Chocolate Peanut Butter- Filled Sourdough Banana Muffins : Vegan

These can be served as a sweet breakfast, afternoon coffee break or a healthy-ish dessert. Biting into the chocolate peanut butter filling is a happy surprise.

• INGREDIENTS: For about 34 muffins
• 2 cup sourdough starter
• 2 tablespoon ground flaxseed
• 6 bananas, mashed
• 1 Cup pitted Medjool or deglet dates
• 1/2 cup purified hot water
• 6 tablespoons room temperature water
• 1/2 cup applesauce
• 1 T vanilla
• 1/2 tsp nutmeg
• 1/4 tsp cloves
• 1 or 1 1/2 Cup dark or semi- sweet vegan chocolate chips, plus set aside 1/2 cup for filling
• 2 T ceylon cinnamon
• 1 C maple syrup.
• 1 Cup Teff flour
• 1 Cup whole wheat pastry flour or white whole wheat
• 1 tsp Baking powder
• 2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 2 Cups 100% peanut butter, preferably Valencia and organic ,divided in half
• 1/2 C cacao or cocoa powder (not Dutch processed)

Preheat oven to 350 and spray or line a couple of muffin tin .

1. Pour hot water over a small bowl with the pitted dates.
2. put ground flax seed in small bowl and stir in the 6 T of water.Allow to sit for 5 minutes.
3. In a large mixing bowl by hand or with mixer slowly stir together the mashed bananas, 2 cups of sourdough discard, applesauce, maple syrup, vanilla and flax seed mixture.
4. In a separate bowl, sift together flours, baking powder, baking soda, salt, nutmeg, cloves and cinnamon .
5. Slowly stir the flour mixture into the banana mixture until well combined.
6. Gently stir in desired amount of chocolate chips , leaving 1/2 Cup for filling.
7. Take 1 Cup of the peanut butter and cut it up into small pieces then stir in to the mix. We prefer biting into small hunks of the peanut butter .If you’d rather the peanut butter be blended in and not have little morsels throughout the muffins then add it before the chocolate chips and blend until smooth.
8. For the filling: In a food processor put the dates with their soaking water, cocoa/cacao powder ,pinch of sea salt and remaining cup of Peanut butter. Process until its a smooth paste.the consistency is like warm play dough. fold in remaining chocolate chips.

Fill each muffin cup half way then put about a tablespoon of the filling in the center and cover with more batter.

Put into oven and cook for 20 to 26 minutes.check for doneness by gently resting the top of the muffin and if it springs back up it is done.

Allow to cool in tins for five minutes them move to a cooling rack.