Muscle Building: Chocolate Peanut Butter Oatmeal Cups

Chocolate Peanut Butter Oatmeal Cups

These lovelies are like the moistest chocolate banana peanut butter muffers that ever walked God’s green earth.

I mean truly, to achieve this level of unparalleled moistest (my sincerest apologize to the 99% of you who abhor that word) with ZERO oil involved is not to be believed. Perhaps we can blame the ripe nanners (mine were almost black) or the cashew milk, but regardless of the cause, I wholeheartedly promise that this recipe become a new family fave in no time.

To be honest, I’ve been making these muffins every single week for about two months now. Originally I made them for my boyf because he loves having lots of snack for the week. Then I realized how amazing they were so I started to whipping up my own. I basically took my Lemon Coconut Baked Oatmeal Cups, swapped out the lemon for extra milk, subbed almond butter for peanut butter, and added some cocoa and protein to make them more of a hearty snack. If you don’t want to use protein, just leave it out and use a couple tablespoons less milk!

I tried baking batches at 375F for 20 minutes and then 350F for 25 minutes and I finally found that 350F is the key temperature. I also discovered that using chia seeds instead of flax helps them hold together even more.

Regarding bananas, I use very, very over-ripe ones—about 3 1/2 medium bananas or 3 large ones. The best thing about these is that they’re so forgiving! I usually don’t even measure the peanut butter or cocoa. They’re also super low in sugar. Sugar is a fun friend, but if I can keep in on the low end, I’m a happy chickpea!

After making these a gazillion times, I’ve found that they’re perfectly sweet for my taste buds using very over-ripe bananas, about 15 drops of liquid stevia, and that scoop of Vega protein that’s also sweetened with stevia. Silk unsweetened almond or cashew milk are my go-to liquids of choice when it comes to baking and smoothies. You just can’t beat that creaminess! The cashew milk is definitely thicker and creamier if that’s your jam. I love that it has zero grams of sugar, is non-GMO, and is free of artificial colors and preservatives along with saturated fat and cholesterol. Perfecto!

You’ll notice I included the nutrition information on these babies since so many of you have been requesting. I’m not sure if you all are aware but I’m a freelance writer for MyFitnessPal, so I’ve grown to adore their super easy recipe calculator. I write lots of the round-ups you see on their blog (like 10 Make Ahead Lunches Under 400 Calories) and also topical nutrition pieces. If you want the nutrition of any of my old recipes, just paste the link into the recipe importer, check over the ingredients, and there you have it. Be sure to check the ingredients it pulls because it will do wonky things like assume “salt” is the same as “salted butter.”

Too funny.

The more muffins, the merrier. That’s what I always say!

A delicious vegan and gluten-free breakfast or healthy snack on the go, these muffins are packed with flavor and nutrition from whole grain oats, plant protein, and creamy peanut butter!

3 medium to large ripe bananas, mashed (the more ripe the better)
¼ cup pure maple syrup (optional for sweetness, I omitted and used 15 drops of liquid stevia)
1 scoop chocolate plant-based protein powder (I use Vega Chocolate Protein + Greens)

Preheat oven to 350F. Spray muffin tin with cooking spray.
In a small bowl, stir together chia seeds and water to make "chia eggs." Alternatively, you could use 2 large eggs. Set aside.
Place bananas in a large bowl and mash with fork. Add cashewmilk, peanut butter, optional maple syrup or stevia, and vanilla and stir until well mixed. Stir in chia eggs.
Add protein powder, oats, cocoa powder, baking powder and salt. Stir until combined.
Spoon mixture evenly into muffin tin. You can fill the tins to the top. You may have some leftover batter. Bake for 25 minutes.
Remove from oven and cool in pan on a wire rack. Once completely cool, store in an air-tight container in the refrigerator.

Serving size: 1 muffin Calories: 155 Fat: 5g Unsaturated fat: 1g Carbohydrates: 21g Sugar: 6g Sodium: 110mg Fiber: 4g Protein: 6g Cholesterol: 0mg