Chocolate Chip Peanut Butter Bread (Easy!)

This chocolate chip peanut butter bread combines the classic and irresistible flavor combination of chocolate and peanut butter for a sweet and delicious breakfast treat. You will be hard-pressed to limit yourself to just one slice! It's perfect for breakfast or brunch. It's a great holiday or potluck recipe or you can whip up a loaf to give as a gift.

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Overhead view of slices of chocolate chip peanut butter bread on a rectangular white platter with loaf and open canister of chocolate chips

This chocolate chip peanut butter bread is so rich and chocolatey it's like having dessert for breakfast. In fact, I've been enjoying it as a sweet after dinner treat for many nights now. We have a few breakfast recipes that can do double duty as dessert, like our cream cheese breakfast pastry, orange craisin muffins, mascarpone crepes with Nutella filling, strawberry compote, lime curd, chocolate chip baked oatmeal, and raisin bread pudding.

This quick bread freezes well, just like our maple syrup bread, banana raisin bread, cardamon quick bread and maple syrup bread, so you might want to make an extra loaf to enjoy later. It also makes a great holiday gift or potluck offering. Read on to learn how to make it.

Table of Contents

🥄 Equipment
🥣 Ingredients
📋 Instructions
⏲️ Baking Time
💭 Tips
❓ Frequently Asked Questions
🍞 Related Recipes
Recipe
📚 References and Further Reading
Comments

🥄 Equipment

See below for the equipment you will need to make this recipe (affiliate links):

Loaf pan (9 x 5 inch). This recipe was tested using a 9 x 5-inch loaf pan. You can try experimenting with different sizes, but keep in mind that you may need to adjust oven temperature and/or baking time. Please see the frequently asked questions below for tips to convert this recipe into muffins.
Mesh strainer. Used to sift the dry ingredients. I like to use the mesh strainer, but you can also use a traditional flour sifter or briskly stir the dry ingredients with a wire whisk to sift them.
Large glass bowl. This bowl is initially used for the dry ingredients. Use a large bowl because you will eventually be pouring the wet ingredients into this bowl. It doesn't have to be glass. You can use a plastic, ceramic, metal bowl instead.
Medium glass bowl. Used for the wet ingredients. Select one large enough to prevent any splashes from escaping when using the electric mixer. As mentioned above, it does not have to be glass.
Electric mixer. This is used to soften the peanut butter and mix the wet ingredients. I found that a handheld electric mixer is more convenient for this recipe than a stand mixer, but you can use whichever is easiest for you.

🥣 Ingredients

Bread Batter

White all-purpose flour (2 cups). Be sure to measure this correctly. Spoon the flour into your measuring cup and then level it off with the back of a butter knife. Avoid using the measuring cup to directly scoop it out from the flour container. This will compact the flour, and you may end up with more than you need.
Double acting baking powder (2 teaspoons). This gives your bread its rise. "Double acting" means that it is initially activated when liquid is added and then is activated again in the oven. That second activation is really helpful if you have accidentally overmixed your batter or allowed it to sit too long before baking.
Salt (¼ teaspoon). Use regular table salt. Do not substitute kosher salt or sea salt.
Semisweet chocolate chips (1 cup). Chocolate chips that are made for baking are best for this recipe. They are designed to hold their shape in baked goods. You can substitute a regular chopped up chocolate bar, but it may melt and spread throughout your batter. It's also much sweeter. For more chocolate chip recipes, check out these chocolate chip scones, chocolate chip waffles, chocolate chip baked oatmeal, banana chocolate chip pancakes, and oat and honey granola bars.
Peanut butter, (¾ cup). You can use either chunky or smooth. I used chunky. Make sure it is at room temperature. You need this not only for flavor, but it adds some of the fat that this bread needs to avoid being dry and crumbly.
Granulated sugar (½ cup). Superfine baker's sugar is also fine. No pun intended. 😉
Safflower oil (⅓ cup). Necessary for a moist loaf. I know many of us are concerned about fat and calories, but "diet" fat substitutes won't work in this recipe. Trust me. I've tried it. Bleh. If you don't have safflower oil, you can substitute canola oil.
One large egg. Needs to be at room temperature. This also helps give the loaf its rise.
Milk (1 cup). I used 1%. 2% or whole milk is fine too. I didn't test this recipe with buttermilk. If you want to try it, it may give your bread a tangy flavor. It will also add additional rise.
Vanilla extract (1 teaspoon). For flavor.

Chocolate Crumb Topping/Filling

Granulated sugar (½ cup). The cocoa powder is bitter on its own so you need a good amount of sugar to balance it out.
Unsweetened cocoa powder (¼ cup). This provides an extra layer of rich and delicious chocolate flavor!
Unsalted butter (3 tablespoons), cut into ¼-inch pieces. Because you are already adding salt to your bread batter the butter should be unsalted.
Finely chopped, dry-roasted peanuts (2 tablespoons). I used my food processor (affiliate link) to chop the nuts. It makes life so much easier! Chop the nuts first, then measure.

📋 Instructions

Bread Batter

Step 1. Preheat oven to 350° (176°C). Grease and flour or lightly spray a 9 x 5 inch loaf pan. Set aside.

With a mesh strainer over a large bowl, sift flour, baking powder, and salt. Then stir in the chocolate chips.

Dry ingredients being sifted through a mesh strainer into a glass bowl — Sift the dry ingredients to aerate them and remove any lumps.

Dry ingredients in a glass bowl with a wooden spoon — Adding the chocolate chips to your dry ingredients, rather than waiting until after you've combined the wet and the dry, will help them to be more evenly-distributed. It is easier to stir them in at this stage.

