These Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Muffins bake up soft and tender with plenty of peanut butter flavor and chocolate chips in every bite. Sour cream adds moisture, brown sugar keeps the crumb soft, and the batter is made with simple ingredients you may already have in your kitchen.
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Peanut butter and chocolate are always a good combination, and these muffins never last long at our house. They are especially good while still slightly warm, when the chocolate chips are soft and melty.
The addition of sour cream makes a noticeable difference in the texture. Peanut butter can sometimes make muffins heavy or dry, but the sour cream keeps them soft without making the batter oily.
My peanut butter lovers also enjoy these Peanut Butter Cupcakes topped with caramel frosting and caramel corn. We like making them for baseball season because the peanuts and caramel corn remind us of Cracker Jack.
For more chocolate and peanut butter treats, try my Peanut butter cup bars, an easy dessert for chocolate lovers, or these protein peanut butter cups for a simple homemade snack.
Recipe Highlights
- Type of recipe: Muffins, breakfast bake, snack
- Main ingredients: Peanut butter, chocolate chips, flour, brown sugar, eggs, milk
- Cooking method: Baked in a muffin pan
- Skill level: Easy
- Prep: Mix the peanut butter and wet ingredients, add the dry ingredients, fold in the chocolate chips, and bake
- Bake time: 18-22 minutes
- Texture & Flavor: Soft, moist muffins with a tender crumb, rich peanut butter flavor, and plenty of melty chocolate chips
- Best for: Breakfast, lunchboxes, after-school snacks, weekend baking, and simple desserts
- Freezer friendly: Freeze the cooled muffins for up to three months
What Keeps These Peanut Butter Muffins Moist?
Sour cream is the ingredient that helps keep these peanut butter muffins soft and tender. It adds moisture and richness without thinning the batter too much.
Brown sugar also helps because it holds moisture better than granulated sugar. The other important part is not overmixing or overbaking the muffins.
Ingredients You’ll Need
These muffins are made with familiar baking ingredients and do not require anything fancy.
How To Make Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Muffins
Step 1. Preheat the oven to 375°F. Line a 12-cup muffin pan with paper liners or spray the muffin cups with baking spray.
Step 2. Melt the butter and let it cool slightly.
Step 3. Add the melted butter and peanut butter to a large mixing bowl. Mix until smooth and completely combined.
Step 4. Add the brown sugar and mix until blended.
Step 5. Add the eggs one at a time, mixing after each addition.
Step 6. Add the milk, sour cream, and vanilla extract. Mix until smooth, scraping down the sides of the bowl as needed.
Step 7. Add the flour, baking powder, and salt.
Mix on low speed just until the flour is almost incorporated. Stop mixing while a few small streaks of flour are still visible.
Step 8. Fold in the chocolate chips by hand. Stir only until the flour disappears and the chocolate chips are evenly mixed through the batter.
Step 9. Spoon or scoop the batter into the prepared muffin pan, filling each muffin cup about two-thirds full.
Add a few extra chocolate chips to the tops, if desired.
Step 10. Bake for 18 to 22 minutes, or until the tops are set and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out with a few moist crumbs.
Let the muffins cool in the pan for 5 minutes, then transfer them to a wire rack.
These peanut butter muffins are perfect for breakfast or even an after-dinner treat. The muffins are not too sweet and full of delicious peanutty chocolate flavor.
Muffin baking tips
Use regular creamy peanut butter. Natural peanut butter can separate and vary in consistency, which may leave the muffins oily, dry, or heavy.
Measure the flour carefully. Spoon the flour into the measuring cup and level it off. Scooping directly from the bag can pack in too much flour, leading to dry muffins.
Let the melted butter cool slightly. It can still be warm, but it should not be hot when mixed with the eggs and sour cream.
Do not skip the sour cream. It adds moisture and keeps the crumb soft and tender. Plain Greek yogurt can be substituted in the same amount.
Mix gently after adding the flour. Use low speed and stop while a few small streaks of flour are still visible. They will disappear as you fold in the chocolate chips. Overmixing can make the muffins dense or chewy.
Do not overbake. Begin checking the muffins at 18 minutes. Remove them when the tops are set, and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out with a few moist crumbs.
