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Chocolate Peanut Butter Muffins with a Creamy Cheesecake Center

These chocolate peanut butter muffins have a creamy cheesecake peanut butter center surrounded by a delicious chocolate outside.

Have them for breakfast, or for dessert. Just have them!

Did you know that there is a National Muffin Day? It’s celebrated on February 20 each year. Let’s celebrate by making muffins with another favorite taste in February – chocolate!

Is it a muffin or is it a cupcake? Seriously, who cares? These babies are amazing! 

To me, peanut butter is a food group. And anything that combines chocolate and peanut butter is a winner in my book.

chocolate muffins with a cheesecake peanut butter center

If you love the combination of chocolate and peanut butter as much as I do, be sure to check out my fudge brownies with peanut butter frosting and this buckeye fudge recipe. They both taste amazing!

And, for another healthy muffin recipe, try these cinnamon apple muffins. They fit into any diet plant at only 102 calories each.

I have been on a cheesecake baking frenzy lately. I have tried it in just about every kind of recipe you can think of. Today, it’s muffin time!Chocolate Peanut Butter Muffins anyone?

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If you enjoyed these chocolate peanut butter muffins, be sure to share them with a friend. Here is a tweet to get you started:

Start your day off in a sweet way with these amazing chocolate chip muffins with a creamy cheesecake peanut butter center.  It's almost like a Reese's Cup in a muffin~!🍯🎂 Click To Tweet

Let’s Make some Chocolate Peanut Butter Muffins!

This post may contain affiliate links for your baking convenience.

These delicious muffins are made in two steps.  The cheesecake and peanut butter center is made in about a minute or so in the microwave.  It’s creamy and silky and full of the taste of peanuts.

Since I am a die hard peanut butter fanatic, I know that I will love this part of the recipe.Making the muffin batter

The rest of these chocolate peanut butter muffins is rich and chocolatey and goes under and over the peanut butter center.  Just spoon it into the prepared muffin cups, add the peanut butter center and top with more of the batter.  

Tip:  I have an awful time getting divided muffin batter into muffin cups without making a mess.  I’ve tried small scoops, large scoops, silicone spoons.  

Today I put all of the chocolate batter into an icing bag, snipped off a good chunk of the end. Voila. Neat, tidy and no mess at all. Why did I not think of this before? Filling the muffin cups

And as if the chocolate and peanut butter aren’t enough of a combination.  These amazing muffins get a topping of English Toffee bits for a bit of extra crunch.  

I am seriously in wonderment about how to serve these.  They LOOK like a muffin, right? They taste like a cupcake, except there is no frosting.

Well maybe if you count the center, you could say that is frosting but that is a bit like playing with semantics.  But those flavors?  

OH MY YES!  I think it is safe to say that these are an anytime treat.A bite of Chocolate Peanut Butter Muffins

Time to taste the love!

Just one bite of these amazing chocolate peanut butter cheesecake muffins and you’ll be hooked. What I like most about these muffins is the texture.

The topping is slightly crunchy and the chocolate part is a bit cakey. But when your taste buds hit that center cheesecake layer?  

Man alive.  That is something else.  It is silky smooth and softer than the muffin part.  It has everything that a muffin/cupcake/cheesecake should have, all rolled into one delicious creation.

I think I’ll call this a Chuffcake. That should cover all my bases! I love the way these muffins look in my dark chocolate muffin liners.

Nothing beats a delicious muffin/cupcake in the morning… or afternoon… or anytime for that matter, right? Go on, I dare you. Have just one!Chocolate Peanut Butter Muffin

Pin this muffin recipe for later

Would you like a reminder of these delicious chocolate peanut butter muffins? Just pin this image to one of your recipes boards on Pinterest.chocolate chips muffins with a cheesecake peanut butter center

Admin note: This post first appeared on the blog in March of 2017. I have updated the post to add new photos, a printable recipe card with nutritional information and a video for you to enjoy.

Yield: 24 muffins

Chocolate Peanut Butter Muffins

Chocolate Peanut Butter Muffin on a plate

These chocolate peanut butter muffins have a creamy cheesecake peanut butter center surrounded by a delicious chocolate outside. Have them for breakfast or for dessert. Just have them!

Prep Time 5 minutes
Cook Time 25 minutes
Total Time 30 minutes

Ingredients

For the Peanut Butter Filling

  • 8 oz cream cheese, at room temperature
  • ½ cup Jif low fat peanut butter
  • ½ cup granulated sugar
  • 1 large egg
  • ½ tsp pure vanilla extract

For the Muffins

  • ½ cup canola oil
  • 1 cup granulated sugar
  • ½ cup milk
  • 2 large eggs
  • 1 tsp pure vanilla extract
  • ⅔ cup sour cream
  • 2 cups all-purpose flour
  • ½ cup cocoa powder
  • 1½ tsp baking soda
  • ½ tsp pink sea salt
  • 1½ cups semisweet chocolate chips divided
  • ½ cups of Heath English Toffee Bits

Instructions

  1. Preheat oven to 350 º F Line 24 muffin cups with cupcake liners. Set aside
  2. Place the cream cheese and peanut butter in a microwave safe bowl and heat in 10 second intervals until it is well combined and easy to stir.
  3. Stir in granulated sugar, egg, and vanilla.
  4. In the bowl of a stand mixer, mix together the oil, sugar, and milk. Beat in eggs and vanilla until the mixture is well combined and smooth.
  5. Gently fold in the sour cream until the mixture is just-combined.
  6. In a separate bowl, whisk together the flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, and sea salt.
  7. Fold the flour mixture gently into the wet mixture, stirring until just barely combined. Add in 1½ cup of the chocolate chips.
  8. Place the chocolate muffin batter into the prepared muffin tin so that they are just ½ full.
  9. Add a heaped spoonful of the peanut butter mixture on top of the chocolate batter and then cover with more of the chocolate batter so that the muffin cups are ¾ full.
  10. Sprinkle tops of muffins with the English Toffee bits.
  11. Bake in the preheated oven for 22-25 minutes until a toothpick inserted in center comes out clean.

Nutrition Information:

Yield:

24

Serving Size:

1

Amount Per Serving: Calories: 300Total Fat: 17gSaturated Fat: 6gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 9gCholesterol: 40mgSodium: 211mgCarbohydrates: 34gFiber: 2gSugar: 22gProtein: 5g

Nutritional information is approximate due to natural variation in ingredients and the cook-at-home nature of our meals.

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Disclosure of Material Connection: Some of the links in the post above are "affiliate links." This means if you click on the link and purchase the item, I will receive a small commission from the sale, but the price is the same for you. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission's 16 CFR, Part 255: "Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising."

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