Peanut Butter and Banana Cupcakes

It's been four days since BF and I hiked in and out of the Grand Canyon and my calves are still killing me!  I guess that's what happens when you hike a progressively steeper seven miles.  I'm hoping that our crazy hike will help with training us for our upcoming Spartan race.

To help recuperate some of the calories I burned on our hike, I made some cupcakes.  Then proceeded to eat a whole bunch of them.  Okay, three.  Then I sent them to work with BF.  I knew I couldn't be left alone with the remaining nine cupcakes.  The combination of banana and peanut butter chips in these cupcakes reminded me of my favorite breakfast (waffle sandwich!).  You could actually leave off the frosting and have these for breakfast.  Because a cupcake without frosting is a muffin, right?  Totally healthy.

But really, after climbing out of the Grand Canyon I feel like I deserved a few unhealthy treats.  And so do you!  Make yourself some cupcakes, or "healthy" muffins.




One Year Ago: Cherry Granola Bars
Two Years Ago: Sun-dried Tomato Pasta
Three Years Ago: Buffalo Wing Sauce

Peanut Butter and Banana Cupcakes

A Wilde Original

1 1/4 cups all purpose flour
1/2 teaspooon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
6 tablespoons butter, at room temperature
1 cup sugar
2 bananas, super ripe
2 large eggs
1/4 cup low fat buttermilk
1 cup mini peanut butter chips

Preheat oven to 350 F.  Line 12 muffin cups with paper liners.

In a small bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt.  In a large bowl, beat together sugar and butter until fluffy, scrape down the sides and bottom of the bowl.  Add bananas and beat until bananas are broken up and incorporated.  You'll still see bits of banana.  Add eggs, one at a time, and beat until mixed, scrape down the sides again.

Add 1/2 of the flour mixture and mix until just combined.  Add buttermilk and mix completely.  Add remaining flour mixture and mix until just combined.  Add peanut butter chips and stir in by hand.  Scoop about 1/3 cup of batter into each muffin cup.  Bake for 25 minutes (or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean).

Remove cupcakes from the oven and let cool for 10 minutes in the pan, on a wire rack.  Remove cupcakes from the pan and let cool completely on the rack before frosting.  Pipe a big blob of peanut butter frosting on  top of the cupcakes.

Peanut Butter Frosting

1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons (3.5 ounces) creamy peanut butter
2 1/3 cups powdered sugar, sifted
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 cup heavy cream

In a large mixing bowl, beat together peanut butter and vanilla.  Add powdered sugar, 1 cup at a time, mixing on low.  Once all the sugar is combined, add half of the heavy cream.  Mix until smooth.  Add remaining heavy cream if needed and beat for 2 minutes, or until fluffy.