Banana Peanut Muffins (Virtuous!) with Chocolate Buttercream Icing (Sinful!)

The gas pedal in our car stopped working reliably on Monday night...which brought back the debate about when we should upgrade to a minivan and led us (well, just Matt this time) back to a car dealership for I think the 4th time since November.  We got the gas pedal fixed and again walked away without a new car. 

So to console us and encourage our financial self-discipline, I made cupcakes. Technically, muffins with frosting.  I think I came up with a really good mix of flavors and healthiness.  Banana Peanut muffins with Chocolate Buttercream.  The buttercream is really rich and and smooth and sweet, but the muffins are only mildly sweet and they have whole wheat flour.  Plus, the peanuts give them a nice crunch.  I will make these again.

For the Banana Peanut Muffins:
1 cup all purpose flour
3/4 cup whole wheat flour
1/3 cup stevia (or sugar, or splenda)
2 tsps baking powder
1 egg, lightly beaten
3/4 cup milk
1/4 cup coconut oil (or vegetable oil, or canola)
3/4 cup mashed banana (1 large banana)
1/2 cup dry roasted lightly salted peanuts

Mix the first 4 ingredients together.  Mix the egg and milk and add to dry mixture with oil and mashed banana.  Stir, then add peanuts and mix until combined.  Pour batter into a muffin tin sprayed with nonstick spray.  Bake at 400 for 20 minutes.  Makes 12 muffins.

For the Chocolate Buttercream:
1 stick salted butter, at room temperature
scant 1/4 cup cocoa powder
1 1/2 squares baking chocolate, melted and cooled
1/8 cup (or 2 tbsps) milk
1 1/2 cups powdered sugar

Melt the baking chocolate in the microwave and set aside to cool.  Beat the butter in a mixing bowl until nicely whipped (I used the paddle attachment on my mixer) then mix in cocoa powder.  Once the baking chocolate is cool, mix it in too.  Then mix in the milk and the powdered sugar until you have a nice whippy frosting.  Yum!