Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Muffins

When it comes to favorite indulgences, sweets are a chink in my holistic health armor. For me, it's not about consuming just any ole sugary treat - you can keep your snickers, buddy. I crave fancy cupcakes, gourmet ($12/pint) ice cream, and decadent chocolatey treats. I like to think that means my tastes are highly evolved, but really I'm just a dessert snob. Since eating high end sweets all day is not considered a nourishing practice, I like to find health-conscious alternatives to satisfy my cravings.

Last week, my friend Katie posted a picture of mouth watering chocolate chip muffins. Her post claimed they the recipe was "healthy", so of course I was interested. She was kind enough to share the recipe. After looking it over, I had to try it. New recipes always feel more accessible when I've got all the ingredients on-hand, so I strayed from the original recipe a bit to avoid a grocery run. The biggest substitution was using Coconut Palm Sugar to replace brown sugar. It's a great alternative because you can use it cup for cup with white or brown sugar - no pesky converting needed! The texture is more grainy than regular sugar, but it has a wonderfully rich caramel flavor. YUM!

Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Muffins
INGREDIENTS

•   1/2 cup unsweetened applesauce
•   1/2 cup creamy peanut butter
•   1.5 tablespoons raw honey
•   1 teaspoon vanilla extract
•   2 tablespoons coconut palm sugar
•   1 large egg
•   1/4 teaspoon sea salt
•   1/2 teaspoon baking soda
•   1/4 teaspoon baking powder
•   1/3 cup powdered oats (Just place your regular rolled oats in a blender or food processor and pulse until it reaches a flour-y like consistency.)
•   1/3 cup old fashioned rolled oats
•   1/3 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips

Don't lie. You know you want to try these :)

INSTRUCTIONS
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Spray or butter the muffin tins (no liners needed!).
1. In a large bowl, mix apple sauce, peanut butter (do not warm up), honey, vanilla extract, and coconut sugar.
2. Beat the egg into the mixture until blended.
3. Add salt, baking soda, baking powder, oat flour and mix well.
4. Stir in the old-fashioned oats and chocolate chips.
5. Spoon 2 scoops of dough into each muffin tin and bake for 14 - 16 minutes - this time will leave the muffins slightly undercooked and deliciously doughy!

Wishing you a mindful indulgence,

Emilie