Want a yummy, nutritious snack without feeling bad after? Check out this guilt-free indulgence recipe for ripe banana muffins! These muffins are moist, tasty and full of the comforting smell and taste of ripe bananas. They also have nutrient-filled ingredients that give vitamins, minerals and fiber.
Now let’s learn how to make this guilt-free indulgence!
Benefits of Eating Healthy
A healthy diet can do wonders for your body and wellbeing. It keeps you energized, helps your muscles and metabolism, and nourishes your brain. Plus, it helps you maintain healthy weight and boosts immunity. Eating right also reduces risk of obesity, heart disease, diabetes, and helps digestion.
Baking nutritious goodies, like ripe banana muffins, lets you indulge guilt-free! Here are some key nutrient-rich ingredients that offer great health benefits:
- Ripe Bananas: packed with vitamins, minerals, and fiber.
- Coconut Oil: rich in monounsaturated fats that reduce bad cholesterol.
- Walnuts: high in omega 3 fatty acids to reduce inflammation.
- Honey: natural source of antioxidants, enzymes, and minerals.
- Whole wheat flour: loaded with fiber and protein.
Ingredients
Tantalizing banana muffins! A guilt-free pleasure. Oats, ripe bananas, Greek yogurt, and honey make them nutritious. You can feel good eating these.
The ingredients you need? Here goes! Whip up a batch of healthy treats!
- Oats
- Ripe bananas
- Greek yogurt
- Honey
Ripe Bananas
Bananas are an awesome energy source and have carbs, Vit B6, potassium and fiber. Mashed ripe bananas, and added nuts, seeds and whole-wheat flour, make a yummy, healthy muffin that is sure to please.
Ripe bananas deliver the perfect amount of sweetness for these treats. They also give moisture, making them fluffy and moist. Plus, bananas add texture and flavor.
For baking, use ripe bananas and mash them. This ensures that their light brown color is spread throughout the batter. The riper the banana, the sweeter your muffins will be!
Whole Wheat Flour
Whole wheat flour is made from the entire wheat kernel. It offers the highest nutrition of all flours. It has a nutty flavor and a bit of a granular texture. Studies show it can help lower bad cholesterol, control blood sugar, reduce diabetes + heart disease risk, and increase satiety. It can swap for other flours at a 1:1 ratio. Try using it in muffins or breads like these guilt-free ripe banana muffins!
Coconut Oil
Coconut oil is packed with nutrients and benefits. It’s a great butter replacement in baking recipes. Coconut oil contains medium chain triglycerides (MCTs) made up of fatty acids. These are easily metabolized and give energy, not fat. The MCTs also help the immune system, reduce inflammation and aid digestion. Plus, it has healthy saturated fats which may lower cholesterol, help with weight loss and even protect against cancer.
For this recipe, it adds delicious flavor and makes for a super moist muffin. Yum!
Honey
Honey is a great baking ingredient! It adds sweetness and has antioxidant properties. These help limit bacteria and fungi growth, whilst also improving dishes’ aroma and flavor. This healthier option can be used instead of refined sugars and high fructose corn syrup. Studies show honey has antimicrobial and anti-inflammatory effects, too, which might help with sore throats and colds. Plus, it contains vitamins C, B6, riboflavin and folate as well as minerals like calcium, potassium, iron, magnesium and zinc. So, it adds delightful flavor to muffins, without sacrificing nutrition.
Baking Soda
Baking soda, known as sodium bicarbonate, is a key ingredient in baked goods. It helps them rise and adds texture and flavor. Acidic ingredients like yogurt and applesauce combine with baking soda to create carbon dioxide gas bubbles. This makes the batter expand. But it’s important to remember not to overuse baking soda. Too much can make the finished product taste soapy or metallic.
For this recipe, you will need ½ teaspoon of baking soda.
Salt
Salt is a must-have for recipes. It brings out flavor, sweetness, and helps with baking time and texture. In this banana muffin recipe, table salt (iodized salt or sodium chloride) is used to emphasize the flavors. Salt also binds ingredients together, improving taste, color, and texture. For this recipe, use one teaspoon of table salt to enhance the natural sweetness of ripe bananas and the spices.
Remember, if you’re reducing sodium intake, you can decrease the amount of salt by half or leave it out altogether.
