Coconut Banana Mini Muffins

Whenever I see a pile of ripe bananas the first thing I think of is banana bread.  It’s sort of funny really because it’s not something I eat a lot, but I have some vivid memories of my mom’s homemade banana bread growing up.

But now that I’ve given up gluten and am trying to cut back on my sugar, I wasn’t sure what to do with the pile of over ripe bananas on my counter.  Until I realized there was no reason I could still have banana bread.  There were lots of recipes online but they all had ingredients I didn’t have.  So  in typical Janel fashion I went into the kitchen, took out a pile of ingredients and set them all out on my kitchen island.  I then proceeded to create this recipe 100% from scratch.

I ended up making mini muffins instead of a loaf just because it was hot and I wanted to cook them in my toaster oven.

I expected the measurements to possibly need some tweaking since I didn’t base it off anything, but amazingly they came out perfect the first time.  My grandma who doesn’t like gluten free or low sugar foods ate 5 of these mini muffins.  In fact my husband, who usually wont try my creations, even though they were yummy!

You don't need to be gluten free to try these amazing little muffins.  They're lower in carbs than traditional muffins would be, they're free of refined sugar, high in fiber, and full of delicious flavor.  Seriously, you've got to try these yummy little muffins!

Ingredients:

1/2 cup almond meal

2 TBS ground flax meal

3 TBS unsweetened, finely flaked coconut

1 tsp. cinnamon

1 tsp. baking powder

2 medium ripe bananas, mashed

2 eggs

1 TBS coconut oil, melted

15 drops liquid stevia

1.  In a medium bowl combine banana, liquid stevia, egg and melted coconut.  Mix very well.

2.  In a separate bowl combine all dry ingredients.  Add dry ingredient to wet ingredients and mix until thoroughly combined.

3.  Spoon into a mini muffin pan.  These are going to have a tendency to stick so I suggest coating the pan well, or using mini muffin liners.  Either will work.

4.  Bake at 400 degrees for 15-18minutes until browned on top.  These taste better just a tad over done as opposed to under done.

5.  Let cool and enjoy!

Recipe: Gluten Free Cinnmon Pecan Oat Bran Muffins

This recipe was inspired by another oat bran recipe I saw, but as is typical for me I had to change it around to suit my own tastes.

Cinnamon Pecan Oat Bran Muffins

Dry Ingredients:

• 1 3/4 cups oat bran
• 1/4 cup ground flax
• 2 TBS Shelled Hemp Seeds
• 1/4 cup chopped pecans
• 2 TBS ground cinnamon
• 2 tsp. baking powder
• dash of salt

Wet Ingredients:

• 1 whole egg
• 2 TBS light agave syrup
• 1/2 tsp. liquid stevia
• 1/2 cup unsweetened applesauce
•  1 cup unsweetened almond milk

Combine all dry ingredients.  Then add in all liquid ingredients.  Mix well.  Bake at 400 degrees for 20-25 minutes.

Makes 12 muffins.

Calories - 92

Carbs - 16

Fat - 5

Protein - 4

These muffins are incredibly delicious.  The pecans and hemp seeds make them nutty, while the stevia and agave give them a light sweetness.  They are dense without being heavy and make a delicious snack or breakfast with a piece of fruit.

I definitely encourage you all to give them a try!

Adventures in Gluten Free Baking - Fruit & Nut Muffins

I took a shot at my first batch of gluten free goodies today and they came out great!

Gluten Free Fruit & Nut Muffins

1 1/4 cup Pamelas Gluten Free Baking Mix (I'm sure you could use another brand or even adapt this using non-gluten free baking mix if you want, but I haven't tried that myself)
1/4 cup Organic Light Brown Sugar
2 TBS Organic Ground flax
1/2 cup raisins
1/4 cup pecans, chopped
1 large egg
1/2 cup water
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon

Combine all ingredients in large baking bowl.


I used one of those nifty BabyCake Cupcake Makers so it made 12 small muffins that baked in about 8 - 10 minutes.  Definitely keep an eye on them though because they can burn quickly.

I definitely suggest trying these muffins!  They're nutty, dense and not too sweet.  Yummy for anyone!