Sunday, September 15, 2013

Chunky Monkey Muffins

I have been disappointed with all of my latest efforts at making banana bread. I had two ripe bananas and took the challenge to find a better recipe. Awhile back I was given a book with a recipe that looked like a winner. Recipe from Feed the Belly.

Chunky Monkey Muffins
Prep: 10 minutes
Cook: 20 minutes
Makes 15-17 muffins

1 1/4 cups whole-wheat flour
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
3/4 cup packed brown sugar
2 tablespoons ground flax seed
1 tablespoon, plus 1 teaspoon, dark cocoa powder
2 teaspoons baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/3 - 2/3 cup mini semisweet chocolate chips
6 ounces low-fat vanilla yogurt
2 medium overripe bananas
1 egg
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
1/4 cup milk or milk alternative
1/3 cup peanut butter (optional)
1 tablespoon (or more) wheat germ

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. Whisk together dry ingredients.
3. Combine yogurt, bananas, egg, vanilla, oil, and milk in separate bowl.
4. Fold wet mixture into dry mixture. If using peanut butter, fill paper muffin liners 1/2 full with batter then spoon 1 teaspoon peanut butter on top. Fill the cups with more batter until 3/4 full. Sprinkle tops with wheat germ and place in the oven for 20 minutes or until the tops of the muffins look dry and spring back when touched in the center. Allow to cool and enjoy.

I of course did not follow the recipe exactly; I used water instead of milk and skipped the wheat germ and peanut butter. I also used a vitamix to blend it all together instead of unpacking the kitchen aid. I could taste the baking soda once it was baked but it still wasn't bad enough to keep me from eating a half dozen or so of these little gems. They taste like moist chocolate cake and for some reason I keep telling myself they are healthy so it's okay to have another. I'll definitely use this recipe again so I wanted to share! Enjoy.