I’m pretty sold on most banana and/or peanut butter things and my son often makes peanut butter banana protein smoothies, so I knew this combo would taste good. I have been looking for some healthier snacks to make lately. I liked the idea of these as a treat, but a slightly healthier version than your average peanut butter muffins.
These are better for you because they only have a small amount of butter, use egg whites, protein powder to boost the protein content, natural peanut butter, and minimal added sugar. The ripe bananas add quite a bit of sweetness as it is. They are lightly sweet and have good peanut butter flavor and made a nice snack.
I use this protein powder to add to smoothies at home, and I used a few tbsp of it in these as well to up the protein and help offset the sugar. If you have not used pea protein before, don’t worry it doesn’t taste like peas. 🙂 It is unflavored and does not add any after taste to anything. You can leave that out if you’d rather.
Healthy Peanut Butter Banana Muffins
Ingredients
- 3 medium extra ripe bananas
- 1/3 cup unsweetened applesauce
- 1 1/4 cup AP flour
- 3/4 tsp baking soda
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 2 tbsp pea protein powder optional
- 2 tbsp butter melted
- 1/3 cup brown sugar not packed
- 2 large egg whites
- 1 tsp vanilla
- 10 tbsp creamy peanut butter (natural style)
Instructions
- Heat oven to 325 and line 12 muffin wells with liners. In a stand mixer, beat the banana, sugar and vanilla until mostly smooth. Add the butter and mix again.
- In a bowl, whisk the flour, baking soda and salt together.
- Add the egg whites, apple sauce, and 8 tbsp of peanut butter to the stand mixer and mix again until well mixed and smooth.
- Scrap the bowl and add the flour and mix on low until just barely combined. Finish mixing by hand.
- Divide about 1/2 the batter among the 12 muffin wells, then add about 1/2 tsp of peanut butter to the center and top with the other 1/2 of the batter. Bake until the tops crack and are solid and a toothpick in the other 1/3 of the muffin comes out clean. About 20-25 minutes.
- Remove from pan and cool on a cooling rack.