I must have eaten a million peanut butter and jelly sandwiches when I was little. By little, I mean really little — preschool age? The memory is fuzzy, maybe even half a dream, but I can still picture myself clutching a PB&J with stubby, sticky fingers. That explains why I declared a personal boycott of PB&J until my mid-teens.
Then I fell back in love.
My husband is a huge PB&J fan too. It’s his default breakfast and favorite mid-morning snack, although that could change once he rediscovers another five-year-old favorite combination. Someone found this blog yesterday by searching “hungry + grouchy + husband,” which made me quiz him about mysterious extra-marital snacking habits because it’s hard to imagine anyone hungrier or grumpier than him.
Needless to say, we always keep plenty of peanut butter on hand.
And by plenty, I mean we run out in the most inconvenient way: I crave peanut butter first thing in the morning and discover my husband took the last jar to work.
With the mountains of stuff we keep around the house, you’d think there’d be a spare jar tucked in a shoebox or buried under one of the 67 die-cast NASCAR cars that clutter our living room. Of course there isn’t — which means I end up at the store, because I also inevitably need cotija cheese or fennel or cilantro, things my husband can’t pronounce and never manages to find. And I always need those things immediately, because who can go a single day without cotija?
But let’s talk about these muffins.
They’re wonderful. They capture the spirit of childhood comfort foods, even if my actual childhood didn’t include whole wheat flour or natural peanut butter — I’m pretty sure my mother never knew those ingredients existed.
They taste like a simpler time. They take me back to third grade, to the unfortunate perm my mom compared to Roseanne Barr. That did wonders for my confidence.
The jam gets tucked inside two spoonfuls of batter so each bite has a sweet surprise.
I used grape because my husband favors it, and strawberry because it’s my favorite. I was the kid who left the grape popsicles for everyone else — always did, always will.
I like to sprinkle a little raw turbinado sugar on top for a crunchy finish. That little texture contrast on a muffin is everything.
The jam peeks through the crumb, and while some of the peanut butter mixes into the batter, I always add an extra spoonful to warm muffins. It’s pure comfort.
Whole Wheat Peanut Butter and Jelly Muffins
adapted from myrecipes
Makes 12 muffins
1 3/4 cups whole wheat flour
1/4 cup sugar
1/4 cup brown sugar
1 tablespoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 1/4 cups fat-free milk
1/3 cup creamy peanut butter (I used Smart Balance)
1/4 cup egg whites
2 tablespoons plant-based spread, melted (or butter)
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/4 cup reduced-sugar grape jelly
1/4 cup reduced-sugar strawberry jelly
Preheat oven to 400°F.
Lightly spoon the flour into dry measuring cups and level with a knife. In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, sugars, baking powder, and salt. Make a well in the center.
In another bowl, combine the milk, peanut butter, egg whites, melted spread, and vanilla. Add the wet ingredients to the dry mixture and stir just until combined; do not overmix.
Coat a 12-cup muffin tin with cooking spray. Fill each cup half full with batter, then spoon about 1 teaspoon of jam into the center of each. Top with the remaining batter to cover the jam. If you like, sprinkle turbinado sugar over the tops for extra crunch.
Bake at 400°F for about 20 minutes, or until the muffins spring back when touched lightly in the center. Let them cool in the pan for 5 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to finish cooling.
Make a batch today — they’re a quick ticket back to those awkward, delightful childhood years. The ones you remember fondly, not the ones you’d rather forget (like that time you peed your pants in kindergarten while wearing tights). Those memories are part of the ride, and these muffins are a tasty way to enjoy it.