Expect a rustic top. These muffins do not bake with a smooth, rounded dome. The thick peanut butter batter gives them bumpy, cracked tops, which are normal and part of their rustic look.
Variations
- Use dark chocolate chips for a less sweet chocolate flavor.
- Replace some of the chocolate chips with peanut butter chips.
- Use mini chocolate chips for smaller pockets of chocolate throughout the muffins.
- Add chopped peanuts for a little crunch.
- Use chocolate chunks for larger spots of melted chocolate.
- Sprinkle extra chocolate chips or chopped peanuts over the batter before baking.
More muffin recipes
For a warm, nutty muffin, try my Maple Syrup Walnut Muffins. They have a mild maple flavor, a little crunch from the walnuts, and are especially good with coffee or tea.
My Tuscan Lemon Muffins are made with ricotta cheese, olive oil, and fresh lemon for a soft, tender crumb.
My Favorite Chocolate and Muffin Pan
- I love using really good chocolate in my recipes. Ghirardelli Dark Chocolate Chips are perfect for baking and incredibly good to nibble on.
- For consistent results, I use this 12-cup muffin pan, which bakes evenly and is nonstick.
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Recipe
Tried it? Rate ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ & comment below; your feedback keeps the oven mitts flying here at One Hot Oven.
Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Muffins
Equipment
Ingredients
Muffin Batter
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ⅔ cup creamy peanut butter
- ¼ cup butter melted
- ⅔ cup brown sugar
- 2 large eggs
- ½ cup milk
- ½ cup sour cream or plain Greek yogurt
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- ¾ cup semisweet chocolate chips or dark chocolate chips
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 375°F. Line a 12-cup muffin pan with paper liners or coat the cups with baking spray.
- Melt the butter in a small microwave-safe bowl, then let it cool slightly.
- Add the melted butter and peanut butter to a large mixing bowl. Using a stand mixer or handheld mixer, mix on medium speed until smooth and combined.¼ cup butter, ⅔ cup creamy peanut butter
- Add the brown sugar and mix until blended. Add the eggs one at a time, mixing after each addition.⅔ cup brown sugar, 2 large eggs
- Add the milk, sour cream, and vanilla extract. Mix until combined, scraping down the sides of the bowl as needed.½ cup milk, ½ cup sour cream, 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- Add the flour, baking powder, and salt. Mix on low speed just until the flour is almost incorporated. Do not overmix.2 cups all-purpose flour, 2 teaspoons baking powder, ½ teaspoon salt
- Fold in the chocolate chips by hand until the remaining flour disappears.¾ cup semisweet chocolate chips
- Divide the batter among the prepared muffin cups, filling each about two-thirds full.
- Bake for 18–22 minutes, or until the tops are set and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out with a few moist crumbs.
- Let the muffins cool in the pan for 5 minutes, then transfer them to a wire rack.
- Store the cooled muffins in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days.
Notes
- Use regular creamy peanut butter for the most consistent texture. Natural peanut butter may make the muffins oily, heavy, or dry.
- These muffins bake with bumpy, cracked tops rather than smooth domes. That rustic appearance is normal.
- Do not overmix after adding the flour. Overmixing can make the muffins dense.
- Plain Greek yogurt may be substituted for the sour cream in the same amount.
- To freeze, cool the muffins completely and place them in a freezer-safe container or bag. Freeze for up to 2 months.
Try these other muffin recipes:
Maple Syrup Walnut Muffins are sweetened with just maple syrup for the perfect fall flavor. Made with ricotta cheese Lemon Muffins have a bite of Tuscan flavor to them.As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.
Nutrition
First published: March 7, 2022. Last updated: July 17, 2026, for better readability.
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About Jere’ Cassidy
From learning to cook on a farm in Indiana to culinary school in California, my passion for food is never-ending. Turning on my oven to bake something for friends and family is my happy place. I am glad to be sharing sweet and savory family-friendly recipes for your cooking and baking inspiration.
That detail about baking them at 425°F first really caught my attention—I love how starting the heat higher gives the muffins that bakery-style dome while keeping the inside tender and moist.
It’s a great trick for making great muffins.