Skinny Chocolate Peanut Butter Mug Cake

When you are craving a delicious slice of chocolate cake, but don't want the temptation of an entire cake, this Skinny Chocolate Peanut Butter Mug Cake will be your best friend!

There are just some days when you need a chocolate.  I had a couple of those days this week.  Like most of the country, we've been hit by (yet another!) polar vortex, dumping insane amounts of snow and bringing along frigid temperatures.  After being snowed in for 2 days, I was starting to go stir crazy.  So what did I do?  Headed to the kitchen of course!

I really wanted to make a pan of brownies, they were just calling my name!  But since I'm doing my best to eat healthier, and exercise more frequently, to lose this stubborn baby weight, I knew a pan of brownies was the last thing I needed sitting on my kitchen counter!  So when a friend posted a picture of her afternoon snack, a mug cake, on Facebook, I knew that was the solution to my problem.

I modified the recipe to make it skinny.  Though, I should warn you, skinny is still a bit of a misnomer.  This cake clocks in at 362 calories, but most of those come from the coconut oil and peanut butter.  Both are healthy sources of fat and calories.  Compared to most other mug cakes which contain at least twice as many calories, I'd still count this one as skinny!

This cake uses coconut oil as a source of fat, rather than vegetable oil or eggs, which eliminates that rubbery texture.  I will warn you though, if you're looking for an extremely rich and chocolatey cake, this probably isn't for you. It's not terribly sweet, though you could certainly add in more sugar if you wanted.  However, if you are looking for a fairly healthy and delicious way to indulge your chocolate craving without breaking the calorie bank, this cake is for you!

Skinny Chocolate Peanut Butter Mug Cake

Ingredients:
2 Tablespoons whole wheat flour
2 teaspoons cocoa powder
2 teaspoons sugar (can substitute Splenda)
1/4 teaspoon baking powder
dash of salt
1 Tablespoon coconut oil, melted
2 Tablespoons milk
1 teaspoon mini chocolate chips
1 Tablespoon natural peanut butter

1.  In your mug, combine the dry ingredients.

2.  Stir in the coconut oil, milk, and mini chocolate chips.

3.  Scoop the peanut butter on top of the cake batter.

4.  Microwave on high for 60 seconds.  (Since microwaves vary, you may need to experiment with the time, adding or subtracting 5-10 seconds.)

Nutrition facts (as calculated by My Fitness Pal): Calories 362; Fat 24.7 g; Cholesterol 1.9 mg; Sodium 208.3 g; Potassium 177.5 g; Carbs 30.6 g; Fiber 1 g;  Sugar 14 g;  Protein 7.1g