PB + J stuffed muffins with peanut butter crumble

I feel like I haven't blogged in a month.  What's it actually been?  2 days?  Such a strange feeling. 

Anyway.

The recipes are back!  Today we have snack/breakfast/dessert muffins and Friday I'll have a dee-licious weekend spring dinner to show you.  I actually started this recipe last week, but after 3 trials that were just so-so I took a little time off from the experimenting.  I knew it had potential so I wanted to give it one more go.

Peanut butter can solve just about any problem.  Don't you think?

However, too much peanut butter creates a problem.  A super dense muffin.  Not good.

The 4th trial was just what I was looking for.  The texture was much lighter and not as thick.  However, since I had to reduce the amount of peanut butter slightly, I knew the muffin wouldn't be as peanut-buttery-licious. 

To combat that problem I created a peanut butter crumb topping.  Ummm, yes.  Peanut butter crumb topping is now a thing.

The jelly stuffed center keeps these muffins extra moist and adds a nice fruity sweetness.

And if the peanut butter crumb topping isn't enough, there's always the option to drizzle more peanut butter overtop.

Print this!

PB + J Stuffed Muffins with Peanut Butter Crumble gluten-free, dairy free // yields 12-14 standard muffins

For the crumb topping:

• 6 tablespoons gluten-free rolled oats
• 3 tablespoons coconut sugar, or sucanat/pure cane sugar
• 3 tablespoons gluten-free oat flour
• 3 tablespoons creamy natural peanut butter
• 1 tablespoon unrefined coconut oil, melted
• pinch of salt

1. In a bowl, whisk the peanut butter into the melted coconut oil until fully combined.
2. Add all other ingredients to the bowl and mix with a fork until combined.  The mixture will be thick and crumbly.
3. Set aside to sprinkle over muffins before baking.

For the muffins:

• 1 cup gluten-free oat flour
• 3/4 cup raw buckwheat flour
• 1/2 cup almond meal
• 2 tablespoons ground flax meal
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 2 eggs
• 2/3 cup unsweetened almond milk
• 1/2 cup + 1 tablespoon unsweetened applesauce
• 6 tablespoons honey
• 1/4 cup unrefined coconut oil, melted
• 3 tablespoons natural creamy peanut butter
• 1 tablespoon pure vanilla extract
• ~1/2 cup unsweetened jelly/jam

1. Preheat your oven to 350* F and line a muffin tin with liners.
2. Add all dry ingredients to a large bowl and stir to combine.
3. In a medium bowl whisk the eggs together, then whisk in the milk, applesauce, and vanilla extract.
4. In a small bowl whisk the peanut butter + honey into the melted coconut oil until fully combined.
5. Add the peanut butter mixture to the egg/milk mixture and whisk vigorously until fully combined.
6. Pour the wet into the dry and whisk until just combined.  Do not over stir.  Let sit 2-3 minutes.
7. Fill the muffin liners a little over halfway and then top with 1 1/2 - 2 teaspoons jelly.  Cover the jelly with more batter leaving about 1/4-1/2-inch space from the top of the liner.
8. Sprinkle crumble mixture overtop and bake for 24-28 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean.  Go at an angle + slightly on the side with the toothpick to avoid the jelly.
9. Let muffins fully cool before eating, as the texture will firm up during this time.

tips/substitutions:  If you can't tolerate oat flour feel free to sub a gluten-free all purpose blend instead of the oat flour at a 1:1 ratio.  Sub other ingredients at your own risk.  Raw buckwheat flour can be made by grinding raw buckwheat groats until flour-like in texture.  Almond meal can be made by grinding raw, unsalted almonds until flour-like in texture.  Sift out large pieces.  Flax meal can be ground from raw flax seeds + oat flour can be ground into flour from oat groats, steel cut oats, or rolled oats.

If you want a little less sugar for your PB + J muffins just leave off the crumb topping and finish with a swipe of peanut butter.  Simple as that!

Time to go feast on that dinner you're going to hear more about on Friday.  See you back here soon!

Ashley

10 things worth noting >> weekend surprise!

1. I was totally planning on posting a recipe today until something pretty cool happened Friday night that I just had to tell you about.  As mentioned, my mom is in town for the week.  We went to meet my uncle, aunt, and cousin for dinner Friday night.  Totally normal.  Nothing seemed peculiar.  My mom and I walked in while Chris was parking and made our way to the table.  We see my uncle there to greet us and out of nowhere my dad springs out from behind a wall.  My mom and I about passed out from the shock!  My mom had NO clue my dad was planning a secret trip to Colorado so she was just as stunned as I was.  As we tried to collect ourselves and question how all of this happened + how he was able to keep this from my mom, I turn 180 degrees to my right and my BROTHER steps out from behind another wall!  WHAT!  We were stunned to say the least.  My brother hasn't been able to make a trip out to visit since we've lived here so this was definitely exciting.  

