Peanut Butter and Jelly Muffins

I am a firm believer that good desserts include chocolate, peanut butter, caramel, or coffee. And really excellent ones include two or three of the aforementioned dessert flavor enhancers.

This is not a dessert. But it is breakfast, and good breakfasts include these delectable traits as well.

The line is thinly drawn 'tween 'ssert and breakfast.

very focused.

I had a blogger date with my good friend Maxine, who writes posts that feel like cocoa and blankets and Christmas. We made these muffins. And then, we proceeded to take pictures for 15 minutes--of the muffins, of each other, instagrams, and random things around the house that struck our fancy to photograph.

She's so cute!

Then we devoured the muffins and talked about our how first semester had gone. It was an awesome time and great to see each other again!

These muffins are a peanut butter base with jam sandwiched between layers of batter. They are like the eponymous sandwich and full of comfort, with less stick-to-the-roof-of-your-mouth-osity to them. Warmed up in the microwave the next morning for breakfast? Devine.

This is how Maxine styled the muffins! I like it better than the way I did it, so you're seeing my photograph of her setup.

They're pretty healthy as well, with no added butter or oil besides the peanut butter! Which, bonus, also means the peanut butter flavor comes through strongly. Next time, I might want to add chopped peanuts to the top for a bit of crunch and extra peanut flavor.

Peanut Butter and Jelly Muffins
Yield: 12 muffins

Ingredients:
• 2 cups (10 oz) flour
• 1/2 cup (3.5 oz) granulated sugar
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 3/4 cup (6.75 oz) peanut butter, creamy or chunky (we used creamy)
• 1 egg
• 1 cup buttermilk (I know, I'm being a jerk. Milk works just as well since the leavening is baking powder, not baking soda).
• About 1/2 cup jelly or jam

Method:
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees and grease a muffin tin (or put in paper liners).
2. Stir together flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt.
3. Add peanut butter, cutting into the dry ingredients with a fork until mixed and crumbly (this is the best part! So fun.).
4. Stir together egg and (butter)milk, add to flour/peanut butter mixture, and fold together until just mixed.
5. Put a spoonful of batter in each muffin cup, then a spoonful of jam, then another spoonful of batter.
6. Bake 20-30 minutes or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean.

Recipe adapted from food.com.