Living in Oklahoma, I’m constantly surrounded by my biggest food temptations and guilty pleasures. Greasy hamburgers, chicken fried steak, fried pies, biscuits and gravy… the comfort food is endless. Since my 30s are only a mere couple of years away, I’m trying to make a conscious effort to eat better to, hopefully (fingers crossed!), slow down the effects of aging. My body’s already telling me that it’s not invinsible anymore and can’t handle quite as much as my 21-year-old self did (i.e. all nighters and binge-eating Hot Cheetos and Ben & Jerry’s).
Last weekend, a bunch of overripe organic bananas stared me in the face, begging to be turn into a sweet creation. Instead of whipping up my usual banana muffin recipe (as I typically would with these overripe bananas), I rallied up my five year old and we concocted a healthy version together… and they’re good!
Instead of sugar, we sweetened them with organic maple syrup and we subbed butter and oil for organic coconut oil and opted for a mix of whole wheat flour and oats instead of white flour. For a little more texture (and in place of the typical streusel), these muffins are topped with toasted coconut and cinnamon. The verdict? A super moist, slightly sweet banana muffin with great texture. I won’t pretend that they are as indulgent as my usual banana muffins, but they are good nonetheless—especially for being full of good-for-you ingredients! They were so good, in fact, that they’re already all gone!
Here’s the recipe:
- 1 Tbsp + 2 tsp chia seeds
- 1 organic egg
- 1/4 cup + 2 Tbsp organic coconut oil, melted
- 1/3 cup organic maple syrup
- 3 very ripe organic bananas, mashed with a fork
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 2 tsp baking powder
- 1 tsp baking soda
- 1/2 tsp kosher salt
- 1 tsp (heaping) ground cinnamon
- 1/4 tsp ground nutmeg
- 1/4 tsp ground ginger
- 1/2 cup unsweetened applesauce
- 1 cup whole wheat flour
- 1 cup oats
- 1 cup unsweetened coconut flakes
- 2 Tbsp organic maple syrup
- 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
- Preheat the oven to 375 F.
- Mix the chia seeds in 1/4 cup water and let sit for 5 minutes to absorb and become jelly-like.
- In a medium sized bowl, stir together the oats, whole wheat flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Set aside.
- In a large bowl, stir together the melted coconut oil, maple syrup, the egg and the mashed bananas. Add in the chia seed mixture and the vanilla and mix well.
- Add in the cinnamon, nutmeg and ginger and give it a good stir.
- Fold in the oat/flour mixture into the wet ingredients until fully incorporated.
- Line a muffin tin with paper liners. Fill each tin almost all the way to the top.
- Toss together the coconut, remaining maple syrup and cinnamon. Pile/sprinkle generously over each tin of muffin batter.
- Bake for 20 minutes or until a toothpick comes clean when tested in the center.
You know I’m absolutely addicted to chia seeds right now. I add them everywhere! It looks like Molly enjoys being a little helper.
This looks like a delicious and healthy recipe :) I’m going to make them x
These look delicious! I’ve never used Chia seeds, but I’ll be looking into them for this.
I love healthy snack ideas, so thank you for sharing this recipe! I will try it soon and see how my son enjoys them!
This sounds really good!!!! I would not use the coconut flakes but it would still be good without it!
These look so good! I”ll have to substitute something for the coconut oil and try it out!
These look incredible! I can’t wait to try the recipe. Thanks for sharing.
I just picked up a bag of Chia seeds from the store this morning. I want to try your recipe. The muffins look so yummy.
These look yummy! I have never baked with chic seeds before. I do use them in my overnight oats and really like them in that. I will have to give this recipe a try.
This looks delicious… and healthy too!! Score!!
I love using chia seeds! These look amazing!
I frequently use coconut oil in place of vegetable shortening in baking. It works great and I feel a lot better about not having those additional trans-fats in my food without sacrificing the textural benefits.
One these muffins sound so yummy!!! I’m coconut obsessed so I will have to give these a try!
oh my these sound right up my alley as I love everything in them! I am going to have to save this to try them!
These look AMAZING! I love the clean ingredients, and that topping just looks so crunchy and perfect! I will be making these with the kids tomorrow!
Oh how incredibly yummy! I love that they are healthy too perfect for the family!
These look delicious! I love the coconut and chia!
These sound really good & sweet in a good way! Thanks!
These look absolutely amazing! I definitely need to try them out!
These look so good! I want them now!
Great post! I don’t like coconut too much but maybe with this recipe I could gie it a try. Looks yummy! :)