This is another recipe that was developed during our snow storm the other weekend. Being snowed in is the perfect time to play around with some recipes for warm and satisfying baked goods. I am all about replacing flour with plant-based protein powder to increase the nutritional content of my baked goods. I used this method when creating these muffins, but I only replaced 1/3 of the flour this time. Didn’t want them tasting TOO healthy, am I right? These muffins are filled with tons of mashed banana, protein powder, walnuts, flax, and cacao chunks. They are perfectly soft and fluffy with a bit of crunch from the mixed-in walnuts and chocolate. The crumbly topping takes them to the next level. To keep the recipe vegan, I used vegan butter (Earth Balance sticks) and/or coconut oil, but if you are not vegan, you can certainly replace the vegan butter with regular butter. I used half frozen (thawed) bananas and half fresh, ripe bananas and the muffins turned out great. Make sure you use ripe bananas- as they provide a lot of the sweetness to this recipe! I use bananas in so many recipes, but I just realized that I have never done an ingredient spotlight on them. Well, here it is. The high potassium content of bananas can help reduce blood pressure. Eating bananas have been linked to the reduced risk of leukemia and asthma in young children, as well as improving overall heart health. Bananas also contain tryptophan, which can play a role in preserving memory and boosting your mood. So bottom line, enjoy these muffins and get happy! PS. These muffins are named after one of my favorite Ben & Jerry’s ice cream flavors! Speaking of Ben & Jerry’s did you guys hear that they are about to launch a new line of VEGAN ice creams? I’m so excited to try them I could die (especially the Peanut Butter & Cookies flavor!).
NOTE: After baking, these muffins freeze and reheat well!
Active Time: 15 minutes Total Time: 35 minutes
Serves: 12
Ingredients:
For the muffins: 2 flax eggs (2 tablespoons flax + 6 tablespoons water) 4 medium ripe bananas ½ cup turbinado sugar (or brown sugar) ¼ cup vegan butter or coconut oil, melted 1 teaspoon vanilla extract 2 teaspoons baking soda ½ teaspoon sea salt 1 cup whole wheat pastry flour (or all-purpose) ½ cup vanilla plant-based protein powder (NOT whey) ½ cup rolled oats ¼ cup cacao chips (or regular chocolate chips) ¼ cup chopped walnuts
For the crumble topping:
¼ cup raw sugar ¼ cup all-purpose flour
2 tablespoons vegan butter
Directions: Preheat oven to 375 degrees F and lightly grease a muffin tin. Prepare flax egg in a large mixing bowl and let it sit for 5 minutes. Add the banana and mash. Add turbinado sugar, baking soda, and salt and wisk. Stir in the vanilla and melted butter, and mix. Add flour and oats and stir with a spoon or rubber spatula until just combined. Stir in the chocolate chips and walnuts. Divide batter evenly among the 12 muffin tins, filling ¾ of the way full. Quickly wipe your mixing bowl and add the crumble ingredients. Mash the ingredients together with a fork until it resembles wet, coarse sand. Generously top muffins with crumble.
Bake for 17-22 minutes or until tops are golden brown. Let cool for a few minutes before removing from the muffin tin. Store in an air-tight container at room temperature. You can also freeze for longer storage.
Nutrition Information per serving:
Calories: 258 Fat: 10g Carbs: 35g Protein: 7g Sodium: 356mg Sugar: 17g
*Nutrition information is based on the products I used personally in this recipe. Different products may yield slightly different information.
Slightly adapted from Minimalist Baker
