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.

Peanut Butter Jelly Muffins

Peanut butter and jelly is one of those divine combinations that's good whether you're young or old. That's why I love these delightful muffins. (Recipe Credit: Marc Matsumoto of Fresh Tastes.)

Ingredients

• 13.2 ounces all-purpose flour (about 3 cups)
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 2 large eggs
• 1 1/2 cups plain yogurt
• 1/2 cup peanut butter
• 4 tablespoons unsalted butter
• 1/4 cup maple syrup
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1/2 cup strawberry jam or jelly

Directions

1. Put the oven rack in the middle position and preheat to 375 F (190 C). Grease a muffin pan. If you have a non-stick muffin pan, you can just drizzle a little oil onto a paper towel, and then wipe each cup to grease them. If your pan is not non-stick, you'll need to grease it, and then dust each cup with some flour, dumping out any excess by flipping the pan over and tapping it on a hard surface.
2. Add the flour, baking soda, and salt to a bowl and whisk together to combine evenly.
3. Add the eggs, yogurt, peanut butter, butter, maple syrup and vanilla to a blender and blend until smooth.
4. Pour the peanut butter mixture into the dry ingredients and fold together until it just forms a batter and there are no big lumps of flour. Be careful not to over mix the batter.
5. Fill the muffin cups halfway, and then use a spoon to make an indentation in the center of each muffin.
6. Add 2 teaspoons of jam into the indentation of each muffin.
7. Top with the remaining batter, sealing the jam in.
8. Bake the muffins for 20-25 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.
9. Remove the muffins from the oven and let them cool for 5 minutes before removing from the pan. You can cool them completely on a cooling rack, or serve them warm.