I think by now you guys know we are ALL about some muffins in this house. I probably bake at least 2 batches of muffins a week, more on weeks when we’ve run out and I’m replenishing our freezer stock. (Just watch my Instagram stories on the weekends…) Muffins. All. Day. Long. (Including for dinner, like my veggie mac and cheese muffins I re-shared earlier in the week.)
These healthy peanut butter and jelly muffins are our current obsession. They are whole wheat and naturally sweetened (like many of my muffins - see my muffin category) and a great addition to school lunches. And if your school is peanut-free, you can absolutely sub almond butter here. I’ve done them that way too. (M’s kindergarten class is OK with peanut products but J’s preschool is completely peanut-free.) You can check out the video above to see how I make these and keep the jelly in the middle of the muffin. Basically you fill the muffin tins with a bottom layer of the peanut butter dough, then dollop a teaspoon of jelly in the middle of each cup and cover it up with another layer of peanut butter dough. This keeps the jelly in the center of each muffin. Wanna know what happens if you don’t do this carefully and cover up all the jelly?
Nothing. Nothing happens. Some of the jelly leaks out the sides of the muffins and gets oozy everywhere. It actually looks pretty cool. It’s no longer a hidden gem in the middle of the muffin, but sometimes, you gotta glob it in there and go, no time to fuss with arranging dough and jelly. I get it.
Notes on healthy peanut butter and jelly muffins:
As I mentioned, you can substitute almond butter for these muffins if you have a child with a food allergy or you’re sending the muffins to a nut-free school. These are great for breakfast, for school lunches, for an afternoon snack or just for having on hand when you need an energy boost. If you really want a lot of peanut butter flavor, add a smear on top when you serve these. Also, I used my easy strawberry freezer jam cause I always have some in the fridge or freezer, but you can use a store-bought jelly and make these with any of your favorite flavors.
Side note: I grew up on grape jelly. Or so I thought. Once I was an adult and came home to stay I looked at the actual label and discovered it was blackberry. I’d been eating blackberry jelly all my life thinking it was grape. #gamechanger #icanttrustanythinganymore #whatelsedontIknowabout) OK, drama moment over…
The other great thing about these, as with most muffins, is they store beautifully!
How to store PB&J muffins:
- These peanut butter and jelly muffins will keep covered, on the counter, for up to 3 days or in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.
- You can also freeze the extras. Let the muffins cool completely. Place them in a freezer-safe ziptop bag (that’s labeled!) and freeze for up to 6 months.
- I like to wrap muffins individually in aluminum foil before putting them into the bag. It adds an extra layer of protection from freezer burn.
- To thaw, just place one or more muffins in the refrigerator overnight. Serve cold from the fridge or warm in the microwave for about 15-20 seconds.
- You can also warm a muffin in the microwave straight from the freezer in a pinch. Start with 45 seconds and add time (and possibly turn it upside down) as needed. So join me in the kitchen and make some muffins. And then some more. And then 32,000 more batches. Enjoy! XO, Kathryn
You can use white wheat flour or use whole wheat flour. You can also use a mix of whole wheat flour and all-purpose flour if you prefer. You can substitute almond butter for the peanut butter to make these peanut-free if needed. You can use 2% milk, skim milk, soy milk - whatever you have. I use my easy strawberry freezer jam, but you can use a store-bought jelly and make these with your favorite flavor of jelly.
