When my son started Kindergarten last year, I had these little gems waiting on him as an after school snack when he got home on the first day.
And this year? He’s already asked me if I’ll be making them again for his first day back. Guess they made an impression.
The first day of school can be somewhat exhausting and overwhelming for kiddos coming off of summer vacation, so I think it’s nice to have a special snack waiting after school to say good job today and welcome home! Besides, with a cute, sweet muffin in front of him or her, I’d be willing to bet that your little student is going to be much more inclined to open up and chat about how that first day went. And there’s nothing to say that you don’t get to enjoy a muffin of your own during said chat!
I actually adapted this recipe from a Martha Stewart cupcake recipe. Cupcakes seem a little decadent as after school treats, so I cut back the sugar and adjusted some ingredients to come up with moist, fluffy muffins instead. Hopefully Martha won’t mind.
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In lieu of frosting, I went an alternate route resulting in muffins that are reminiscent of thumbprint cookies. Using a small melon baller, I scooped a little divot out of the top of each muffin and filled the resulting holes with my boys’ favorite peanut butter accompaniments…either strawberry jam or grape jelly. I think raspberry jam would be delightful in these muffins as well, but any flavor jam, jelly, or preserves would work…go with your personal preference. It just occurred to me that you could even use Nutella instead of jelly! Sorry…Nutella and I have a thing.
In addition to making a great after school snack on the first day or any day, these muffins could also comprise a special breakfast or welcomed lunchbox treat (assuming peanut products aren’t banned at your child’s school for allergy reasons…make sure first!). And I hope it goes without saying that these aren’t just for kids. Anyone who appreciates a good PB&J will adore these tasty morsels.
So here’s to peanut butter, jelly, and a fabulous first day of school for your little learners!
These PB&J muffins make a fun breakfast, lunch box treat, or after school snack on the first day of school or any day!
Ingredients
- 1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 3/4 cup (1 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter, at room temperature
- 1/2 cup sugar
- 1/2 cup brown sugar
- 2/3 cup peanut butter (creamy or crunchy)
- 3 eggs
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 1/2 cup plain yogurt
- Jam or jelly, for topping
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°F. Line muffin pans with 18 paper cupcake liners.
- In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Set aside.
- In the large bowl of an electric mixer, beat softened butter until creamy. Blend in sugars and beat on high for a couple of minutes until mixture is light and fluffy. Blend in peanut butter and then eggs, one at a time, mixing well after each addition. Mix in vanilla.
- Mix in 1/3 of the flour mixture until just blended. Mix in half of the yogurt. Repeat, alternating flour mixture with yogurt and ending with flour mixture. Make sure that everything is incorporated but do not overbeat.
- Bake in preheated oven for 17 to 19 minutes or until toothpick inserted in the center of a muffin comes out clean. Allow muffins to cool in pan for a couple of minutes before removing to a rack to cool completely.
- Once muffins are cool, use a small melon baller or spoon to scoop out an indentation in the top of each muffin. Fill with your favorite flavor of jam or jelly.
Notes
You can use regular or natural peanut butter in this recipe. If you use natural, just make sure that the oil is stirred in well before measuring out your peanut butter.
Adapted from Martha Stewart.
More back-to-school ideas…
First Week of School Teacher Survival Kit Gift {Free Printable}
Teacher Appreciation Printables
Make-ahead breakfast ideas for busy mornings…
Whole Wheat Pancake Bites {Pancake Mini Muffins}
Chewy No-Bake Granola Bars with Coconut Oil
Easy Strawberry Cream Cheese Pastries
Maple Cinnamon Pecan Granola
Classic Blueberry Muffins
These are so cute! I think I’ll have to make these for my own after school treat!
Thanks so much, Melanie…you definitely deserve these as an after school treat! I think my hubby and I enjoy them as much as our kids do… 😉
Yum, Peanut butter and Jam are such a tasty combination. I like your heart shaped muffin, very sweet. Visiting from Best of The Weekend.
Thanks so much for stopping by, Laura! The heart shaped muffin only took an extra few seconds to carve out…it might be an idea I have to revisit come Valentine’s Day! Have a great weekend!
Oh YUM, these look and sound so delicious! Who doesn’t love PB&J??
On behalf of Lisa, Cindy & myself, thanks so much for sharing this at our “Best Of The Weekend party”! I am pinning this to our party board and to another big board too.
Have a great weekend!
Xoxo
Thanks so much, Claire! I totally agree…we are all big PB&J fans at my house! Thanks for the comment and the pins. 🙂 I hope you have a wonderful weekend as well!
These look awesome! I bake the jelly in my pbandj muffins and they were good, but your’s are much, much prettier!! Pinned, thanks for joining us at Sat Dishes!
I appreciate the pin, Paula! I thought about baking the jelly right in but was worried about it seeping out and making the muffins stick to the liners/pan. Glad to know it works both ways!
Ok, these are seriously the cutest thing every. Love that you made it like a thumbprint cookie. Definitely need to try these. Pinning. Thanks for sharing at Show Stopper Saturdays!
I have to admit, I love them as much as (even more than?) my kids. Hope you enjoy them, too! Thanks so much for the pin! 🙂
What a cute little tradition to make these as an after school treat! My youngest one would love these. We start school tomorrow…so thinking I will be making these for that special day! Pinning!
Thanks, Gloria! They make a really fun after school treat, but I can say from experience that they also make a pretty dang good breakfast. 😉 Enjoy them, and I hope y’all’s first day of school goes smoothly!
What a cute story! I would definitely want these waiting for me after my first day at school. They are so fun (and sound delicious)!
Thank you, Amy! You should make some for yourself, just because… 😉
These look delish! I’m hosting a giveaway for $100 in throw pillows at my home blog. You should swing by and enter!
Thanks, Kayla!
These look so yummy! What a great back to school snack or breakfast! They sound delicious!
Thanks, Maria! I hope you enjoy the recipe!
Samantha thank you for commenting on my blog and telling me about this recipe! My cupcakes were NOT moist and fluffy so I’m glad to hear your muffins are and will try this. oooh using a melon baller – such a good idea. I used a knife and it was messy. The one with the heart is too cute! Pinned this.
I really hope these work out better for you, Helen! I think you mentioned not having grape jelly in England, but I think they’d be good with just about any relatively sweet jam. And like I mentioned in my other comment, frosting these with peanut butter frosting would be yummy and qualify them as “cupcakes” if that’s what you’re going for… 🙂 Thanks so much for the comment…I’d love for you to let me know how these turn out!
These are super cute! I wish someone made these when I got home from work! haha
That made me laugh, Julianne…wouldn’t that be nice?! 😉