banana protein muffins (gluten free)

let's be honest right up front: these muffins are not attractive.  in fact, they're pretty ugly as far as muffins are concerned . . . but this is a classic case of "don't judge a book by its cover" or in this instance, "please don't judge my unattractive muffins before you taste them!"

i found a variation of this recipe on instagram and i was intrigued because it incorporated banana, greek yogurt, almond meal, and coconut sugar.  those ingredients got me inspired.  i ended up making a bunch of changes, but still keeping the original essence of these muffins.  i created my own version which i'm calling "banana protein muffins" because they're packed full of protein thanks to the yogurt, two types of nuts, flaxseed, and powdered peanut butter.

i like that this is a mini recipe and only makes 6 muffins.  that way you don't have to commit to having a ton of muffins sitting on your kitchen counter looking at you.  i know they're ugly, but gosh, they sure are delicious!

banana protein muffins

prep time: 5 minutes

baking time: 25-27 minutes

yields: 6 muffins

adapted from dessert for two

ingredients:

1/4 cup peanuts

1/4 cup cashews

1/4 cup oats

1 tablespoon flaxseed meal

1 tablespoon powdered peanut butter

1 ripe banana, mashed

1/4 cup plain greek yogurt

1/4 cup coconut sugar

directions:

preheat your oven to 350 degrees F and line six muffin cups with paper liners.  in a food processor, combine the peanuts, cashews, oats, and flaxseed meal.  pulse until finely ground.  add the mixture to a large bowl along with the powdered peanut butter, mashed banana, yogurt, and sugar.  mix well until combined.

scoop the batter into the lined muffin cups and bake for 25-27 minutes, until a toothpick inserted into the middle of the muffins comes out clean.  allow the muffins to cool in the pans for 5 minutes before removing them from the pans and allowing them to finish cooling on a wire rack.

enjoy!

love, laurie