Just look at these little round love muffins.
I’m freaking out. It’s peanut butter and jelly muffin time.
They work for breakfast, a snack, lunch, second lunch or a midnight munch. Soft and rich, each muffin hides a spoonful of preserves and is crowned with the crumbliest streusel you can imagine.
Maybe I’ve been spending too much time with a certain little love muffin because I’m calling everything a love muffin, but these truly deserve the name.
Peanut butter and jelly has been part of my life since kindergarten. For a while I refused to eat the combo — mainly because I was over the ubiquitous grape-squeeze-tube variety. Then I discovered all the other jams and preserves: strawberry, peach, blackberry, sour cherry, fig. Game changer.
For these muffins I use strawberry preserves. It’s my classic go-to for that nostalgic PB&J flavor. If I want to get fancy I’ll grab fig or another jam, but strawberry brings the comfort every time.
The muffin base is almost cookie-like — think peanut butter cookie turned into a muffin. Because these rely on a generous amount of peanut butter, the crumb is denser and richer than a typical muffin: tender, buttery and just a bit chewy, the kind that almost melts in your mouth.
I developed a peanut butter and jelly muffin recipe before, years ago, but this version is more flavorful and has a better texture. After many baking experiments and a handful of muffin fails, this is the one I keep coming back to.
Call them cookie-muffins or muffin-cookies — they’re snacks that wear their dessert disguise well. Perfect for secret treats and everyday indulgence.
Peanut Butter and Jelly Crumb Muffins
12 muffins
30 mins
Ingredients
- 6 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 3/4 cup peanut butter
- 1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1 large egg
- 1/2 cup packed brown sugar
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 3/4 cup milk
- 12 ounces strawberry preserves
Crumb topping
- 1/3 cup brown sugar
- 1/3 cup sugar
- 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 cup melted unsalted butter
- 1 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
Instructions
- Note: These muffins are denser and richer than a typical muffin because of the peanut butter. Work quickly so the peanut butter stays soft; measure ingredients before you begin.
- Preheat the oven to 350°F. Combine the butter and peanut butter in a bowl and microwave for 30 seconds, stirring well. If not fully melted, microwave in 15 second intervals, stirring between each, until smooth. Let cool slightly.
- Whisk together the flour, baking soda, salt and cinnamon in a separate bowl. Line a muffin tin with liners and spray them with nonstick spray; this helps the thick batter release easily. Alternatively, grease the pan well and remove gently after cooling.
- In a large bowl, whisk the egg, brown sugar and vanilla until smooth. Stir in the butter and peanut butter until combined — the batter will be thick. Add the dry ingredients and stir until just combined, then add the milk and mix until a batter forms, taking care not to overmix.
- Fill each liner about three-quarters full. Press about a tablespoon of strawberry preserves into the center of each muffin, pushing it slightly into the batter. Generously press the crumb topping on top of each muffin.
- Bake 18 to 22 minutes, until the tops are set and a toothpick inserted near (not through) the jam comes out with a few moist crumbs. Let cool before removing from the pan if you didn’t use liners; if you used liners, allow them to cool briefly before peeling off.
Crumb topping
- Whisk together the brown sugar, granulated sugar, cinnamon, salt and melted butter until the sugar starts to dissolve, about a minute or two. Stir in the flour with a wooden spoon until the mixture becomes crumbly — slightly paste-like. This is the desired texture.
Notes
Now doesn’t that taste like elementary school?