Skinny Chocolate Peanut Butter Muffins! SUPER healthy -- no flour, butter, or oil, and low sugar in these delicious treats! chelseasmessyapron.com

Flourless Chocolate Peanut Butter Muffins are made with better-for-you ingredients!

Chocolate peanut butter muffins, cut in half and stacked, revealing their soft interior with gooey chocolate chips.

Chocolate Peanut Butter Muffins

These muffins are amazing! They call for healthier ingredients and require very little sugar, compared with most muffins (like these Chocolate Muffins!). Plus, there is no wheat flour used. If you’re gluten intolerant, you’ll appreciate the absence of wheat flour!

One of my favorite things about these muffins is that there are no strange ingredients that you probably wouldn’t have on hand or know exactly where they are in your grocery store. Often, healthy muffin recipes call for specialty flours, oil, or sweeteners, and my goal is to use easily accessible mainstream ingredients. And — of course — at no sacrifice to flavor!

Making oat flour by placing oats in the blender and processing them until they are pulverized into flour.

I mentioned that Chocolate Peanut Butter Muffins are flourless; instead of using white flour, or even whole wheat flour, we use oats. The oats are blended into a powdery oat flour. No need to buy this from the store, since it literally takes seconds to make at home.

How to make oat “flour”

  1. Place old-fashioned or quick oats in a food processor or small blender jar.
  2. Pulse the oats until they are ground into a powder-like consistency that resembles flour (see photo above on the right).
  3. Stir the oats around to be sure that all the oats have been finely ground.
  4. Measure the oat flour for these muffins after it’s been turned to flour and not in the original whole oat form. Two tablespoons isn’t a lot, but contributes to the overall stability and flavor of these muffins.

Combining the dry ingredients with the wet ingredients, then pouring the batter into prepared muffin tins, baking, and preparing to enjoy.

Chocolate Peanut Butter Muffin ingredients

  • Cocoa powder: Use natural cocoa powder, not a Dutch-process cocoa powder. I’ve tested these muffins with Dutch-process cocoa powder, and it does not work in these muffins!
  • Oat flour. More on this in the section above.
  • Baking soda, baking powder, salt. These baking agents help ensure a nice crumb and rise. Here’s how to make sure your baking soda and powder are fresh.
  • Creamy peanut butter. Make sure to use creamy, not chunky, peanut butter in these muffins. If using natural peanut butter, be sure it is well mixed and incorporated (not separated or overly oily) before adding.
  • Unsweetened applesauce. If using sweetened applesauce, you’ll want to reduce the amount of brown sugar.
  • Vanilla Greek yogurt. Our favorite yogurt to use in these muffins is Honey Vanilla Greek yogurt (made by Greek Gods® — not sponsored). Whatever yogurt you choose to use, make sure you like it plain or you likely won’t love it in these muffins.
  • Vanilla extract. Vanilla adds a nice flavor to the muffins. It’s not entirely necessary, so don’t worry if you don’t have any to add.
  • Brown sugar. This recipe only uses 2 tablespoons, but if you aren’t used to healthier baked goods, you may want to increase the brown sugar to 4 tablespoons.
  • Honey. This natural sweetener adds additional sweetness. The reason we use part honey and part brown sugar is because too much honey makes these muffins too moist.
  • Egg. These muffins need one large egg; I have not personally tested using egg alternatives.
  • Dark chocolate chips: To keep these Chocolate Peanut Butter Muffins more on the nutritious side, we’re using dark chocolate. Dark chocolate has essential fats your body needs and is a powerful source of antioxidants. (Source.)

Quick Tip

If you are eating a gluten-free diet, these muffins are a great addition! While no gluten is added to this recipe, be careful to read the labels on the baking products you buy. Some contain gluten where you wouldn’t expect it, and others are made in a facility with gluten and may be exposed to cross-contamination with gluten products.

Halved peanut butter chocolate chip muffins with melted chocolate chips on the inside, showcasing their deliciousness.

Tips

  • Generously grease the muffin tin. I don’t recommend muffin liners in this recipe; the batter sticks to the liners. Make sure to really grease the cavities well. Of course, a good muffin tin also makes a world of difference. These tins are my absolute favorite, and I’ve never had a problem with these muffins not releasing nicely.
  • Add a few dark chocolate chips on top. I like to add three or four extra chocolate chips on top of each muffin before putting them into the oven. Not only does this make the tops look nicer, it also ensures there is a chocolate chip in every bite!

More healthy baked goods

4.87 from 60 votes

Chocolate Peanut Butter Muffins

Made with nutritious ingredients, these flourless Double Chocolate Peanut Butter Muffins are incredibly indulgent!
Prep Time: 25 minutes
Cook Time: 20 minutes
Total Time: 45 minutes
Servings: 8 muffins

Equipment

  • Muffin pan

Ingredients 
 

  • Cooking spray
  • 1/4 cup cocoa powder
  • 2 tablespoons oat flour see note 1
  • 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1/4 teaspoon baking powder
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt
  • 2 tablespoons light brown sugar lightly packed
  • 1/2 cup creamy peanut butter
  • 1/4 cup unsweetened applesauce see note 2
  • 1/4 cup vanilla Greek yogurt
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 2 tablespoons honey
  • 1 large egg
  • 5 tablespoons dark chocolate chips

Instructions 

  • Preheat the oven to 350โ„‰. Generously spray 8 of the muffin pan cavities with cooking spray, but don't use muffin liners!
  • In a large bowl, stir together the cocoa powder, oat flour (see note 1), baking soda, baking powder, salt, and brown sugar.
  • In a separate bowl, combine the peanut butter, applesauce, Greek yogurt, vanilla, honey, and egg. Mix until completely combined.
  • Add dry ingredients on top of wet and chocolate chips on top of that. Stir until just combined. Transfer the batter into the prepared muffin tin. If desired, top each muffin with a few more chocolate chips.
  • Bake for 18โ€“22 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Remove and let cool in the muffin tin for 2โ€“4 minutes and then gently coax out onto a cooling rack to finish cooling.

