Flourless Peanut Butter Muffins

This recipe comes from the Gluten Free on a Shoestring blog. I have no problem with gluten, but I was looking for a protein rich muffin recipe, and this fit the bill. I made 11 muffins, 308 calories and 12 grams of protein each.

Ingredients

1 1/2 cups (384 g) smooth, no-stir smooth peanut butter
1 cup + 2 tablespoons (280 g) smooth applesauce
3 eggs, beaten
1/4 cup + 3 tablespoons (147 g) honey or maple syrup
1/2 cup (52 g) powdered peanut butter
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
1 1/2 ounces miniature dark chocolate chips (optional -- I used 1/2 cup)

Directions

1. Preheat your oven to 325°F. Line or spray the wells of a standard 12-cup muffin tin and set it aside.
2. In a large bowl, place the peanut butter, applesauce, eggs, and honey (or  maple syrup), and beat with a handheld mixer until very well-combined. Add the powdered peanut butter, baking soda, baking powder, and salt, and mix with a spatula until just combined. Beat the mixture again with a handheld mixer until very well-combined. The batter should be thick but soft and as smooth as possible. (NOTE: I stirred the chocolate chips in here.)
3. Divide the batter evenly among the prepared wells of the muffin tin, and shake the tin back and forth or spread the top of the batter to distribute it in an even layer in each well. Sprinkle the optional miniature chocolate chips evenly on top of the batter in each well. (Or stir them into the batter in step 2. Your choice.)
4. Place the tin in the center of the preheated oven and bake until the tops of the muffins are puffed and spring back and feel relatively firm when pressed gently in the center (about 25 minutes). The edges and very bottom of the muffins may darken a bit too much, but it doesn’t affect the taste. Remove the tin from the oven and allow the muffins cool in the tin for 10 minutes before transferring them to a wire rack to cool completely. They freeze exceptionally well when placed in a well-sealed freezer-safe container. Defrost at room temperature or in the microwave.