Super Healthy Banana Muffins

Plot Once upon a time there was a girl. She really wanted banana muffins. All day long she watched chefs on Sorted Food and Martha's Kitchen make apple fritters, banana breads, pear tarts and churros. Wait!, she thought. Banana! Apple! Cinnamon! Walnuts! BOOM, An inspiration to create a banana muffin recipe was born. Plot twist, that girl is me. --- This is 2020 Rachel reading and updating this blog post. Wow, did 2015 Rachel really have a way with words. For nostalgic purposes, I'm going to keep the old photos but add in my updated ones (yay for growth!)

BUT, a nightmare for any cook, there was no butter, sugar, milk or flour in the house. I wasn't gonna wait till the next day. I needed to smell that warm cinnamon wafting through the kitchen, that crunchy taste of toasted walnuts and pillowy feeling of golden banana goodness. So, what do I do? I find my dad's huge Costco size oats lying in the back pantry, my sister's last drops of almond milk in the fridge and of course, another big tub of my dad's coconut oil. 

Really, the magic formula for any muffins are, some sorta sweetness + starch + milk of some sort + texture + fat. And waddya know, I happened to have all of it. So now all that I had to do was research a bunch of recipes and then create my own. After that day in June 2015, I have been making these muffins almost every other week. obsessed? OBSESSED!

The best part about this recipe is that you don't have to feel bad about it after eating 1....2...5 or the whole batch BECAUSE, if you look at the recipe, this is pretty dang good for you. Still not sure if you should make these? If you say yes to ANY of these questions, then go to your pantry right after you read this post and thank me for blessing you with one of the most glorious creations. So if you...

1. are in a rush almost all the time
2. really love banana bread or apple pie 
3. love the smell of pumpkin pie spice in your kitchen
4. need a filling snack during the day 
5. just simply loves muffins

THEN WHATCHA WAITING FOR....?

Eat two in the morning for breakfast and they'll keep you full for at least a few hours. My sister, Ava, and I always have one in the morning and for snack. SO GOOD. Last thing, this recipe is SUPER versatile. If you don't wanna use oat flour, just use plain flour. coconut oil = butter. almond milk = soy/ dairy milk. honey = sugar. YOU GET THE POINT?!? Ok let me stop talking so you can stop drooling over the sound of these and go make your own! ​

Super Healthy Banana Muffins

Makes 6 muffins
Ingredients: 

• ½ tsp baking powder
• ½ tsp baking soda
• 1 tsp cinnamon
• ¼ tsp salt
• ½ cup almond flour (can sub for oat flour or regular flour)
• ½ cup rolled oats
• 1 egg
• 1 large banana or ½ cup apple sauce
• 2 tbsp maple syrup (can sub for honey or agave)
• 2 tbsp chopped nuts of your choice (optional)
• 1 tbsp chopped dark chocolate (optional)
• 1 tbsp flax seeds, chia seeds or other seeds (optional)

Directions: 
    Preheat your oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Line a cupcake tray with muffin liners. 

    In a small mixing bowl, combine your dry ingredients. Using your fingers or a fork, mix it around and break up any lumps. Add in the banana (or apple sauce if using) and mash it up with the fork. Add in the rest of the ingredients and mix until combined. Fill your muffin liners with the batter (around ¼ to a ⅓ of a cup) until the batter is empty. Depending on the size of your banana and egg, you may have extra batter for 2 more muffins (yay!). Bake for 30 minutes until muffins have puffed up and golden brown. Let cool (or don’t) before eating. These freeze really well and can be reheated for 30 seconds in the microwave - perfect for quick breakfasts.