Such a fantastic surprise to have my whole family visiting in one trip!  My brother + dad only came for a long weekend and are sadly going home Monday.  But, as you will see below we packed in quite a bit in a short amount of time and have had a fantastic time together.

2. I'm not sure if my dad came to visit Chris and me or his grand-dog, Dakota.  These two are pretty much best friends and have been since we first got Dakota nearly 8 years ago.  She likes to glue herself to my dad's hip whenever he's in town.  And let me tell you, he does not mind one bit. 

3. My brother was absolutely thrilled to be able to get in a cold river plunge at my uncle's property in the mountains.  He plunges every single Sunday through the cold months of winter, no matter the temperature.  He's actually organized quite a big group of friends over the years that now join in.  Pretty amazing to watch.  I believe the water was just over 40 degrees Fahrenheit today.  

4. We finally saw a bit of spring pop through when we were in Boulder.  We ate at Under the Sun, which is a fairly new restaurant that I now highly recommend.  Kale chips are on the menu and man were they delicious!

5. I have a thing for tulips.

6. I finally decided I should start actually wearing aprons to avoid getting grease + food stains on my clothing.  

7. Sunday brunch.  Wish you could have joined!

>> recipe for Baked Oatmeal from Super Natural Every Day -- absolutely delicious!

Coconut Tres Leches Pancake-Cake obviously made an appearance.

Along with a giant veggie-packed frittata and a bowl of fresh fruit.

Nothing better than brunch.

8. My uncle's property is tucked in the mountains and incredibly peaceful.  I always love heading up there for a visit.  My mom, Josh, and Kenna joined while Chris + my dad stayed back to do some yard work.  

I told my mom she looks good in the woods.  It's not exactly her element. ;) 

But it's clearly where Kenna belongs!

9.  Dad + daughter with some brightly colored rain gear.

10. Sunday night was finished with dinner at Tasty Harmony.  Obviously.  Hands down my favorite nachos of ALL time.  They just so happen to be vegan and were enjoyed by all.  

chips + black beans + cashew cheese + vegan sour cream + marinated jackfruit + guac + salsa

Alongside a ridiculous vegan burrito, which my dad also ate + loved.

Now we're trying to soak up as much time together as possible before my brother + dad head back to Ohio.

Best surprise ever!  Hope you all enjoyed the weekend!

Recipe coming soon.

Ashley

coconut tres leches pancakes + CAKE

Where oh where to start with this post??

Are you intrigued by the title? Specifically with the word, “cake?” You thought you were just getting pancakes today but little did you know this is a double recipe post.

But you will soon learn there is really only 1 recipe with 2 different outcomes. Like a 2 for 1 deal. Only better.

It all starts with the milk, or milk-s to be exact.

THREE milks! Hence the whole “tres” thing. You know…uno, dos, tres… And if you didn’t already get it, “leches” means milk.

Now that we’re all up to speed on “tres leches,” I put a little spin on the milks that are traditionally used.

Alton Brown uses sweetened condensed milk, evaporated milk, and half + half. I’ve also seen heavy cream instead of the half + half.

Instead, I thought coconut would add a nice twist. So, I decided to use 2 types of coconut milk and homemade almond milk.

The three milks are not only smothered over the pancakes but they are also mixed IN the pancake batter, making these the most amazing pancakes I have ever had in my whole entire life.

I kid you not. I wouldn’t joke about such a thing. Especially on a Friday.

If you are not a huge coconut fan, don’t worry. The coconut flavor from coconut milk is very mild. It’s much less intense than coconut oil or flaked coconut. But if you absolutely despise coconut, I have an idea for you which I mention in the recipe notes. Be on the lookout!

So the idea with tres leches cake is that you bake it, poke a bunch of holes into it, and then pour the milks overtop and let them soak in. This worked swimmingly with pancakes as well.

Stack.

Poke.

Drench!

Here’s a little close up of the drench part.

Oh, and again.

And just incase you needed further convincing.

The resulting pancake is perfectly tender + fluffy with a golden brown exterior.

Gluten-free or not, you need these in your life. This weekend and forever. The milk topping is the most incredible addition to pancakes. It’s lightly sweetened with maple syrup which means you can dredge the entire stack and not go into sugar shock. However, if sugar shock is your thing you can definitely pour more maple syrup overtop.

