I originally published this recipe last year, photos have been updated.
Is it a muffin, or is it a cupcake? I wrestled with this question for far too long, particularly while photographing these rich, chocolate beauties with their peanut butter surprises peeking out from soft edges and from beneath still-molten chocolate chips. They’re sweet, they’re chocolaty, and I definitely would not be disappointed to be offered one of these to satiate my sweet tooth after a meal. Signs started to lean toward cupcake, and even my family members referred to them as such. But ultimately, I decided that what really makes a cupcake a cupcake (at least in my head) is a sweet, sugary crowning of frosting. Meticulously swirled or carelessly slabbed on top with an ill-wielded butter knife or icing spatula, it’s frosting that makes a cupcake a cupcake, and these have none. So, muffins they are. I’ll admit, though, it’s kind of a cheat, because while there’s no frosting on top of these peanut butter filled chocolate muffins, there’s something of a frosting inside. Maybe you can already tell by the bright spots and tiger stripes swirled on their surfaces (I’m afraid these muffins aren’t very good at keeping secrets), but that soft chocolaty crumb gives way to a creamy peanut butter cheesecake filling. Let’s try to keep that between us, though, because if you call these peanut butter filled chocolate muffins, it’s far more acceptable to devour one or two for breakfast.
There are two parts to this recipe — the peanut butter filling and the chocolate batter. Both are equally easy, but you’ll prepare the 5-ingredient filling first, and try to hold back from eating all of it before the muffin batter is ready. When portioning my muffin batter, I like to use an ice cream scoop just enough to cover the muffin cup about ⅓ of the way full, and then use a 1 ½ Tbsp-sized cookie scoop (this one is mine, affiliate) to drop in the filling, top it all off with another scoop from my ice cream scoop, and then use a spoon to smooth the batter over the filling. You can use a toothpick to swirl the peanut butter and chocolate together, if you like that look.
These peanut butter filled chocolate muffins remind me a bit of Reese’s cups for obvious reasons, but with a much softer, fluffier chocolate “shell”, and a slightly more breakfast-appropriate feel. While the cheesecake filling keeps these muffin tops for rising quite as proudly as some of my other muffin recipes, most of them ended up much rounder than I expected, and any deflation is a small price to pay for the peanut butter surprise inside.
Enjoy! And I hope you’re not tired of chocolate because I just realized that every recipe I have prepared for this week is… chocolate. Whoops. This post contains affiliate links, which means that if you purchase anything through these links I will get a small commission at no extra cost to you. Please view the disclosure policy for more information. Recommended Kitchen Tools
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Original photo:
Originally published 8/21/15 — photos & text updated 1/30/17
