Skinny Banana Almond Butter Muffins

So I know I have confessed this before, but yes, I hate peanut butter. I don't jump up and down over candies that have it or even peanuts for that matter! So yea, I could care less about Reese's cups or Snickers or peanut M&Ms etc. I don't know what it is... the oiliness, the saltiness, not sure?! I have tried, believe me. People have given me awful looks when I share my feelings about peanut butter, as if I just told them their baby is ugly. For a long time, I thought I might give other butters a chance, Nutella has won my heart forever ago BUT this isn't nutritious by any means. I wanted to find a butter that fit me, one that I could eat and feel good about, not just with flavor but also with my health. I finally tried almond butter when my best friend brought it over to my house to snack on apples with. Suddenly, I felt that I met "the one". Not only are almonds packed with vitamins but it tasted AMAZING to me! I think I was in silence for about 5 minutes, eating this new butter, and running a movie in my head of all the amazing things I could put this on and in and at times I just pictured me, a spoon and a jar of this creamy goodness. And so this banana almond butter muffin was born... 

I have been straying here and there, especially on weekends, on my healthy resolutions. I keep feeling guilty and then I think, you know what, why can't I indulge without the guilt, why can't I find a happy medium? So I wanted to make this healthy treat. Loaded with great-for-you stuff and they taste great! Don't expect a super duper moist bakery style muffin, but then again, don't expect to feel like a muffin top yourself either! This muffin contains NO BUTTER and thats why it is a healthy treat! Tasting it, I definitely think almond butter with honey, banana, walnuts and chocolate are the best combo ever created.... I love the melty bits of chocolate inside that actually make it seem like an indulgent dessert. 

Almonds are high in protein, fiber and good fats. That means they are good for weight loss, for the heart and to lower blood pressure! Now make sure to choose an almond butter that is low in oil, salt and sugar, because there are some brands out there that load it up and then it just defeats the purpose... Below is the brand I got for this recipe. I have also had the MaraNatha no-stir creamy version, and that gets my thumbs up as well. 

Not only do I have healthy amazing almond butter in there to make you feel good about your health, there is also protein packed greek yogurt, raw honey which is unprocessed and called a miracle food. Bananas have tons of fiber. And OK OK, you caught me... I did add some chocolate chips, but they are semi sweet and just a few :) You can always leave them out if you wish!

I made these muffins so that you can either have them plain or you can dress them up to be a little more naughty ;) 
This is the naughty version.... I melted some almond butter with honey on top, drizzled it with more honey, sugar sprinkles and a slice of banana. Seriously, can I have more almond butter... I can't get enough of this stuff!

Without the naughtiness, here is what the muffins look like. Still beautiful... still delicious. An easy snack to take to work too! 

Time: 45 minutes
Servings: 12 large muffins

Ingredients:

• 2 ripe bananas, mashed (if you have bananas but they are NOT super ripe how we want them, you can simply put them on a cookie sheet and in the oven at 350 degrees for 45 minutes (allow for them to cool for about an hour). This will turn them black on the outside but make them perfectly sweet inside and ready for any banana recipe you want! The heat brings out the natural sugars in the nanner...)
• 1/2 cup plain nonfat greek yogurt (this is about 1 small container)
• 1/4 cup dark brown sugar
• 1/4 cup raw honey (or any honey but I'm trying to keep it healthy and raw honey is the way to go!)

• 1/2 cup almond butter, this is the brand I used, which is all natural, not too many crazy ingredients and its not oily! Make sure you get a creamy style and make sure its not oily! 

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• 1 egg
• 1/3 cup unsweetened vanilla almond milk
• 2 tsp vanilla extract
• 1.75 cups white whole wheat flour
• 1 tsp cinnamon
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 1/4 cup walnuts
• 1/4 cup semi-sweet ghirardelli chocolate chips 

*OPTIONAL*

• Extra almond butter to melt on top when serving.
• Extra honey to drizzle on top
• Extra banana slices to decorate 
• Clear sugar sprinkles 

Directions:

• Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Line your muffin tin with cute liners or spray with buttery spray. 
• You will need 2 bowls, one for wet ingredients, one for dry. 
• In the first bowl, take your bananas and mash them up really well! Add sugar, honey, yogurt, egg, milk and vanilla. Combine. 
• Add almond butter and whisk up until the almond butter melts into the mixture and it becomes creamy and thick. 
• In the second bowl mix together, cinnamon, flour, salt, baking powder, baking soda. 
• Add dry ingredients to the wet bowl and add in the chocolate chips and walnuts, MIX! Do not over mix though. Just enough to incorporate everything together. 
• Spoon the batter into your muffin cups. You can pretty much fill each cup all the way. You will think you have leftover batter but I used all the batter for this. Don't be scared just fill em up! 
• Bake for 5 minutes at 425 and then turn down the temp to 350 and continue to bake for 11 minutes. Test out the muffins by sticking a toothpick in the middle of one. If it comes out clean, they're ready!

The muffins are delish by themselves but if you wanna take it to the next level, follow these easy steps! 

• Place about 1/2 tbsp of almond butter in a mug (this is per muffin) as well as 1 tsp of honey, mix and microwave for about 20 seconds. Mix again and make sure it is melted down enough to pour over your muffin. Then you may sprinkle with sugar sprinkles, drizzle even more honey and top with a banana slice for the final touch! 

xoxo, Tiny Taster