Video

Recipe Notes

Note 1: To make your own oat flour, place old-fashioned or quick oats in a food processor or small blender jar. Pulse the oats until they are ground into a powder-like consistency that resembles flour.
Note 2: If desired, you can use just applesauce or just Greek yogurt instead of a combination of both, but make sure to still use 1/2 cup measurement of whichever you choose to use.
Storage: Store peanut butter muffins in an airtight container at room temperature for 3 days or refrigerate for up to a week.
For longer storage, wrap and freeze for up to 3 months. Thaw at room temp or microwave briefly to warm.

Nutrition

Serving: 1muffin | Calories: 214kcal | Carbohydrates: 24g | Protein: 7g | Fat: 12g | Saturated Fat: 5g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 2g | Monounsaturated Fat: 4g | Trans Fat: 0.003g | Cholesterol: 21mg | Sodium: 241mg | Potassium: 295mg | Fiber: 4g | Sugar: 13g | Vitamin A: 33IU | Vitamin C: 0.1mg | Calcium: 61mg | Iron: 2mg

Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.

Meet Chelsea


Hello, and welcome to Chelseaโ€™s Messy Apron! Iโ€™m Chelsea, the recipe developer, food photographer, and writer behind the site. Iโ€™m passionate about creating simple, reliable, and delicious recipes that anyone can make.

Thanks for stopping byโ€”I hope you find something delicious to make!

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4.87 from 60 votes (4 ratings without comment)

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235 Comments

  1. Jodi says:

    5 stars
    These are DELICIOUS! My three, (very picky,) sons devoured these. Thank you so much for a fabulous recipe!

    1. chelseamessyapron says:

      Yeah!! So great to hear!! Thank you Jodi ๐Ÿ™‚

  2. Thalia says:

    5 stars
    I just made these and they were delicious!!! Even the muffin batter was so nice and fluffy I wanted to eat the batter but I controlled these urges. I made 6 bigger muffins instead of 9 so I can eat this as a meal instead of a snack and they leave me full and satisfied. Thank you so much for sharing this recipe!

    1. chelseamessyapron says:

      Haha!! I always sneak a few bites of the batter ๐Ÿ™‚ Love the idea of making these into mega sized muffins — I need to do that next time ๐Ÿ™‚ Thanks for the comment!!

  3. Sara says:

    5 stars
    OH MY GOSH!!! Chelsea! I just made these and tweaked it a little bit to lower the carbs. I used almond flour instead of the oat flour and replaced the sugar and honey with that Swerve sweetener I told you about. They were divine!!!! I am so excited that I can have a baked good and stick to my diet. You are a genius! Thanks so much!!!!

    1. chelseamessyapron says:

      Sara I am SO happy these worked out for you and you loved them!!! Totally made my day ๐Ÿ™‚ I hope you are able to find some other treats/baked goods that you can use the sweetener with and enjoy. Hope you and your cute family are doing well! Xoxox

  4. Erin says:

    5 stars
    Wow – I’m making these for the second time this week, because the batch was so small and we all love them so much for breakfast and snacks. I love the flavor combination, and that they are clean and delicious too. This time I am going to try just one Tbsp of brown sugar, they were a little sweet and I think I can cut back just a little. Definitely a winner ๐Ÿ™‚

    1. chelseamessyapron says:

      So glad to hear it!! Thanks so much for the comment Erin ๐Ÿ™‚ I really appreciate the praise and you trying the recipe!

  5. Yvonne says:

    Hi
    For the double choc & peanut butter muffins, I know it’s called peanut butter muffins but can I omit the peanut butter? Do I need to substitute it with another ingredient?

    Yvonne

    1. chelseamessyapron says:

      If you omit it these won’t work out at all – the peanut butter is very important to the recipe! You could try substituting a different flavor of nut butter (perhaps almond or sunbutter), but I don’t believe the flavor will be as good.

      1. Yvonne says:

        Tks.

        Yvonne

  6. Elysia says:

    I LOVE the ingredients that you’ve used for these muffins! They look so moist and fudgey! I’ll definitely be making these!

  7. Irene says:

    5 stars
    I love these muffins (I am baking some right now!) this is the best health snack/indulgence out there! I love that there are no crazy obscure, expensive ingredients too! Thank you so much for share this recipe!

  8. Heather says:

    These look great! But you mentioned they are gluten-free and because they have oats in them, they are not. Oats contain gluten as well, just not to the same extent. Thanks for the recipe!

    1. chelseamessyapron says:

      If you find certified gluten free oats it is indeed gluten free.

  9. Tara says:

    Just sweet enough! I made these with almond butter and also made them mini in a 350 oven for 9 mins. Thanks Chelsea!

  10. Deb says:

    5 stars
    These muffins are a real keeper for me. I have hypoglycemia and am very limited as to deserts I can have or snacks I can have. These are just perfect. I can have all I want and they do me well.
    I do use double the amount of oat flour in mine and they turn out just fine.
    I also use apple butter which I made substituted for the apple sauce the recipe calls for.

    Thank you for this recipe.