I’ve always had a thing for banana nut muffins, but not until I cut out all highly processed food did I realize that the standard muffin is kind of like a cupcake minus the icing. If you look up muffin recipes online they typically call for white (refined) all-purpose flour and sugar – lots of it. Some recipes call for as much as a cup (or even more) of sugar in a batch of 12 muffins. Some cupcake recipes I found also call for that same amount!
So leaving off the icing and calling it something different means we can eat cupcakes for breakfast? Whose grand idea was that!? Well, thankfully if you use whole-grain flour and a smaller amount of (a more natural) sweetener – muffins can actually be the breakfast food we were all hoping for. Enjoy!
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 cups whole-wheat flour
- 3/4 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 teaspoon baking powder
- 2 eggs
- 1/2 cup butter, melted (1 stick)
- 1/3 cup pure maple syrup
- 2 bananas, very ripe, and peeled (the riper they are the sweeter they'll be)
- 1/2 cup walnuts, chopped (optional)
Instructions
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Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Line a muffin pan with paper or silicone liners and set aside.
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In a large bowl whisk together the flour, baking soda, salt and baking powder. Make a well (hole) in the center of the flour mixture and drop in the eggs, butter, and syrup. Mix with a fork until it just comes together and set aside.
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In a small bowl mash the two bananas together with the back of a fork. Carefully fold the bananas and walnuts (if using) into the muffin batter and distribute evenly into the 12 muffin cups (or 36 mini muffin cups). Bake until they begin to brown on top and a toothpick comes clean when inserted in the center, about 20 to 22 minutes for regular sized muffins or 12 to 14 minutes for mini muffins.
Recipe Notes
We recommend organic ingredients when feasible.
Amy’s Road to the Institute for Integrative Nutrition (+ Recipe)
This recipe is so versatile! You can add pumpkin purée or even applesauce instead of banana. Love this, well my kids do too!
I’ve made these a few times and they are really good! Our favorite version is with frozen blueberries mixed in. I’ve made these egg free with egg replaced and dairy free with coconut oil instead of butter, I’ve also reduced the maple syrup to 1/4 cup and they still taste great!