recipe | peanut butter whole wheat muffins

but will my four-year-old eat it?... As I begin this post, I realize that yet once again, I am typing up a baking recipe from King Arthur Flour. Though I do have a bookshelf full of cookbooks to reference, whenever I do anything baking related, I always reach for my old stand-by from King Arthur. Their Baker's Companion cookbook is a great source for all my bread baking, but yesterday I was very excited to test out my newest cookbook addition, King Arthur Flour Whole Grain Baking.

Though my tastebuds delight in the joys of unbleached white flour, the guilt of the empty nutrition quickly tempers that joy. So I try to use whole grains as much as possible in my family's diet. But try explaining that to my very picky four-year-old. It was the intro line to this recipe that motivated my baking... "These muffins could well be the answer for parents of problem eaters." And, well, Boyd wolfed these muffins right down, so it worked.

King Arthur Whole Wheat Peanut Butter Muffins

makes 1 dozen

note: This recipe calls for whole wheat pastry flour. In lieu of this, you can use regular whole wheat flour (or white flour), but the muffins will be much more dense. I used the whole wheat flour and the muffin is a mouthful, but pairs perfectly with a cold glass of milk.

2 1/4 cups whole wheat pastry flour

1 tsp baking soda

1 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp salt

4 tbsps unsalted butter

1/2 cup dark brown sugar

3/4 cup peanut butter

1 1/2 tsp vanilla extract

2 large eggs

3/4 cup buttermilk

1 cup chocolate chips

Preheat the oven to 375º.

Whisk together the dry ingredients in a medium sized bowl. Cream together the butter and brown sugar until light. Add the peanut butter and mix until incorporated. Beat in the vanilla and eggs, one at a time. Scrape the sides of the bowl often, making sure everything is evenly mixed. Add one-third of the dry ingredients and mix until moistened. Add half of the buttermilk, mix until combined. Add the remaining dry ingredients and remaining buttermilk. Scrape the bowl and ensure even mixing. Add in the chocolate chips (this is an optional ingredient).

Scoop the batter into a prepared muffin pan. Bake until golden brown, 23-25 minutes. Remove from oven and allow to cool in pan for five minutes, then turn out to complete cooling on a wire rack.