Pantry Muffin Top Cookies

We’ve all been there: craving something sweet but lack time, energy or both. You end up standing in the pantry as half-empty boxes and meaningless spices stare back at you. Luckily, these Pantry Muffin Top Cookies are the inspiration you need, using basic items you likely already have sitting on your shelf. This recipe proves you don’t have to splurge on expensive, hard-to-find ingredients to whip up a nutritious and tasty treat.

They truly resemble the goodness of a muffin top, which we all know is the best part, obviously. The secret to their super light, soft texture is the puréed sweet potato, which you can find canned or whip up yourself if you have a little time.

As for the added crunch, I used staples that are always around in my own kitchen. The walnuts and pumpkin seeds add great texture and not to mention tons of healthy Omega-3s and antioxidants. And of course, even when my pantry and fridge are empty, I always seem to have a jar of almond butter ready to go. Any nut butter works well in this recipe and is the perfect dose of creamy goodness.

Personally, I love the sweet and tart addition of the dried currants, but you can easily use raisins, dried cranberries or whatever you love. Plus, the unsweetened coconut flakes provide more great flavor, fiber and texture to these tasty treats.

And finally, I ALWAYS have extra chocolate in my pantry, and what’s a cookie without it? For this recipe, I used Lily’s dark chocolate chips sweetened with Stevia, but any brand you have is just great! Because these muffin tops aren’t overly sweet, biting into a chocolate chunk is just the thing to both round out the cookie and satisfy your sweet tooth.

I found the key to getting these cookies to their muffin top perfection is allowing them to chill briefly before adding in the final ingredients. This way, they also stay moist and perfect for days. Luckily, these cookies are both sweet enough for a nighttime dessert and healthy enough for an on-the-go breakfast.

Best of all, the times of staring into the pantry abyss are no more. Now you can actually thank your pantry for these easy and deliciously healthy goodies!