I’ve spent years refining muffin recipes, and these peanut butter muffins are my favorite—moist, full of peanut butter flavor, and with a tender crumb that isn’t dense or dry. A great peanut butter muffin should be soft, rich, and bakery-quality, and after lots of testing I’ve found the right balance of ingredients and techniques to deliver that every time.
OMG! These are amazing!!! Your tips for allowing them to rest, and how to make them big- are on point!!! They moist and delicious!!!
-Kate
If you love the classic pairing of peanut butter and chocolate, these muffins taste like a giant Reese’s cup. They’re big, bakery-style muffins with impressive domed tops, and they’re easy to make at home with a regular muffin pan.
Over the years I distilled my bakery-style muffin techniques into four key tips that reliably produce tall, domed muffins with great texture. Read on for the ingredients, method, and tips to help you bake perfect peanut butter muffins at home.
Why these are the best peanut butter muffins
- Packed with peanut butter flavor
- Made with everyday ingredients and prepped in about 10 minutes
- Optional chocolate chips for extra gooeyness
- Moist, soft muffins with a tender crumb
- Tall, domed muffin tops for a bakery look
What you’ll need for peanut butter muffins
These straightforward ingredients deliver the best texture and flavor. Full measurements are in the recipe card below.
- Creamy peanut butter: provides the signature flavor
- Granulated sugar: sweetness and structure
- Eggs: bind the batter and add structure
- Vegetable oil: adds fat and keeps muffins moist
- Buttermilk: makes muffins tender and fluffy
- Vanilla extract: enhances flavor
- All-purpose flour: builds structure
- Baking powder: leavens and lifts the batter
- Salt: balances sweetness and highlights flavors
How to make peanut butter muffins
These muffins look like they came from a bakery but are simple to make. The recipe card below has full details, but here’s the streamlined method.
- Combine dry ingredients: Whisk together flour, granulated sugar, baking powder, and salt in a mixing bowl; set aside.
- Mix wet ingredients: In a larger bowl whisk the eggs, buttermilk, vegetable oil, vanilla, and creamy peanut butter until smooth.
- Combine: Gradually fold the dry ingredients and about 1½ cups of chocolate chips into the wet mixture, stirring just until combined. The batter will be thick.
- Rest: Cover the bowl and let the batter rest for 15 minutes while you preheat the oven to 425°F (220°C).
- Prepare the pan: For bakery-style domes line a 12-count pan with 6 liners and fill every other well with 6–8 heaping tablespoons of batter. Top with remaining chocolate chips and a sprinkle of sanding sugar if desired.
- Bake: Place the pan in the center of the oven and bake 7 minutes at 425°F, then reduce the oven to 350°F and bake another 16–19 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Cool in the pan, then repeat with the remaining batter.
How to properly measure flour
The most accurate method is using a kitchen scale and weighing flour in grams. If you don’t have a scale, follow this spoon-and-level approach:
- Aerate the flour by whisking or stirring to loosen it—don’t compact it.
- Spoon the flour into the measuring cup; avoid tapping the cup on the counter.
- Level the top with the back of a knife. Repeat aerating between scoops for accuracy.
Gluten-free peanut butter muffins
This recipe converts well to gluten-free flour blends that are labeled “measure for measure.” I’ve had success with King Arthur’s GF Measure for Measure, but other brands may work too—just measure the flour carefully.
How to create bakery-style muffins
To get large, domed muffin tops, use a few simple techniques that encourage height and an attractive crust.
1. The rest period
Letting the batter rest for 15 minutes allows starches in the flour to absorb liquid and thicken the batter slightly. That thicker batter helps the muffins rise evenly and develop a domed top.
2. Fill every other muffin cup
Use only six liners in a 12-cup pan and fill every other well. This gives each muffin room to spread and dome without bumping neighboring muffins and promotes even browning.
3. Fill them to the top
Fill liners to the top with batter. It sounds counterintuitive, but filling them high helps the muffins gain extra height.
4. Start at a high temperature
Begin baking at 425°F for a short burst, then lower to 350°F. The initial high heat causes rapid rise and helps set the outer surface, forming a dome.
Storing and freezing muffins
Muffin storage
If you plan to eat the muffins within 24 hours, leave them uncovered at room temperature to preserve the crunchy tops—airtight containers can make the tops soft. For longer storage (2–4 days), line the bottom of an airtight container with paper towels, place muffins in a single layer, and cover with another paper towel to absorb excess moisture. Replace the towels if they become very damp.
How to freeze muffins
Wrap each muffin individually in plastic wrap, place them in a zip-top bag or airtight container, and freeze for up to three months. Thaw at room temperature for about an hour or unwrap and microwave in 20-second intervals until warmed through.
More peanut butter recipes
- No Bake Peanut Butter Pie
- Peanut Butter Ice Cream
- Mini Peanut Butter Cheesecakes
Peanut butter muffins recipe FAQs
There’s no single secret, but using buttermilk, keeping correct ingredient ratios, and avoiding overbaking are key. Buttermilk adds tenderness and moisture, which helps yield soft muffins.
A thick batter prevents mix-ins from sinking. This recipe produces a dense enough batter that chocolate chips stay suspended, which also supports a tall muffin top.
Chocolate chips contain stabilizers and often have less fat than baking chocolate, so they soften but typically maintain their shape during baking. The baking time and temperature also allow them to stay recognizable while still melty.
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Peanut Butter Muffin Recipe
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Equipment
- Muffin pan
- Mixing bowls
- Spatula
- Kitchen scale (optional)
Ingredients
- 3 cups (360g) all-purpose flour
- 1 ½ cups (297g) granulated sugar
- 3 tsp baking powder
- ½ tsp salt
- 2 large eggs
- 1 ½ cups (354ml) buttermilk
- ½ cup (118ml) vegetable oil
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 1 cup (270g) creamy peanut butter (not natural)
- 2 cups (340g) semi-sweet chocolate chips (optional)
Video
Instructions
- In a mixing bowl, combine the flour, granulated sugar, baking powder, and salt. Stir and set aside.
- In a larger bowl, whisk the eggs, buttermilk, vegetable oil, vanilla, and peanut butter until smooth.
- Gradually add the dry ingredients and about 1½ cups of the chocolate chips to the wet ingredients, mixing just until combined; the batter will be thick.
- Cover and rest the batter for 15 minutes while the oven preheats to 425°F (220°C).
- Line a 12-cup pan with 6 liners and fill every other well with 6–8 heaping tablespoons of batter. Top with remaining chocolate chips and sanding sugar if using.
- Bake in center of oven 7 minutes at 425°F, then reduce to 350°F and bake 16–19 minutes more or until a toothpick comes out clean. Cool in the pan and repeat with remaining batter.
Nutrition
Carbohydrates: 71 g |
Protein: 12 g |
Fat: 34 g |
Saturated Fat: 11 g |
Sugar: 40 g
Nutrition Disclosure
All nutritional values are approximate and provided as a courtesy. Changing ingredients or quantities will change the estimates.
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