Mango Macadamia Nut Butter Muffins

Yo, Imma be real with y’all right now – peanut butter is not the business.

But you know what is? Macadamia nut butter.

While it sounds weird and borderline bougie, the process for making this delight is exactly the same: pulverized nuts (insert boy groan here). With their delicate and smooth flavor,  macadamia nuts transform this spread into another, tropical dimension that I can only dream about since I live in foggy SF.

I nabbed a jar of the good stuff from a neighbor back home after the infamous brunch. My lovely blogger friend, Erika, had baked a batch of cashew nut butter muffins that day that were astronomically delicious, so I knew I had to replicate them. I don’t just get jars of this erryday, y’know. (Incidentally, neither do you, but you can if you order them here!)

Macadamia nut butter, like most nutty condiments, are full of protein and healthy fats. However, the high protein content risks drying out baked goods, which is why when you get those [insert dietary restriction]-free peanut butter whatevers at the healthy food store, they often look and feel like crumbly messes.

My solution was to mix in some mango jam, another recent gift (gift yourself some here). Mangos and macadamias naturally go together like muffins and brunch. The jam adds the right level of moistness (that is such a weird word) and sweetness, so you don’t have to add a ton of sugar, making these muffs a healthy mid-morning snack and perfect segue into your tropical daydreams.

Sorry, peanut butter.

PS. I’m off to Ecuador for the next 8 days (I know, random, but awesome), so there won’t be any posts next week, but stay  tuned for all the cool new eats when I get back – it’ll be a series of Vacation E.A.T.s!!

Mango Macadamia Nut Butter Muffins

1 1/3 cup all-purpose flour
2/3 cup oats
1/2 cup macadamia nut butter
2 eggs
1/4 cup honey
1/4 cup mango jam
1 Tbsp flax seeds
1/4 tsp salt

• Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Grease a 12-cup muffin tin or line with cupcake liners.
• In a large bowl, whisk together nut butter, eggs, and honey. In another bowl, combine the flour, oats, flax seeds, and salt.
• Add dry mixture to wet and stir until just combined. Add in mango jam and gently swirl together. Pour evenly into muffin tins, filling each about 3/4 of the way. Bake for 20 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean. Serve warm or at room temperature.