I’m not your pancake boss.

Print this!

Coconut Tres Leches Pancakes gluten-free, dairy free // yields 6-8, 5-inch pancakes

inspired by: coconut tres leches cupcakes adapted from: cinnamon roll pancakes

for the pancakes:

• 1/2 cup gluten-free oat flour
• 1/2 cup sweet rice flour
• 1/3 cup unsweetened shredded coconut, optional
• 1/4 cup almond meal
• 2 tablespoons coconut sugar, sucanat or brown sugar
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 2 large eggs
• 1/4 cup unsweetened almond milk
• 1/4 cup lite canned coconut milk
• 3 tablespoons unsweetened applesauce
• 2 tablespoons full-fat canned coconut milk
• 1 tablespoon unrefined coconut oil, melted
• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• coconut oil to grease the pan

for the tres leches topping:

• 5 tablespoons full-fat canned coconut milk
• 1 tablespoon lite canned coconut milk
• 1 tablespoon unsweetened almond milk
• 1 1/2 tablespoons pure maple syrup

1. Whisk all ingredients in a bowl until combined. Let sit at room temp to thicken and whisk again before serving.

*Be sure to always thoroughly whisk/blend canned coconut milk [lite and full fat] before adding them to a recipe. They typically are quite separated in the can, especially the full-fat version.

1. Mix all of the dry pancake ingredients together in a large bowl.
2. Whisk the eggs until fully combined + fluffy, about 20-30 seconds, then whisk in the rest of the wet ingredients until fully combined.
3. Combine the wet with the dry and whisk/stir until just combined.
4. Let the batter sit for about 10 minutes without disturbing.
5. Heat a griddle or large pan over medium and grease with coconut oil [or butter].
6. Scoop approximately 1/4 cup scoops of batter in the pan and lightly swirl around with a spatula or spoon to about 5” wide. For thinner pancakes, add 2 tablespoons more milk to the batter and gently stir until just incorporated.
7. Let cook 2-3 minutes until you see the top filled with bubbles. Flip and cook another 2-3 minutes until golden brown. Do not press down after flipping. Avoid overcrowding the pan and adjust heat as needed so the pancakes are fully cooked.
8. Stack pancakes and poke with a wooden skewer or toothpick and pour desired amount of tres leches topping overtop. Let soak in for a minute then serve. Top with extra maple syrup if desired and unsweetened shredded coconut.

Tips:

• To keep the pancakes warm while others are cooking place on a baking sheet in a single layer with the oven preheated to 200* F.
• If you absolutely hate coconut, leave out the shredded coconut and sub heavy whipping cream instead of full-fat coconut milk, half & half for the lite canned coconut milk, and 2% milk for the almond milk.

And now for the mysterious cake I mentioned earlier.

So here’s the deal. This batter can be poured in an 8-inch cake pan and turned into CAKE.

PANCAKE CAKE. Cake that tastes like pancakes!

You don’t have to change 1 single thing with the recipe. And the best part is that this cake has only 2 tablespoons of sugar, making it the most suitable breakfast cake to ever live. The cake alone tastes just barely sweet [like pancakes without syrup], but once you pour the tres leches mixture overtop it adds the perfect finishing touch. You get a hint of maple syrup + natural sweetness and rich flavor from the coconut milks.

Tres Leches Pancake-Cake gluten-free, dairy free // yields 1, 8-inch round cake

1. Preheat oven to 350* F.
2. Thoroughly grease an 8-inch round cake pan [or use a cupcake pan with liners].
3. Mix batter as directed for pancakes.
4. Pour batter into the pan and bake for 24-28 minutes until light golden brown and toothpick comes out clean.
5. Let cool, loosen the edges with a knife, and carefully turn out onto a plate.
6. Poke holes over the top of the cake and pour the tres leches mixture overtop.
7. Let soak in for 10 minutes then serve. Add more maple syrup if desired.

*Serve with coconut whipped cream on the side for an extra special treat! If you want to serve this warm, heat on a baking sheet in the oven at 200* F until warm to the touch. Be careful not to leave it in too long. Then proceed with steps 6 + 7.

The cake would be fantastic if you’re making breakfast or brunch for a crowd. You won’t have to stand at the stove flipping pancakes but everyone can still get that pancakey-comfort!

Happy weekend!

Ashley

Other recipes pancake-cake would work with: cinnamon roll pancakes, red velvet pancakes, pumpkin spice pancakes