Directions
Healthy, ripe banana muffins, stuffed with nutrient-packed ingredients – they are an easy, delicious, guilt-free treat! Get ready to make a delicious batch with just a few simple steps.
What do you need? Directions follow! Enjoy the flavor and nutrition of these muffins.
Preheat oven
Before baking yum banana muffins, preheat the oven to 350°F (177°C). This helps to make sure they bake evenly and they have a golden finish. Prep two or three 12-cup muffin tins with nonstick cooking spray or oil and flour. When the oven is ready, you can start baking!
Mash bananas
Grab two cups of unpeeled, ripe bananas. Place in a medium bowl and mash! Use a potato masher or a fork to ensure no large chunks are left. For a finer texture, blend the mashed bananas in a blender or food processor. But be careful not to over-mix! This will give you around 1 and 1/2 cups of mashed banana.
Mix wet ingredients
Grab a medium-sized bowl. Throw in one tablespoon of butter, melted. Add a tablespoon of honey. Crack in an egg. Pour in two tablespoons of coconut oil. Sprinkle in one tablespoon of dark brown sugar. Add a pinch of vanilla extract. Lastly, mix in a mashed banana.
Stir until everything is mixed together and there are no lumps.
Combine dry ingredients
Whisk the oat flour, wheat flour, coconut sugar, ground flaxseed, baking powder and salt together. Securely mix, ensuring all dry ingredients are mixed. If oat/wheat flour isn’t available, use gluten-free flour. Adjust liquid quantity if using other type of flour.
Sift dry ingredients before mixing, to remove lumps and chunks. For smoother batter consistency.
Combine wet and dry ingredients
Gather a large bowl. In it, mix together wet ingredients. In another bowl, mix the dry ingredients. Slowly add the dry ingredients to the wet ones. Stir until the flour is fully incorporated. Leave some lumps, don’t overmix! If you want, add extras like chocolate chips or blueberries. Now, your yummy muffin batter is ready!
Grease muffin tin
Start off by preheating your oven to 375°F (190°C). Grease your muffin tin with either melted butter or coconut oil. Two tablespoons should be enough for 12 standard-sized muffin tins. Spread the grease around the tin with a pastry brush or paper towel. Make sure to coat all the nooks and crannies. This will help your banana muffins come out easily once they’re done baking.
Bake muffins
Preheat oven to 350°F. Grease a 12-cup muffin tin with non-stick cooking spray. In a large bowl, blend 1 1/2 cups flour, 3/4 cup oats, 1 tsp baking soda, and 1/4 tsp salt. Put aside.
In another bowl, combine 1/2 cup brown sugar, 2 mashed bananas, 1/2 cup applesauce, 4 tbsp melted butter (or vegan spread), and 2 tsp vanilla extract until smooth. Add wet mix to dry mix. Mix until combined – don’t over mix. Add optional ingredients like chocolate chips or nuts if desired (1/3 cup each).
Fill each muffin tin almost to the top with the mixture. Sprinkle some oats on top of each muffin before baking for about 20 min, or until a toothpick comes out clean. Cool for 10 minutes in the pan before transferring to a cooling rack. Serve warm with favorite nut butter or cream cheese spread. Enjoy!
Conclusion
Are you wanting some yummy treats, but without feeling guilty? This recipe for ripe banana muffins is perfect for you! You can indulge in the delicious flavour of a freshly-baked muffin, packed with goodness. Feel better, knowing you are making a healthier choice.
How does this recipe compare to other goodies in terms of nutrition and flavour? Let’s find out!
Enjoy Guilt-Free Indulgence
Taste these delicious, moist banana muffins guilt-free! They are filled with vitamins and minerals from nutrient-packed ingredients like whole wheat flour, almond meal, ground flaxseed, organic coconut oil, chia seeds, and ripe bananas.
- Whole wheat flour has dietary fibre for digestion.
- Almond meal contains healthy fats, plant protein and vitamins for reducing cholesterol.
- Ground flaxseed has omega-3 fatty acids and fibre to regulate blood sugar.
- Coconut oil offers medium chain triglycerides with numerous health benefits.
- Chia seeds provide omega-3 fatty acids and antioxidants.
Bananas add moisture and lots of potassium, plus B6 which helps reduce fatigue and stress.
So, go on, enjoy these healthy ripe banana muffins!