Step 2. Make a well in the center of your dry ingredients and set the bowl aside.

Step 3. Add peanut butter to a separate medium bowl, and beat with an electric mixer to break up and soften. Gradually beat in the sugar, egg, oil, milk and vanilla extract.

Electic mixer and a glass bowl containing peanut butter — The electric mixer is your friend, especially if you are using chunky peanut butter!

Electric mixer and batter in a glass bowl with a raw egg — To prevent splashing, add your wet ingredients gradually.

Step 4. Pour wet ingredients into the well in the dry ingredients and stir until just combined. Do not overstir.

Batter in a glass bowl with a spoon — Your batter should be stiff and the chocolate chips evenly distributed throughout.

Crumb Topping

In a separate small bowl, add all ingredients for the crumb topping and stir with a fork until combined.

Chocolate crumb topping in a glass bowl with a fork — A fork is the ideal tool to mix your crumb topping. Press down on the butter and stir. Continue to press and stir until you end up with a mixture that resembles and feels like coarse meal.

Combine the Batter and Crumb Mixture

To create the beautiful marbling effect in the chocolate chip peanut butter bread, you will layer the batter and the crumb mixture and then draw a butter knife through the batter before baking.

Step 1. Spoon half of the bread batter into the prepared pan.

Step 2. Sprinkle half of the crumb mixture on the top of batter.

Overhead of view of first layer of batter in a loaf pan — Layer #1 begins with the bread batter. Spread just enough to cover the bottom of the pan. It may appear at first that you don't have enough batter to fill the pan, but remember that you will be layering it with the crumb mixture.

Overhead view of first layer of topping in a loaf pan — Layer #2 is one half of the crumb mixture. Sprinkle just enough to cover the bread batter.

Step 3. Spoon the remaining batter over the top of the crumb mixture.

Step 4. Sprinkle remaining crumb mixture over the top of batter.

Overhead view of top layer of battern in a loaf pan — Layer #3 is the remaining bread batter.

Overhead view of top layer of crumb topping in a loaf pan — Layer #4 is the remaining crumb mixture. By now you should see that you do have enough batter to make a good sized loaf.

Step 5. Using a butter knife or spoon handle, gently draw through the batter in a zigzag or swirling pattern to slightly marbelize the mixture.

Overhead view of butter knife drawing pattern in batter — Draw a butter knife through the batter to create a marble effect in the bread. My intention here was to break up the layers and distribute the crumb mixture throughout the loaf.

Step 6. Bake until risen and golden on top or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean with no raw batter, about 50-55 minutes.

Remove to a wire rack to cool, about 25 minutes. Carefully unmold onto wire rack, top-side up. Cool completely and cut into 9 one-inch slices.

Close up of sliced chocolate chip peanut butter bread on a white platter

⏲️ Baking Time

This delicious and amazing chocolate chip peanut butter bread takes about 50 - 55 minutes to bake in a 350° (176°C) oven. Believe me, it's well worth the wait!

💭 Tips

For the fats used in this recipe (peanut butter, butter and oil) use full fat ingredients. Do not opt for low-fat versions. The fat is necessary for a moist loaf.
Use semisweet chocolate chips that are designed for baked goods. They hold their shape better in the oven.
Take the time to mix your wet ingredients with an electric mixer before adding them to the dry ingredients. Do not add each wet ingredient directly to the dry ingredients.
Make sure your oven is fully preheated before baking.

Slices of chocolate chip peanut butter bread on a rectangular white platter

❓ Frequently Asked Questions

Can this quick bread be made into muffins?

Absolutely! You should have enough batter and crumb topping for 12 standard size or 6 jumbo muffins. Layer the batter and toppings as instructed. However, according to Danilo Alfaro of The Spruce Eats, you will need to adjust the temperature of your oven and your baking time. For muffins, I suggest you raise your oven temperature to 375°F (190°C) and bake for 30 minutes. You can even try 400°F (204°C) for 20-25 minutes. Your muffins are ready to come out of the oven when a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean (i.e., no unbaked batter sticks to it).

Why is my bread dry and crumbly?

There may be several reasons that your bread has turned out dry and crumbly. A few of the most common reasons are:
* The wrong kind of measuring cup was used. Clear measuring cups with volume measurements and pour spouts are used to measure liquid ingredients. To measure flour and other dry ingredients, make sure you use a measuring cup that is designed for dry ingredients.
* The ratio of dry ingredients to fats and liquids was incorrect. To properly measure flour, spoon flour into your dry ingredient measuring cup and then level it off with the back of a butter knife. Never scoop flour into the measuring cup directly from the flour container because doing so compresses the flour and you may end up with more flour than you need.
* The wrong fat was used. Be sure to add the oil in addition to the peanut butter. It is necessary to keep your bread moist. It's okay to substitute canola or vegetable oil for the safflower oil, but steer clear of any "diet" or "lowfat" substitutes.
* You baked the bread at a higher altitude. This recipe was tested at sea level. If you live at a higher altitude, you may need to adjust ingredient ratios or baking temperature. Providing specific advice in this regard is beyond the scope of this recipe. The Quaker Oats website provides excellent guidelines regarding high-altitude baking.

How should I store my freshly baked chocolate chip peanut butter bread?

Wrap any leftovers tightly in foil or plastic wrap or in a plastic bag to prevent drying out. It will keep in your pantry for 1-2 days, in your refrigerator for 1 week or in the freezer for 2-3 months.

Did you love this quick bread recipe? We have even more baked breakfast goodies for your baking pleasure!

Easy Mocha Muffins with Chocolate Chips by Coffeewise

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