesauce, since we are adding sugar. You can also sub an equal amount of ripe, mashed banana. Keep in mind, ripe bananas will impart a subtle banana flavor.
- pure maple syrup – for moisture and extra sweetness.
- granulated sugar of choice – any granulated sugar such as organic cane sugar, organic brown sugar, coconut sugar or date sugar will work. These are much healthier than their refined sugar.
- creamy, all-natural peanut butter – a creamy, all-natural, no sugar or salt added peanut butter is best – homemade is even better!
- egg – one large egg at room temperature is enough to bind the dry and wet ingredients together.
- vanilla extract – pure vanilla extract is the good stuff.
- unsweetened, non-dairy milk – I like cashew milk, but you can also use unsweetened almond milk or coconut milk.
- dark chocolate chips (and/or peanut butter chips) – half dark chocolate chips, half peanut butter chips is the way to go, but we’ll talk about more mix-in ideas near the bottom of this post.
Find the full recipe with measurements in the recipe card below, at the end of this post.
How To Make
So these bad boys are pretty quick and can be whipped up in no time. Whether you’re making a batch after dinner for the next morning’s breakfast or in the mood for some weekend baking, these chocolate peanut butter muffins need to get on your list.
Like most homemade muffins, this one is really simple and you just need a couple of bowls to mix the wet and dry ingredients separately before mixing the batter. Here’s how to do it in a few easy steps:
Prep Equipment
Preheat oven to 375ºF. Grease 12-cup muffin pan with nonstick cooking spray or line the muffin tin with paper liners.
Mix Dry Ingredients
In a medium bowl, combine whole-wheat (or gluten-free) flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, baking powder and salt.
Whisk Wet Ingredients
In a large mixing bowl, whisk together applesauce (or mashed banana), maple syrup and sugar. Add peanut butter, whisking until combined. Then add in egg and vanilla, whisking until smooth.
Make Muffin Batter
Gently add the dry ingredients to the large bowl of wet ingredients, using a spatula to gently stir a couple of times, then add in milk and gently stir a few more times (it’s best not to overmix). Fold in chocolate chips and peanut butter chips, if using.
Scoop and Bake
Evenly distribute batter into the prepared muffin pan (I love using a large ice cream scoop for this), about 2/3 way full.
Bake muffins for 18-20 minutes, or until an inserted toothpick comes out with no wet batter.
Allow muffins to cool in the pan for 5 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely.
TIP: The secret to keeping these chocolate peanut butter muffins moist is applesauce or mashed banana. The fruit provides that added dose of liquid and natural sweetness you just can’t get anywhere else.
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Have Fun with the Mix-In’s
For the chips, I used both a mixture of dark chocolate chips and some peanut butter chips I found hiding in my pantry.
Some other fun mix-in’s include dark chocolate chunks, milk chocolate chips, white chocolate chips or salty, roasted peanuts.
If you need dairy-free chocolate chips, stick with vegan chocolate, like these chocolate chips.
How To Store
These chocolate chip peanut butter muffins keep best stored in an airtight container on the kitchen counter for up to 3 days or tightly covered in plastic wrap.
Freeze: For longer storage, cool completely and place them in a large plastic freezer storage bag, seal tight, label, date and freeze for up to 1 month. Grab one out of the freezer for a quick grab-and-go breakfast and thaw to room temperature.
Tips For Baking Muffins
- If you don’t have whole wheat pastry flour, use half all-purpose and half whole-wheat flour. Or, use all whole wheat white flour, but keep in mind the muffins may turn out slightly more dense.
- Do not overmix the batter. As soon as the dry ingredients are added to the wet ingredients, you want to make sure you stir as few times as possible. This ensures the chocolate muffins will come out soft and tender. If you overmix the batter, the muffins will be dense and gummy.
- Distribute the batter as evenly as possible for even baking. I like to use a large ice cream scoop to get the most proportionate and domed tops of the muffins as possible. Two large tablespoons work just as well, too.
Recipe FAQs
How to properly measure flour for muffins?
Follow the scoop and level method. To do so, spoon the flour into the measuring cup (without compacting), then level off the top with a knife. For super precise measurements, weigh the flour with a kitchen scale.
How to create bakery-style muffins?
Bake the muffins at a higher temperature (425ºF) for 5 minutes, then lower to 350ºF. This burst of heat allows the dome top to set, creating those sought-after tall muffin tops. Reduce the total baking time to 15-18 minutes if following this method.
Can I make mini chocolate peanut butter muffins?
You sure can! Use a mini muffin pan (24-cup) and bake for 10-12 minutes, or until they spring back to the touch.
How to keep peanut butter muffins moist?
The thing with baking with peanut butter is that it tends to soak up a lot of moisture. To combat this, we are using extra liquid ingredients (applesauce, maple syrup, milk) to keep these muffins staying moist for days.
More Muffin Recipes You’ll Love:
If you make this Chocolate Peanut Butter Muffins recipe, be sure to leave a comment and star rating on the blog! I love hearing from you, and it helps others learn more about the recipe too. Xx Ashley
Chocolate Peanut Butter Muffins
Ingredients
Dry Ingredients:
- ¾ cup whole wheat pastry flour or 1-to-1 gluten-free all-purpose flour*
- ⅓ cup + 1 TBSP unsweetened cocoa powder
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- ¼ teaspoon fine sea salt
Wet Ingredients:
- ¾ cup applesauce, or well mashed banana
- ¼ cup pure maple syrup
- ¼ cup granulated sugar, cane, coconut, date, etc.
- ½ cup creamy all-natural peanut butter
- 1 large egg
- ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
- ½ cup unsweetened non-dairy milk, I used cashew
- ⅔ cup dark chocolate chips, or mix in peanut butter chips too
Instructions
- Prep Equipment: Preheat oven to 375ºF. Grease 12-cup or line with paper cups; set aside.
- Mix dry ingredients: In a separate bowl, combine all of dry ingredients; set aside.
- Whisk wet ingredients: In large bowl, whisk together applesauce, maple syrup and sugar. Add peanut butter, whisking until combined. Then add in egg and vanilla, whisking until smooth.
- Make muffin batter: Gently add dry ingredients to large bowl of wet ingredients, using a spatula to gently stir a couple of times, then add in milk; use rubber spatula or large spoon to stir together wet and dry ingredients until just combined. Fold in chocolate chips. Avoid over-mixing. Batter should be wet and fairly thick. Evenly distribute batter into muffin pan, about 2/3 way full.
- Bake: Bake muffins for 18-20 minutes, or until inserted toothpick comes out with no wet batter. Allow muffins to cool in pan for 5 minutes before transferring to wire rack to cool completely and enjoy!
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