Friday, March 7, 2008

Whole Wheat Banana Muffins


Not only are these muffins insanely good but they are also insanely good for you! No sugar, white flour, and minimal oils used make this recipe an excellent snack at any hour of the day. We love them for breakfast especially, try them heated slightly with a dollop of vanilla yogurt or peanut butter on top! A great source of fiber, folic acid, and potassium and they are low in fat. My favorite part is that they are so portable that I can give them to the kids on the go with no guilt! These are easy to freeze for later too.


WHOLE WHEAT BANANA MUFFINS

3 1/2 cups whole wheat flour
2 tsp baking soda
1 tsp salt
2 tsp wheat germ
1/2 tsp cinnamon
2 tsp baking powder
1/3 cup unsweetened applesauce
4 oz cream cheese
2 tbsp olive oil
1 cup honey
3 eggs
1 tbsp flax seeds
3 tbsp hot water
2 cups smooshed ripe bananas (3-5 bananas)
1/2 cup hot water

1. Stir together flour, baking soda, salt, and wheat germ.

2. Beat together olive applesauce, cream cheese, honey & baking powder. Then add olive oil.

3. Mix hot water with flax seeds and set aside to allow to dissolve. Meanwhile, beat in eggs one at a time, making sure to combine well before adding the next. After all eggs are in, add flax seeds.

4. Add bananas and mix until combined

5. Add dry ingredients to wet, alternating with hot water; mix well after each addition.

6. Spoon batter into 24 greased muffin cups; bake at 325 degrees for 22-25 minutes, or until muffins are golden brown and test done.

7. Remove from oven and cool on rack.

Try one of the optional variations: 1 tsp vanilla, 1/4 cup peanut butter, 1/4 cup frozen or fresh blueberries, 3/4 cup walnuts or pecans

7 comments:

melanie said...

MMMmmm...yep, i'm gonna have to try these. they sound perfect!
also, great new food blog. i like your header. look forward to more recipes!

Anonymous said...

"beat together olive applesauce", you love her so much she randomly comes out of your typing fingers!!!

i'm really excited for your recipes! i've used your soup one with the lentils 2ce!

Melanie Routhier said...

Sounds yummy! I have been looking for new breakfast alternatives and this seems perfect.

Thanks.

The Peanut Butter Boy said...

Oh my, these are right up my alley. I just made a batch of Cinnamon Raisin Peanut Butter & Peach Bran Muffins you might like, but these looks much simpler.

Nice and healthy, of course I would replace the olive oil with the suggested peanut butter! They'll still come out nice and moist but you may want to increase the applesauce a tad or add some light yogurt. Just perfect! Thanks!

- The Peanut Butter Boy

Olive said...

omg i can't believe i just wrote "olive applesauce"

!!!

sarah - the chicken lentil stew? SO GOOD! the longer the chicken cooks the more it just falls apart and gets delicious!

melanie - these are great for breakfast! i am currently trying to find a LARGE muffin pan, with no avail. my old standby (pampered chef) doesn't have such a product! i really want to make bakery size ones. anyone know of any resources for large muffin pans?

peanut butter boy - you are speaking my husbands language. he has yet to meet anything bread-like that wasnt enhanced by a heaping of peanut butter

Katherine said...

Hi Jenny! I love your food blog (and also your personal blog--I found it when I was pregnant with my daughter a few months before Olive was born. I've loved hearing your stories of her growing up!) Anyway, I just made a batch of these muffins and forgot the olive oil; I realized this just as I was putting them in the oven and I expected them to come out like cardboard. But they were actually still good and pretty moist! I might substitute the 2 tbsp of oil with more applesauce next time and see what happens. Thanks so much for your wonderful recipes!

Olive said...

katherine- i bet they would turn out wonderful with more applesauce!