Peanut Butter Jelly Time (In Muffin Form)

Peanut butter and jelly is one of those divine combinations that's good whether you're young, old, a gourmand or a culinary plebeian. I really don't think I could get tired of a classic PB&J sandwich, but I do like to have some variety. That's why I love injecting this delightful union of nutty and fruity flavors into other dishes.

One of my favorites to date has been peanut butter and jelly biscuits. They taste pretty amazing, but unfortunately they require a bit of patience and skill, to get the jam inside. While making a batch of lemon banana muffins recently, it occurred to me that filling a muffin with jam would be far simpler than filling a biscuit. Not only is the dough less crumbly, the muffin tin makes for the perfect cup to catch and hold a blob of jam.

Determined to make a low-effort peanut butter and jelly muffin that anyone can make, I set off to see how much I could simplify these. Ultimately I decided to go with a wet into dry pancake batter method of mixing. To save even more time, I threw all the wet ingredients into the blender, which made short work of combing the butter and peanut butter with everything else.

Then, all you need to do is dump the peanut butter mixture into the dry ingredients and fold it all together. One thing you want to avoid, is over-mixing the batter, as this will make the muffins tough. If your jam is too runny, try putting it in the freezer for a few hours. The sugar content will prevent it from freezing all the way, but it will get much more viscous, making it easier to scoop into the middle of your muffins. I found 2 teaspoons of jam about right for 1 muffin, but you could add more or less depending on your preferences.