Since I started this blog nearly six months ago, I’ve been a whirlwind in the kitchen most days of the week.
I cooked and baked long before the blog existed, but the challenge of creating new meals for my family and friends has renewed my enthusiasm. I get bored easily with food and always crave something different, so developing a new recipe feels like discovering treasure.
Or like finding a new pair (or seven) of Christian Louboutin shoes in my closet.
For the past ten days I haven’t cooked a thing. Well, I did make a sub-par macaroni and cheese last Friday—mainly so those of us avoiding meat on Fridays for Lent, and who dislike vegetables, wouldn’t go hungry. 😉
Before my grandmother passed away, I was dealing with serious blogger’s block. After she died, blogging felt especially hard. I’ve been doubting my writing—wondering if it’s any good and whether it will ever go anywhere. I blog because I love to write, not just to cook, and when things get difficult I sometimes feel like giving up.
Last night I had an enormous baking disaster that kept me in the kitchen for nearly three hours and left me with nothing to show for it. If only I could decorate cookies like my talented friend Amanda, last night might have been a success. Maybe I should hire her to bake for me.
The mishap meant I had nothing new to post today. I usually prepare multiple recipes at once, sharing extras with friends or saving them for parties, but I used up most of my extra posts this week because of recent events.
However, I found these muffins tucked away in my photo gallery.
Remember the whole wheat peanut butter and jelly muffins? I adapted that recipe slightly to make healthier chocolate peanut butter muffins.
They were absolutely delicious.
Even a plain muffin wasn’t dramatic enough for me—I always need a little flair.
So I topped them with melted peanut butter.
Whole Wheat Peanut Butter Fudge Muffins
Makes ~12 muffins
Ingredients:
1 3/4 cups whole wheat pastry flour
1/3 cup sugar
1/3 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup cocoa powder
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 1/4 cups milk
1/2 cup creamy peanut butter (I used Naturally More)
1/4 cup egg whites
3 tablespoons butter, melted
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2–3 tablespoons applesauce
1/2 cup chocolate chips
Directions:
Preheat the oven to 400°F (204°C). Lightly spoon the flour into dry measuring cups and level with a knife. In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, sugars, cocoa powder, baking powder, and salt. Make a well in the center.
In a separate bowl, combine the milk, peanut butter, egg whites, melted butter, and vanilla. Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients and stir just until moistened. Stir in the applesauce and fold in the chocolate chips.
Spoon the batter into 12 muffin cups coated with cooking spray, filling each about three-quarters full. Bake at 400°F for about 20 minutes, or until the muffins spring back when lightly touched in the center. Let cool in the pan for 5 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.
Finish each muffin with a drizzle of melted peanut butter.
Chocolate and peanut butter really do make the world go round. Don’t you agree?