Archives for peanut butter

Peanut Butter Muffins

First of all, sorry I flaked out on last week’s post! I was just having so much fun with family, I totally lost track of the days. (Side note, I wrote that post at about 9:30 pm, poolside, from my phone!) Today’s recipe was born out of REQUESTS from friends and family on Facebook. I asked for ideas, and they answered! As a matter of fact, I have the next two weeks set as well.

What? You didn’t know you could request recipes? SURE! Why not?! If there is something I haven’t done before, and you want a healthier or vegan version of it, feel free to mention it in the comments below. So last week the top request was PEANUT BUTTER, with a little sprinkle of muffins. Sooooo… these peanut butter muffins were created! They have a mild dough, with sweet bursts from chopped up dates and a little crunch from chopped up peanuts. If you want a sweeter muffin, you can add some brown sugar (maybe 1/4 c.); but I tried to keep this on the healthier side, as always.

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Ingredients

1 1/2 c. Einkorn flour (or standard, all-purpose)
3/4 c. oats
2 tsp. baking powder
1/4 tsp. salt
2 flax seed eggs (2 tbsp. ground flaxseed + 6 tbsp. water)
1/3 c. creamy peanut butter
3/4 c. coconut milk
3/4 c. water
12 Medjool dates, divided in half, with half chopped
1/2 c. roasted, salted peanuts, chopped

Preheat oven to 375°F

Yields 12 muffins

  1. Combine all the dry ingredients (first 4) in a large bowl and stir.
  2. Get your flax eggs ready by combining the flax and water in a little ramekin and set aside.
  3. In a blender combine milk of choice, water and 6 of the dates, pitted. Blend very well on high, until it’s a creamy liquid.
  4. Pour sweetened milk mixture into the dry bowl mixture and stir well to combine.
  5. By now your flax egg should be thickened up; pour over mixture and stir to combine.
  6. Add the remaining 6 chopped dates.
  7. Add the peanuts to bowl, stir well to incorporate dates and nuts with batter.
  8. Add paper muffin cups to a muffin pan.
  9. Fill each cup to the brim. This made 12 muffins for me.
  10. Bake at 375°F for 15-18 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center of a muffin comes out clean.
  11. Cool on a cooling rack for 30 minutes before devouring. 🙂

Here is a step-by-step slideshow showing how easy these are to make!

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These are VERY good with some jelly! 🙂

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What other recipes would you like to see on this site? Are there any other topics you’d like me to cover? And on a side note, is anyone else’s sleep schedule all messed up because of staying up late to watch the Olympics? No? Just us? haha

Cacao Nib Peanut Butter Brookies

Have you ever craved a sweet treat so bad after resisting a dessert at a party or restaurant? No? Just me? Well, thanks to my cravings for a brownie I came home the other night and created these “brookies” = brownie cookies! They are MUCH healthier than the chemical alternative I avoided earlier that night, yet I still satisfied my brain’s need for chocolate and sugar. Had I noshed on the party brownies, I would have been consuming all sorts of processed chemicals created in a lab and nuked in a microwave – further removing any beneficial nutrients. My brookies contain Shakeology, a nutrient dense meal replacement powder, cacao nibs, unrefined extra virgin coconut oil, homemade peanut butter, maple syrup, chia seeds, and medjool dates, just to name a few. All of these foods are packed with micronutrients and phytonutrients that are lost in the commercial sweet treats through processing and chemical reductions.

You can nom on these and feel guilt free – knowing you are giving your body the nutrients they deserve! (Please note, they are still not a main food group and should be consumed sparingly. 😉 Without further ado, here is the recipe! (If you want to know more details about the benefits or difference between these type of sweet treats and the regular store bought chocolate chip cookies – let me know! I could literally write an entire post about it!)

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***Read through all the ingredients listed below before starting; I broke it up into three sections to make preparation easier.

Combine all dry ingredients in a bowl:
1 1/2 c. spelt flour
1/2 c. oat flour
1 scoop chocolate vegan Shakeology (optional – you can sub 3 tbsp. cocoa powder)
2 tbsp. coconut sugar
1 tsp. baking soda
1/4 teaspoon of sea salt

Combine all wet ingredients in a glass bowl (to microwave) or small pot to heat on the stovetop (preferred method):
2 tbsp. coconut oil
3 tbsp. peanut butter
2 tbsp. maple syrup
1 tsp. vanilla extract
1 mashed banana
1/2 c. canned coconut cream water (you can use the cream for homemade whipped cream) OR use any milk substitute you’d like
2 tbsp. Chia seeds (add to mixture after heated/removed from stovetop – let sit for 5 minutes before adding to dry)

Mix in after all the above wet and dry ingredients are combined in a single bowl:
1/4 c. cacao nibs
3 Medjool dates, chopped into small pieces
1/4 c. walnuts, chopped

Preheat oven to 350°F

After combing all the dry ingredients together, heat the wet ingredients over low heat to melt and combine. This should take less than five minutes. Add chia seeds and stir immediately, then let sit for 5 minutes. Stir vigorously again. Add all the wet ingredients to the dry. Be careful not to over-mix, since spelt flour is not as glutenous as traditional wheat flour. Once combined, add the mix-ins to the batter, ensuring to incorporate them throughout.

Scoop batter onto a cookie sheet lined with parchment paper and bake 12-15 minutes. These produce a very moist, almost brownie-like cookie… hence the name brookie. 😉 Enjoy!