my favorite new muffins

  while browsing pinterest a few weeks ago, i found a recipe for “peanut butter muffins.”  instantly intrigued (why hadn’t i thought of this flavor combination before?  it sounded amazing!), i read the recipe and was dismayed that the first ingredient in these (touted as “healthy” muffins) was a full cup of brown sugar.  that was the same amount as the flour!  so i poked around for another recipe and found this one.a quarter cup of brown sugar seemed more reasonable.  granted, this one also has honey and has a quarter cup of butter (or coconut oil) and the first one had applesauce (i may have to try that variation the next time i make these–i’m curious to see if they would still work.  these muffins, as written, are actually a teensy bit too greasy for my taste, but that may have been because my peanut butter wasn’t stirred thoroughly?), but these have pumpkin too!  they bake up amazingly moist and are as addicting as cookies, but have such an innocent list of ingredients that i think they make a great breakfast.

don’t forget to sprinkle just a tiny bit of raw sugar in the last five minutes of baking.  it adds a lovely crunch.  apparently, these also freeze well.  the only thing they might also missing is chopped pecans.  mmm…..  ok, gotta go make these again.

1/2 c. mashed banana
1/2 c. pureed pumpkin
1/2 c. natural peanut butter
1/4 c. honey
1 egg
1/4 c. softened butter or coconut oil (edited 3/4/13:  applesauce works fine here!  they’re slightly less moist, but i’m not sure that’s a bad thing.  i liked butter better than the coconut oil for longevity.)
1 t. baking soda
1 t. baking powder
1/4 t. cinnamon
1/2 t. sea salt
1 c. whole wheat flour

1/4 c. chocolate chips

1/4 c. packed brown sugar

 1.  Mix all dry ingredients, EXCEPT BROWN SUGAR in a small bowl.

2.  In a larger mixing bowl, combine wet ingredients and blend thoroughly.

3.  Gradually add dry ingredients and stir just until combined. Batter may be slightly lumpy.

4.  Fold in the brown sugar and stir just once or twice. This will create a strudel like crunch on the top!

5.  Spoon batter into 12-18 greased or paper lined muffin cups. Bake at 350 degrees for 20 min.  sprinkle with raw (turbinado) sugar in the last five minutes of baking.