Banana Muffins with Peanut Butter Honey Filling

Banana Muffins filled with Peanut Butter and Honey

peanut butter honey filling

• • 3/4 cup creamy peanut butter

  • 1/4 cup honey

  • 4 ounces low-fat cream cheese, slightly softened

muffin batter

• • 4 ripe bananas, mashed

  • 2 cups granulated sugar

  • 1/2 cup vegetable oil

  • 3 eggs, lightly beaten

  • 1 tablespoon vanilla

  • 1/2 cup applesauce, no sugar added

  • 1/4 cup low-fat sour cream

  • 3 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

  • 2 teaspoons baking soda

  • 1 teaspoon salt

  • 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon

  • 1 cup salted peanuts, crushed

With an electric mixer, beat the peanut butter, honey and cream cheese on medium speed for about 3 minutes, until well combined. Spread out a piece of plastic wrap and spread the filling on the plastic, arranging it in a log shape as best you can. Tightly roll up the plastic, then roll that in a piece of foil. Freeze for two hours.

Preheat the oven to 350 F, and place 24 muffin liners in muffin pans.

In a large bowl, combine the mashed banana, sugar, oil, eggs, vanilla, applesauce and sour cream, and mix with a wooden spoon until well combined. In a separate bowl, combine the flour, baking soda, salt and cinnamon. Add the dry ingredients to the wet, a little at a time, stirring until just moistened.

Spoon a dollop of batter into each muffin cup, so that they are about 1/3 full. Remove the peanut butter filling from the freezer and slice into 24 equal pieces. If yours don't slice very neatly, which mine didn't, simply roll the slices into balls then flatten slightly with your palm.

Place the peanut butter filling slices/balls on top of the first layer of muffin batter. Spoon the remaining batter over the peanut butter filling. The cups will be very full, almost to the top, which will give them a nice puffy muffin top on each as the batter spreads a little over the edges.

Sprinkle the batter with the crushed salted peanuts.

Bake at 350 for 21-23 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted along the side comes out clean.

Serve warm with strawberry jelly for the ultimate flavor combination of your favorite childhood sandwich in a muffin!

Yields 24 muffins.