Uber Protein Muffins

An update to the Uberfiber Muffins, which weren't uber enough for me:

Now they're Uber Protein Muffins and are getting nutritionally closer to replacing Cliff Bars for my easy-on-the-stomach, high-protein breakfast. This version also fixes the dryness of the previous batches. Updated recipe is below the nutrition comparison. While they have more fat than a Cliff Bar (from the flax seeds and peanut butter), the Uber Protein Muffins have fewer total calories, half as much sugar, half as many carbs, almost as much protein, and exactly the same amount of fiber. I'd like to increase the fiber with either some dried apricots or chopped almonds, which will also bump the protein a bit. If you have any suggestions, please leave me a comment!

Cliff Bar Chocolate Chip Peanut Crunch nutrition facts:

Uber Protein Muffin nutrition facts (made with MyFitnessPal):

Ingredients:

1. 1/4 cup whole flax seeds
2. 3 bananas, peeled
3. 3 eggs
4. 1 1/2 cup chunky peanut butter
5. 3 Tablespoons honey
6. 1 Tablespoon vanilla extract
7. 1 teaspoon baking soda
8. 1 teaspoon ground cardamom
9. 1 teaspoon ground ginger
10. 1 teaspoon kosher salt
11. 3/4 cup oats (either quick-cook or steel-cut will work)
12. 1/4 cup unsweetened applesauce
13. 1/4 cup hemp protein powder (can find this at Trader Joe's)
14. 1/2 mini semi-sweet chocolate chips (dark, if you can find them)

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 400F. Prepare muffin pan by greasing each well with canola oil or using paper liners. 
2. Coarsely grind flax seeds in a blender or spice grinder, just enough to break open the seeds. (No need to completely pulverize.) 
3. Add ground flax seeds and ingredients 2-13 to a stand mixer or large bowl and blend until mixed well. 
4. Add mini chocolate chips and stir (on low if using the stand mixer) to incorporate
5. Fill each muffin well with 1/4-1/3 cup of batter.
6. Bake for 12-15 minutes or until a knife inserted into the center comes out mostly clean (no wet batter, but moist crumbs are ok). Carefully watch the edges so the bottoms don't burn, especially if your muffin pan is on the thinner side. (My thick, expensive pan from Williams and Sonoma didn't have this problem, but the second pan I used did. Note the dark sides on some of the muffins in the photo above.)
7. Makes 18-20 muffins.

I made a couple batches to experiment with ingredients, proportions, and taste. Now that I have so many, I'm experimenting with freezing 3/4 of them to use slowly over the next few weeks. Will let you know how the defrost goes.