I love baking muffins. I always have to have at least one kind of muffin in the freezer. You know, because they are a great go-to snack, a perfect oops-I-forgot-my-breakfast treat, and an easy addition to a not-big-enough packed lunch. I sometimes even make savory muffins…an extra special treat. My favorite are blueberry muffins, but with blueberries out of season and all, and those bananas hanging on my makeshift banana tree turning browner by the minute, I just knew I would have to make muffins with them (instead of this or this or this).Hey, you would think we would have more muffin recipes since I always have some in my freezer. I have to start blogging all my favorite recipes. Really, how rude of me. But back to these muffins. I decided to make them as healthy as possible, and then add some chocolate chips. Because really, chocolate and banana go so well together I just had to. You can use only walnuts if you want. Protein boost and omega-3s! Even healthier. I opted to use all whole wheat pastry flour. If you don’t like that “whole wheat” taste, swap out for some all purpose. The texture really won’t change, the color will likely be lighter. Don’t put only white flour, though. That defeats the purpose of this super-healthy muffins. Or do what you want. They’re YOUR muffins.
And now for some super mushy pictures. They don’t look so great while mixing the batter, but they taste delicious. Try them. Really.
Healthy Banana Muffins, loosely adapted from a bunch of sources, but mostly from here because I love Elise’s muffins and always make this recipe.
Makes 16 muffins (because, as you see, I don’t fill them up that much. I guess you could make 12 if you filled up the tins a little bit more than I do)
Ingredients:
- 4 ripe bananas, smashed
- 1/3 cup oil
- 1/2 cup sugar (I used white. These would be equally delicious with brown)
- 1 egg, beaten
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- Pinch of salt
- 1 1/2 cup whole wheat pastry flour
- 1 cup chocolate chips
- 1 cup chopped walnuts, optional
Directions:
1. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.
2. Smash the bananas in a large bowl (of course I used my mixer because I love it).
3. Add the sugar and mix.
4. Add the oil, vanilla, and egg and mix until just combined.
5. Mix the baking soda, salt, and flour together.
6. Slowly incorporate into the wet mixture.
7. Fold in nuts and/or chocolate chips.
8. Scoop batter into greased or papered muffin tins.
9. Bake for 20-25 minutes, until they turn a super golden brown and a toothpick or knife comes out clean.
