The best news about these peanut butter and chocolate chip muffins is they can easily be adjusted to include gluten free and wheat eating friends. However, if you have a nut allergy you may want to use a seed butter like pumpkin or sunflower. I find them not be a sweet as peanut butter but adding chopped prunes or a banana can fix that easily enough.
I also use dark chocolate chips. They have 72% cacao, and only 4 grams of sugar per tablespoon. Remember, 4 grams of sugar equals 1 teaspoon and we want to minimize the amount of sugar we consume to reduce inflammation and our chances of developing chronic disease.
Benefits of Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Muffins
Cacao contains flavonoids that help with oxidative stress in our cells and protect the epithelium layer of our blood vessels (1). It also contains polyphenols that decrease inflammation in the vasculature. The same autoinflammatory effect reduces insulin resistance. As mentioned previously, being cautious of the sugar content in your choice of dark chocolate is important. Benefits are minimized the more the cacao is processed, and as high amounts of sugar are added.
On the other hand, pairing your dark chocolate with high fiber whole grains and peanut butter gives you added benefits. Nuts and legumes provide protein, fiber, minerals, and antioxidants like vitamin E (tocopherol). Metanalysis observation studies show reduced ischemic heart disease in people who with regularly consume nuts (2).
God’s plan for our sustained health and productivity continues to reveal itself in the studies I review for these recipes. He is ever glorious, mighty, and willing to save us if we just turn to him for physical and spiritual nourishment.
You visit the earth and water it abundantly, enriching it greatly. God’s stream is filled with water, for You prepare the earth in this way,
Psalm 65:8-10 HCSB – Those who live far away are awed by – Bible Gateway
providing people with grain.
Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Muffins
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 Cups Gluten Free Oats ground into flour or 2 cups fresh milled wheat
- 1/2 Cup Old Fashioned Oats
- 1/2 Cup Tapioca Flour or arrowroot flour
- 1 Tsp Baking Powder
- 1/4 Tsp Salt
- 1 Tsp Cinnamon
- 1/2 Cup Natural Peanut Butter
- 1/2 Cup Organic Extra Virgin Olive Oil
- 1/2 Cup Chocolate Chips 72% Cacao Chips
- 1 Egg
- 1 Cup Buttermilk or Unsweetened Vanilla Almond Milk
- 1/2 Cup Honey
Instructions
- Preheat Oven to 375
- Grind the 1 1/2 cup of oats into a fine flour then add the remaining oats, spices, salt, baking powder. Set aside.
- In a separate cup add your oil, egg, peanut butter, and milk blend well then add to the dry ingredients. Then add the chocolate chips.
- Divide batter into 12 muffin cups and bake for 20 minutes or until toothpick comes out clean.
Nutrition
God bless you as you make and share these muffins with others today!
References:
- Katz, D. L., Doughty, K., & Ali, A. (2011). Cocoa and chocolate in human health and disease. Antioxidants & redox signaling, 15(10), 2779–2811. https://doi.org/10.1089/ars.2010.3697
- Afshin, A., Micha, R., Khatibzadeh, S., & Mozaffarian, D. (2014). Consumption of nuts and legumes and risk of incident ischemic heart disease, stroke, and diabetes: a systematic review and meta-analysis. The American journal of clinical nutrition, 100(1), 278–288. https://doi.org/10.3945/ajcn.113.076901
