I feel like muffins come in 3 categories. Healthy, Seems Like it Should be Healthy, and Let’s Be Honest This is Actually a Cupcake. These fall into the last category, but sometimes life just calls for ridiculously indulgent treats for breakfast.
I made these for my usual Friday take-to-work treat last week and I kind of wished I’d saved more for myself. I started with Dorie’s Chocolate-Chocolate Chunk Muffin recipe (from Baking From My Home to Yours and swirled in something that could probably pass for peanut butter frosting. They’re probably slightly better for you than doughnut holes, but not by much!
This made 14 muffins for me – 12 of which I baked in muffin tins and 2 of which I baked in ramekins.
Recipe:
(adapted from Baking From My Home to Yours by Dorie Greenspan)
muffins
6 tbsp unsalted butter, softened
2/3 cup chocolate chips
2 cups all purpose or whole wheat pastry flour
2/3 cup sugar
1/3 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1 tbsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1 1/4 cups buttermilk
1 large egg
2 tsp vanilla extract
peanut butter swirl
1/3 cup natural creamy peanut butter
1 tbsp butter, softened
1 tbsp milk
1/2 cup powdered sugar
Preheat the oven to 375 F. Line 14 muffin cups (or a 12-cup muffin tin and 2 ramekins) with paper liners.
Melt the butter and 1/3 cup chocolate chips in the top of a double boiler. Remove from heat and stir until smooth. Let cool slightly.
Sift the flour, sugar, cocoa, baking powder, baking soda, and salt together into a large bowl. In a separate bowl, whisk the buttermilk, eggs, and vanilla together. Gradually stir the liquid ingredients and melted butter and chocolate into the flour mixture, mixing just until combined. Stir in the remaining chocolate chips.
Divide the batter evenly among the prepared pans.
In a medium bowl, beat the butter and peanut butter together until smooth. Beat in the milk and powdered sugar until smooth. Drop a spoonful of peanut butter mixture on top of each muffin and swirl it in with a paring knife.
Bake for about 20 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out clean. Cool for 5 minutes in the pan before removing each muffin to a wire rack to cool completely.
I LOL’d at your 3 categories. These look delicious! As a icing-less cupcake fan, I’d choose these cake-muffins any day!
You had me at chocolate chip muffins, but then the added pb swirl really got me! These look divine!
Thank you for so perfectly summing up something that has been rattling around my head but never so clearly defined before. Yes, most muffins are Seems Like it Should be Healthy, there are the lucky few that are actually Healthy (and even fewer than are in this category and still worth eating), and then there are those like Dorie’s Chocolate Chocolate Chunk Muffins, which caught my eye a few weeks ago as well. When I do make them, I will absolutely swirl in some peanut butter frosting.
These look sinful, Cate! At least you used WW flour. I bet no one noticed.
[...] Cate’s World Kitchen who adapted it from Baking: From My Home to Yours by Dorie [...]
Cate, these muffins look magnificent! Love the peanut butter swirl you used. I could definitely go for these for breakfast! You have a beautiful blog. Keep up the good work!
[...] Cate’s World Kitchen, adapted from Baking From My Home to [...]