So, now I'm trying my hand at a "healthier" muffin. Peanut butter is replacing the butter, a banana is replacing some of the sugar, and I've even added a little whole wheat flour. The motivation? Well, besides
wanting needing to cut back on some excessiveness going on with my own diet, I also feel a little responsible for my hubby's need for healthier eating. So there. Of course, it helped that I received an overnight package with some remarkable organic chocolate from
Green & Black's. Take a peek at this treasure:
Am I lucky, or what? The variety is awesome--besides the Milk Chocolate and the Espresso that you see front and center, there is a 70% Dark Chocolate, a Mint Chocolate, a Toffee Milk Chocolate, an Almond Milk Chocolate, a 60% Dark Chocolate with Cherries, and a 60% Chocolate with Ginger. And this was just my sample...there are more kinds available at the store. But, I digress...back to the muffins...
The package of chocolate came on Tuesday. Wednesday morning, before work, I was already elbow deep into the muffin recipe, just so that I could start using chocolate. :) I made it up as I went along, so if you notice anything needs a little tweaking, be my guest.
Peanut Butter-Banana Dark Chocolate Chunk Muffins
1 cup all purpose flour
¾ cup white whole wheat flour
¼ cup packed brown sugar, plus 2 tablespoons for topping
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon cinnamon, plus a dash for topping
1 (3.5 oz) bar Green & Black’s® Dark Chocolate, coarsely chopped
1 egg, slightly beaten
1 (6 oz) container plain Greek yogurt
½ cup low-fat buttermilk
1 ripe banana, mashed
½ cup peanut butter
1 teaspoon vanilla
Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.; line a 12 cup muffin tin with paper liners.
In a large bowl, whisk together the flours, 1/4 cup brown sugar, baking powder, and cinnamon. Stir in the chocolate pieces and set aside.
I felt a little like Charlie in the Chocolate Factory, opening that beautiful golden wrapper.
In a small bowl, blend the egg, yogurt, buttermilk, banana, peanut butter and vanilla until smooth. Add to the dry mixture and gently fold together, just until moistened, being careful not to over-mix. Use a cookie scoop to spoon the batter into the muffin cups. Stir the remaining sugar with a dash of cinnamon and sprinkle evenly over the muffin tops.
Bake for 22-25 minutes, or until the tops of the muffins spring back when lightly touched. Remove from oven an cool on cooling rack. Serve warm, if desired.
Considering that I had just minutes to spare, before leaving for work, I think these muffins turned out pretty well. Next time, I may try a tad more peanut butter, because I didn't taste it in the muffin, but overall I was pleased with the taste. The chocolate was really the star--it chopped easily, and it had deep, chocolaty flavor that lent itself well to the banana and the brown sugar. As a bonus, I didn't feel guilty about any of the ingredients...antioxidants galore! These will be made again.
As for the chocolate, I was impressed with Green & Black's background. Certified organic, Green & Black's also uses Fair Trade practices. Now, I'm looking forward to trying the other flavors, particularly the Dark Chocolate with Cherries.
For more information on Green & Black's Chocolate, visit them online at
http://www.greenandblacks.com/us/ or on their
Facebook page, where you can enter one of their monthly contests.
In the final analysis, I've found that healthy can also be tasty. And what better way to celebrate healthy than with some rich, dark chocolate?
Disclosure: I was given samples of Green & Black's Chocolate for the purpose of review. All opinions are my own.