Dessert

I really, REALLY love dessert. My favorites include brownies, ice cream, frozen yogurt, Sweet Tooth Fairy cupcakes, {good} bread pudding, certain cheesecakes, cream cheese frosting, Nothing Bundt Cakes...I could go on and on. Truth be told, if I could be HEALTHY and trim I would have dessert twice a day+. Obviously, that's not going to happen {although it has before}. In my opinion, there is limited space for "healthy" desserts. I always tell clients, "If I am going to have a brownie, I want a chewy, fudgey brownie made with rich chocolate and butter. Not a fat-free, sugar-free, high fiber brownie."

Michael Pollan said, "Eat all the junk food you want as long as you cook it yourself." It takes a lot of effort to make something from scratch. How often are you willing to do it? Maybe a few times per month. If you don't like to bake, maybe you pick up your favorite dessert from an amazing bakery that often. We should not deprive ourselves, rather have a healthy relationship with our favorite foods and put them in the right place. Really, it all comes down to Normal Eating {remember this post?}

So, this recipe is slightly hypocritical of me. But, my son really wanted to bake something tonight. These are by no means a health food, but you can feel pretty good about yourself for eating one. Like I said there is limited space for "healthy" desserts, this is one that fits in.

Whole Wheat Peanut Butter and Banana Cupcakes

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line a cupcake pan with 12 papers.

2 mashed bananas

1/2 cup brown sugar

2 TBSP Earth Balance

2 TBSP natural peanut butter

1 egg

1 TBSP vanilla

1 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp baking soda

1 cup whole wheat pastry flour

1/2 cup skim milk

Combine first 6 ingredients into a bowl and mix on high until well combined. Add in baking powder and soda. Alternate adding flour and milk. Mix until just combined. Evenly pour the batter into the 12 lined cupcake tins. Bake for 15-18 minutes. Do not over brown.

I tried making a semi-healthy frosting of whipped cream cheese, agave, and unsweetened cocoa powder. But, my three year old tasted it and said, "It's not my best." Honestly, those were his exact words. So, I added in some powdered sugar.

Enjoy!