Flourless Banana Protein Muffins

Want the perfect pre-workout pick-me-up?  How about the ideal recovery snack? Or maybe you just want something yummy that you won't feel like you need to run 5 miles to make up for eating. ;-)

I made two batches of these--with half of them as mini-muffins and half as full-size, so 72 muffins in all. SEVENTY-TWO. And do you know how long they lasted in my home (which includes 1 man and 2 teenage boys)??  Less than 24 hours! I didn't know if I should be horrified or flattered.  

And here is all the math from my experience made into an imperfect equation for my Algebra 1 student:

72 muffins / 3X < 24hrs = 0

Therefore, the muffins were consumed at a rate of 3+ muffins/ hour. So my husband and two sons each ate an average of 1/hour for 24 hours. Of course, my younger 2 kids and I ate a few. And my husband and sons were gone on a camping trip for the first 18 of those 24 hours, so the math gets complicated. But, what isn't complicated is the recipe.  So we will move on to that.

Flourless Banana Protein Muffins
Makes 24 Regular/ 48 Mini Muffins

INGREDIENTS:
2 Ripe Bananas
1 Cup Peanut Butter
1/2 Cup Honey
2 Eggs
1 Scoop Vanilla Protein Powder (I like THIS kind, and THIS kind)
1/2 Teaspoon Baking Soda
1 Cup Chocolate Chips (mini work best)

DIRECTIONS:
1. Preheat oven to 350.
2. Grease/ line muffin pans
3. Blend all ingredients except chocolate chips in blender or food processor
4. Stir in chocolate chips
5. Fill muffin cups 2/3 full. Bake 11-13 minutes for mini-muffins; 14-16 minutes for regular muffins.

Butterscotch Chocolate Chip Cookies

I have a friend with diabetes who is also going through chemotherapy right now. I wanted to bring here a dessert with dinner, but I wanted to keep the glycemic index low on whatever I brought.  Adding whole grains to your baking does just that. 

I try to cook with whole grains whenever I can, but so often it tends to dry out my baked goods unless I alter the recipe somehow. These cookies are 100% whole wheat, and they were SUPER moist. They have what I consider the ideal texture for a cookie: a little bit crisp on the bottom and edges, and dense and moist on the inside. The secret to having perfect cookies AND whole grain is PUDDING in the mix! 

Butterscotch pudding in cookies makes your house smell divine. My kids described it as a yummy, buttery smell ("Mom, what is that delicious smell??").  These cookies aren't overwhelmingly butterscotch-ey, but have a sweet, buttery taste that is definitely distinct from regular chocolate chip cookies. My family devoured them! And they were a hit with my friend I took them to, too.  Double win!

Butterscotch Chocolate Chip Cookies

Ingredients
1 cup butter, softened
3/4 cups brown sugar
2 eggs
2 small or 1 large package butterscotch instant pudding mix, dry
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 teaspoon baking soda
2 1/4 cups whole wheat or all-purpose flour
1.5 cups chocolate chips

Directions
1. Preheat oven to 350. Grease or line baking sheets with parchment/silicone mat.
2. Beat butter and sugar. Add eggs and beat well. Beat in pudding, vanilla and baking soda. Stir in flour, then chocolate chips.
3. Drop by rounded spoonfuls (I use a medium cookie scoop) 1 inch apart on baking sheets.
4. Bake 10-12 minutes, remove from oven and cool.

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Butternut Squash and Banana Chocolate Chip Cookies

I've had a couple of small butternut squashes sitting in the fruit basket on my counter for at least 2 months.  I've been told these vitamin rich veggies can be stored for up to a year, but I was ready to use mine.  I also had a couple of very ripe bananas that needed to be used.  And, I needed to make cookies. (Yes, needed). Chocolate chip cookies, to be precise.

So after looking over some pumpkin and banana cookie recipes, I came up with this one.  I LOVE feeding my family treats that I can feel good about, and this cookie recipe definitely qualifies! It has 2 full cups of butternut squash puree, which provides a whopping 874% of the USDA recommended vitamin A needs, plus high quantities of vitamin C and potassium--which is also boosted by the banana! Even after you divide those vitamins among all the cookies, each one is still going to be pretty darn full of redeeming health value!

In case you are new to using a butternut squash in your cooking, I will walk you through the process of making the raw squash into puree you can bake with. 

Slice the raw squash in half lengthwise. Using a knife and/or grapefruit spoon, clean out the seeds and stringy membranes.

Preheat oven to 350°. Place 1/4 cup water on a foil lined baking sheet. Place squash face-down on the foil. Bake 45 minutes, or until soft. Remove and cool to touch.

Use a paring knife to peel the squash. Put the peeled squash in a blender or food processor.

Blend the squash until smooth. 

For this recipe, you'll need a total of 3 1/2 cups of squash and banana combined. My cookies had 2 cups of squash and 1 1/2 cups banana (or 2 medium). If you have less squash and more banana no problem! Your cookies will have a stronger banana flavor but will still be great! The squash has a mild, nutty taste that makes the cookies taste more rich. Both the squash and the banana ensure a moist texture. 

Now, on to the cookie recipe: 

Butternut Squash and Banana Chocolate Chip Cookies

Makes 5 dozen cookies

Ingredients:

1 cup butter, softened

1.5 cups sugar

1 cup brown sugar

3 eggs

2 cups butternut squash puree

1 1/2 cups pureed banana (2 medium bananas)

2 teaspoons vanilla 

6 cups flour (I used 4 cups all purpose, 2 cups whole wheat.)

2 tablespoons baking powder

2 teaspoons baking soda

1 teaspoon salt

2-3 cups chocolate chips

Directions: 

1. Preheat oven to 375°. Prepare baking sheets with silicone mats, parchment, or cooking spray. 

2. Using an electric mixer, beat butter and sugars until smooth. Add eggs and mix well. Mix in squash, banana, and vanilla until smooth. 

3. In a separate large bowl, whisk together flours, baking powder, baking soda and salt.  Add this to wet mixture and stir well. Stir in chocolate chips. 

4. Drop by rounded tablespoons onto baking sheets. Bake 9-11 minutes, or until light brown around bottom edge. 

Unlike traditional chocolate chip cookie dough, this dough is more wet. It will still stick together on a spoon, but is sticky to touch. Since squash have varying moisture content, the amount of flour you need may vary slightly each time you make these. 

Here you see how the cookie dough balls look before baking. 

And here, baked to scrumptious perfection, right out of the oven. 

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