Canada Day is fast approaching, and this year feels extra festive — Canada is celebrating its 150th! I recently shared a photo of a Moose Tracks ice cream cone I enjoyed on my trip to Canada last summer. Moose Tracks combines vanilla ice cream with peanut butter cups and chocolate fudge, and it’s one of my all-time favorite ice cream flavors.
Since I don’t own an ice cream maker, I recreated that flavor in muffin form. These Moose Tracks muffins capture the same combination: a tender vanilla muffin studded with mini peanut butter cups and finished with a glossy chocolate drizzle. They’re soft, indulgent, and perfect for celebrating.
If you can find mini peanut butter cups at your grocery store, you can skip making them from scratch. I couldn’t find any locally, so I made my own — and they were so good I snuck a couple before the muffins ever went into the oven.
When the muffins come out of the oven, let them rest in the pan for a few minutes, then transfer them to a wire rack to cool completely. Cooling is important so the chocolate sauce holds its shape and doesn’t melt away.
Traditional Moose Tracks has fudge ribbons throughout the ice cream, but for a quick finish I make a simple chocolate sauce and drizzle it over the cooled muffins. Drizzling over a wire rack with foil or parchment underneath keeps things tidy.
I couldn’t resist featuring a small bamboo cutting board I bought at the Old Country Market in Coombs, where I had that Moose Tracks cone. The market is famous for its “Goats on Roof” sign — there really were goats living on the roof.
These muffins bake up soft and fluffy, and when you bite into one you get a hit of peanut butter cup in every forkful. The contrast of tender crumb and pockets of chocolatey-peanut butter is irresistible.
Moose Tracks isn’t originally Canadian, but it evokes my Canadian trip and the simple joy of that cone. My Canadian husband certainly approved — he didn’t object to having more than one muffin.
If you enjoy muffins, try my other favorites: gluten-free banana muffins or gluten-free blueberry muffins for more moist, fluffy options with a crisp top.
Moose Tracks Muffins
Ingredients
Muffins
- 2½ cups (281g) all-purpose flour
- ¼ cup (30g) cake flour
- 1½ teaspoon baking powder
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ¾ cup (170g) unsalted butter, softened
- 1 cup (200g) sugar
- 2 eggs
- 1 cup (240ml) sour cream
- 2 teaspoons vanilla paste
- 2 cups (480ml) mini peanut butter cups
Chocolate sauce
- 1.4 oz (40g) dark chocolate
- ¼ cup (60ml) heavy cream
- ¼ teaspoon vanilla paste
- 1 teaspoon honey
Instructions
Muffins
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Preheat the oven to 410°F / 210°C and line a muffin pan with paper liners.
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In a bowl, whisk together the all-purpose flour, cake flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Set aside.
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In a large bowl, cream the softened butter and sugar until light. Add the eggs one at a time, then stir in the sour cream and vanilla paste until combined.
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Toss the mini peanut butter cups with a couple of spoonfuls of the dry ingredients to coat them lightly; set aside.
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Fold the dry ingredients into the wet mixture until almost combined. Add the coated peanut butter cups and gently fold until they are evenly distributed throughout the batter.
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Divide the batter evenly among the 12 muffin wells.
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Bake at 410°F / 210°C for 5 minutes, then reduce the oven temperature to 374°F / 190°C and bake for an additional 15 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted near the center comes out clean.
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Allow the muffins to cool in the pan for a few minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely before adding the chocolate sauce.
Chocolate Sauce
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Combine the dark chocolate, heavy cream, vanilla paste, and honey in a microwave-safe bowl. Heat in short bursts (about 10 seconds), stirring between intervals, until the mixture is smooth and glossy.
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Drizzle the cooled muffins with the chocolate sauce and serve.