"All That" Muffins

Why would these be called "All That" Muffins, you may ask?  Because these amazing muffins are "all that" a muffin should be...hearty, filling, healthy, moist, tasty, and simple...with just the right amount of fruit, chocolate, and nuts...sound too good to be true?  I thought so too, when my Grandma Sass gave me the recipe just a few minutes ago!  It all started this morning when we were talking on the phone:  she was telling me of this new muffin recipe she had tried, that she was getting rave reviews about...no one could just eat 1...everyone was having multiples!  She generously agree to send me the recipe, and as soon as she did, I practically ran to the kitchen, knowing I didn't have the dried cranberries that the recipe originally called for...but not wanting to have to wait to make them!  I improvised, naturally, and this is what I came up with...I had to force myself to stop eating them!

Preheat oven to 325

In a food processor combine:

1 c. (packed) Medjool Dates (Grandma Sass actually used 1/2 c. Agave...so if you had that, you could do that instead...she said you could add a little more Agave too if you wanted them sweeter)
1 1/2 c. oats (I didn't have the regular oats that the original recipe called for, so I used barley flakes instead...looks just like oatmeal, but made from barley)
2/3 c. unsweetened almond milk
1/2 c. water
1/2 t. sea salt
3 T. unsweetened applesauce (you could use 3 T. oil instead...but I didn't have any on hand, and I knew that I wanted chocolate chips in them, so I lowered the fat content here!)

-Process until the dates are no longer chunky.  (Side note:  if you're not using the dates, there's no need to use a food processor, you can just combine everything together!)

-Add:

2 T. egg replacer + 4 T. unsweetened almond milk
2 t. baking soda
1 1/2 c. whole wheat flour (King Arthurs is the best in my opinion...unless you go to a health food store and get the stuff that's in bulk, freshly ground!)
1/2 c. dried goji berries (this is where I had to get creative, because the recipe actually calls for crasins...which I don't use because they're loaded with additional sugar...and I didn't have any non-sweetened dried cranberries...AND I don't like raisins...so...these goji berries are all I had, but they're SUPER high in antioxidants, and they're a super food...so win win!)
1/2 c. Ghiradellis semi-sweet chocolate chips (the recipe ACTUALLY did not call for these, rather, it recommended a full cup of dried fruit...but I love chocolate...so...)
1 c. chopped walnuts

-Mix all together.  This is going to be a super thick batter...so thick you may wonder how on Earth it will ever bake...but don't fret...it does...beautifully!

-Spray 12 muffin cups and fill them up...these won't do much rising, so the amount that you fill them, is pretty much the way they're gonna look when they come out!

-Bake for 25 minutes, or until an inserted toothpick comes out clean!

-Note:  I actually made some mini muffins for my kids...these make GREAT snacks because they're loaded with fiber, and void of added sugars (except for the choc. chips I suppose!)  You'll have to cut your kids off...and then, to avoid being hypocritical, you'll have to cut yourself off too!  For the minis, I baked them for 20 mins, but check them at 15 to see if they might be done!

-You know the saying, "Mother knows best"?  Well that's because Grandma taught her everything she knows!!  Thanks for the recipe Grandma Sass...we LOVE it!!