Chocolate & Peanut Butter Chip HEALTHIFIED Muffins

Tonight Zack went with some of his guy friends to a concert in Richmond.  He had to pick up his cousin to go, so after the concert they are driving back here and his cousin is just going to spend the night.

We had zero breakfast food in the house except for sparse bits of cereal.  I didn’t want them to starve in the morning, so I decided to make some muffins.

I wanted to attempt to make some that were still delicious, but had a hint of healthiness to them.  I definitely succeeded.

I get so excited when I make my own recipe and this is no exception.  I sent pictures of them to both my parents and to Zack and ate a whole muffin myself.  I usually just sample whatever baked goods that I make, but I was so proud of what I had concocted that I ate it all!

This was my first time baking with Splenda and I have to say, I am very pleased with the result.  I’ve heard mixed reviews about baking with Splenda, but my muffins turned out perfectly and were just as sweet as if I had used regular sugar.  Heck yeah!  It was also the first time I’ve tried substituting almond milk for regular milk and I couldn’t taste a difference with that either.  I used unsweetened vanilla almond milk, just in case you were curious.  Less than half the calories of skim milk! I do believe we should all start educating ourselves when it comes to health. You can start by checking out Guide to Healthcare Schools or by using almond milk!

The only thing that went wrong was I should have baked them for a minute or two less time, but they didn’t taste over-baked, they just had browned tops.

Chocolate & Peanut Butter Chip HEALTHIFIED Muffins

– 1 c AP flour

– 1 c whole wheat flour

– 3 t baking powder

– 1/2 c chocolate chips

– 1/2 c peanut butter chips

– 3/4 c almond milk

– 1/2 c splenda

– 1/2 t salt

– 1 egg, beaten

– 1/3 c oil

Topping:

– 1/2 c splenda

Heat oven to 400 degrees.  Line or grease 6 jumbo muffin cups.  In medium bowl, combine flours, 1/2 c splenda, baking powder, salt, and chips.  Stir in egg, milk and oil just until dry ingredients are moistened (batter will be lumpy.).  Spoon batter into muffin cups, filling 2/3 full.  Sprinkle the remaining splenda evenly over muffins.  Bake 20-23 minutes.  Loosen and remove immediately from pan.  Let cool on a wire rack.

Chocolate Banana Muffins

Is anyone else out there as obsessed with bananas as I am?  I have to eat one everyday.  It’s a compulsion.  I should be glad that I am addicted to something healthy for me instead of something horrible like cigarettes, though.

When I saw this recipe, I knew I had to try it out.  Bananas + chocolate chips FOR BREAKFAST?!  I will do whatever I can to sneak dessert-type foods into regular meals.  Hehe.

Everyone that tasted these really liked them, so I definitely recommend trying them out (especially if you’re a banana addict like me!).

They were not very time consuming and make a great on-the-go breakfast.

The recipe says it makes two dozen, but I didn’t get quite get 2 dozen out of it – I only got 21.  What an odd number.  I never quite yield exactly what a recipe calls for, though.

Chocolate Banana Muffins

Prep: 25 minutes.  Bake: 15 minutes + cooling.  Yield: 2 dozen.

– 1/2 cup butter, softened

– 1/2 cup sugar

– 1/2 cup packed brown sugar

– 2 eggs

– 1 1/2 cups mashed ripe bananas (about 3 large)

– 3 teaspoons vanilla extract

– 1 cup chopped walnuts (optional)

– 1 cup (6 oz) semisweet chocolate chips

In a bowl, cream the butter and sugar.  Beat in eggs, banana, and vanilla.  Combine flour and baking soda and add to creamed mixture just until combined.  Stir in the walnuts and chocolate chips.  Fill greased or paper-lined muffin cups half full.

Bake at 350 degrees for 15-20 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean.  Cool for 5 minutes before removing from pans to wire rack to cool completely.

Whole Wheat Strawberry Nutella Muffins

What? Chopped up strawberries and Nutella filling in a healthy whole wheat muffin?  Could it be so?  OH YES.

My friend, Brooke, gave me this recipe and I knew I had to try it out ASAP.  They are as delicious as they sound.  I am taking Brooke a plate of them to school.  I hope she likes them as much as I did.

Since I have lost so much weight (57 pounds!), I am a sucker for snacks that are healthy.  These are healthy on so many levels: whole wheat flour, fresh fruit, orange juice, skim milk, AND Nutella!

(Plus, who needs an excuse to eat more Nutella?)

Just a tip: I would probably either serve these warm or reheat for a few seconds in the microwave.  I think that would probably make them yummier!

Here’s what the batter looks like when you add the Nutella.  You fill the liners half full, add a dollop of Nutella and fill them the rest of the way.  They’re really simple to make.

Look at these delicious things! In the picture below you can see the Nutella inside of the muffin.  YUM.

Yield: 12 medium muffins

– 1 1/2 c whole wheat flour

– 1/2 t salt

– 2 t baking powder

– 1/2 c sugar

– 1/4 c oil

– 1 egg

– 1/3 c skim milk

– 1 t vanilla

– 1/4 c orange juice

– 1 c chopped strawberries

– 1/3 c Nutella

Mix the dry ingredients in a large bowl.  Mix the wet ingredients in a small bowl.  Add the wet to the dry and add the strawberries.  Stir only until combined.

Fill each muffin cup half full with batter, then add a teaspoon of Nutella, then fill the muffin cups.

Bake at 350 degrees for 17-20 minutes, or until a tester comes out clean.