When The Cat's Away...

When E was away a couple of weekends ago, it was an interesting study of contrasts. Friday night was enjoyable, and I spent it watching movies that I knew E would never want to see. It was a little strange falling asleep alone in our big, creaky house, but I managed.

Saturday was a different story - after a while, I was bored and really missing my honey, and didn't know what to do with myself! I couldn't get E out of my mind, and so I decided to surprise him upon his return home, so he'd know how much I missed him.

E is a peanut butter fiend, so when I found this recipe for PB&J Muffins, I knew I found a winner. These were really easy to throw together, and came out perfectly. What I like most about it is its versatility - this is a great muffin base, and can easily be customized to accommodate any flavour or ingredient.


PB & J Muffins
adapted from Baking Bites
makes 12

• 2 1/4 cups all purpose flour
• 2 tsp baking powder
• 1/2 tsp kosher salt
• 2/3 cup brown sugar Splenda blend
• 3 tbsp Smart Balance butter blend, melted and cooled
• 1/2 cup crunchy natural peanut butter
• 2 large eggs
• 1 cup skim milk
• 1/3 cup jam (I used sugar-free raspberry)

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees and line a muffin tin with paper liners
2. In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, salt, baking powder and brown sugar.
3. Once combined, add in the melted butter, peanut butter, eggs and milk, and stir together until just combined.
4. Fill each prepared muffin cup halfway with batter. Top each with a teaspoon of jam, and cover with more batter. Each should be filled to the top.
5. Bake for 17-20 minutes, until a tester comes out clean, and the top of muffin springs back when lightly pressed.
6. Cool on a wire rack, about 30 minutes.