When life gets busy I turn to easy comfort foods.
I am currently working, quite furiously, on my next book. In fact, I just passed the half way point! My work on the book, as well as my trips to BlogHer and IFBC New Orleans, mean that this month I will not have as much time for cooking anything other than pies. Anything I can bake and stash in the freezer makes me feel a little more secure. I love knowing I am just a few moments away from something scrumptious that is not pie related. (It is certain I have reached total pie saturation. Send help!) Now, I do love a good muffin, and I also love chocolate and peanut butter. I think you see where this is going.
This is a dense muffin that goes great with a tall glass of cold milk. I opted for crunchy peanut butter for the sake of texture. I wanted those little nibs of peanut scattered among the chocolate chips. If you prefer creamy, or you want to use another nut butter altogether, feel free. Just please do not use low-fat peanut butter. It will bake up with a distinct bitter flavor, and that stuff is just junk anyway. If you want to add a little tart sweetness to these muffins add some dried cranberries, soaked in some orange juice. Raisins would also be nice in place of the chocolate chips for a more PB&J feel.
Crunchy Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Muffins Yield 18
2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 cup sugar
1/4 cup packed light brown sugar
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup butter melted
½ cup crunchy peanut butter, melted
1 teaspoon vanilla
3/4 cup milk
1/4 cup sour cream
2 eggs
1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips, plus extra for garnish
2 tablespoons flour
Heat the oven to 375 F and line a 12 cup muffin pan with paper liners.
In a large bowl whisk together the flour, sugar, brown sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.
In a separate bowl combine the butter, peanut butter, vanilla, milk, sour cream, and eggs.
In a small bowl toss together the chocolate chips with the 2 tablespoons of flour until they are well coated.
Add the wet ingredients into the dry and stir until most of the dry ingredients are moist. Add the chocolate chips and fold to incorporate.
Scoop the batter into the prepared muffin pan and top with a few extra chocolate chips, if desired. Bake for 18 to 20 minutes or until the center of the muffins springs back when lightly pressed and the tops are golden brown. Cool in the pan for 3 minutes then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.
Enjoy!