Blueberry Banana Muffins made a little healthier
Blueberries are in season in July in most of the Northeast but they can be enjoyed year round frozen. They make an excellent addition to breakfast. Blueberries are excellent in smoothies and with yogurt but really shine in baked goodies. Unfortunately most muffins are also loaded with sugar and fat. This recipe is not, with less sugar, reduced fat, lots of fiber and a ton of taste. Very ripe bananas add a ton of sweetness and moisture so the small amount of added sugar goes a long way. Butter (along with fat a calories) is reduced by replacing some with unsweetened applesauce. Whole wheat pastry flour adds fiber without affecting the texture or taste. The streusel normally found on these muffins is eliminated and replaced with just a sprinkling of raw sugar. Don’t be intimidated by the changes. Try this simple, quick and healthy recipe for Blueberry Banana Muffins with either fresh or frozen blueberries.
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 cups whole wheat pastry flour
- 1 tsp baking soda
- 1 tsp baking powder
- 3 very ripe bananas
- ¼ cup white sugar
- 1 large egg
- 2 tbs. butter, melted
- 4 tbs. unsweetened apple sauce
- 1 cup blueberries (fresh or frozen)
- 2 tbs. raw sugar for sprinkling
Directions
Preheat oven to 370F. Spray muffin tin tray (with 12 spaces) with non-stick spray (you can use paper muffin cups as well).
In a large bowl combine flour, baking soda and baking powder. Set aside.
In a medium bowl, mash ripe bananas, add sugar, egg, melted butter and applesauce and mix with a fork until combined and “smooth”. Some smaller pieces of banana are ok but if you used very ripe bananas the mixture will be fairly smooth.
Add wet ingredients to dry and mix until combined. You can use the paddle attachment of a stand mixer or mix by hand with a wooden spoon or spatula. Do not overmix. You want to make sure the dry ingredients get wet but do not mix so much the mixture is smooth. Overmixing will result in tough muffins.
Add blueberries to the mix and stir gently to disperse them.
Scoop about ¼ cup of batter into greased muffin cups. Sprinkle with raw or crystalized sugar. Bake for 18-20 minutes. Muffins are done when toothpick inserted in the middle comes out mostly clean (some crumbs are ok, wet batter is not).
Let cool in tins for 5 minutes before removing to wire racks. Enjoy warm but wait long enough to avoid burning yourself with hot blueberry juice.
Notes for making Blueberry Banana Muffins great
If you do not have whole wheal pastry flour on hand you can use 3/4 cup all purpose flour and 3/4 cup whole wheat flour. Whole wheat pastry flour is finely milled from soft whole wheat, perfect for achieving a light texture while adding lots of fiber to the recipe. Regular whole wheat flour is usually made from hard wheat and can result in a more dense muffin texture. Using a half and half combination increases the fiber without sacrificing texture and taste.
Make sure bananas are very ripe with lots of brown spots on the skin. If you have more ripe bananas than you can use in this recipe, freeze them for future use in baked goods or smoothies.
Do not thaw frozen blueberries. Frozen blueberries may “stain” batter blue because some juice may be frozen on outside of berries. The same is true if you stir too hard (or use the paddle attachment of your mixer to mix in blueberries) and break apart the berries. The muffins will still taste great but they will be darker and you will not get as many “pockets” of whole baked berries.
I find that I “eyeball” the blueberry measurement and always put in more than the actual cup. I think closer to 1 ½ cups is the norm in my kitchen. You get lots of blueberry “pockets” but the muffins are more delicate (as in they break apart easily if you try to move them and eat them while warm) so make sure to give them extra time to cool before eating. Extra cooling time is not usually an option in our house so we deal as best as we can by eating “broken ones”.
These muffins will keep in a tightly closed container in the fridge for a couple of days (although they rarely last that long in our house). To reheat put in oven (or table top oven) at 350F for about 4-5 minutes to warm and crisp up outside before enjoying. I do not recommend a regular toaster oven as I find the top of the muffins is too close to the elements and tends to burn before center is heated through.
Learn more about eating healthier
Eating healthy and delicious food does not have to take hours or special skills. Comfort food can be healthy and affordable. There are many ways to marry food budgets, taste preferences, health goals and time constraints and still enjoy good food. My programs help you discover ways that you can seamlessly fit them together into your unique situation. Check out the currently available programs and deals on the Programs and Services tab. You can also preview course content and register on my online school dashboard.