I have the fondest memories of baking in the kitchen with my mother. She has always been the most patient person I know and was never scared of a little mess, making it a great learning environment.

Last week, I got to bake in the kitchen with my son, and every time I get to do this it is a total dream come true and a TOTAL MESS! Haha!

We decided to make some banana muffins because we had some ripe bananas at home, but I wanted to find a recipe that didn’t have any refined sugar; a “healthier” recipe.

Also, just FYI, I decided to use a gluten-free flour for these muffins and it made them very dense, probably not the best recipe to just use GF flour with. Ford still liked them though, so we were happy!

Begin by getting all your ingredients out, always a great first step. I can’t tell you how many times I have started a recipe and then had to stop in the middle due to lacking an ingredient. Total baking kill. Get it? Like Buzzkill? Ha. Okay.

Preheat the over to 375 and combine all the dry ingredients in a large bowl.

In a separate medium sized bowl, whisk together the other ingredients: bananas, applesauce, honey, oil, milk and vanilla. I always blend my bananas up first so there are no chunks and I used coconut oil and almond milk, which I routinely switch out for any type of oil and milk, respectively.

Add the wet ingredients to the dry, and stir to combine. I used a regular muffin pan and it made 12 muffins, but they were on the large side; it easily could have made 18 medium ones.

Enjoy! Maybe even try it out with your little ones!

Healthy Banana Muffins

Ingredients:

• 2 cups whole wheat flour
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 2 teaspoons flaxseeds (optional)
• 2 bananas, peeled and mashed (or blended)
• 1/2 cup applesauce
• 1/2 cup honey or organic agave
• 1/4 cup olive oil (or coconut oil)
• 1/4 cup milk (of your choice, I used almond milk)
• 2 teaspoons vanilla

Instructions:

1. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.
2. In a large mixing bowl, combine all the dry ingredients.
3. In a separate medium-sized mixing bowl, whisk together the bananas, applesauce, honey, oil, milk and vanilla.
4. Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients and stir to combine.
5. Fill lightly greased muffin pan with about 1/4 cup mixture. Bake for 15-20 minutes or until the tops have browned. The inside will be moist.

This recipe serve 12.

Prep time: 15mins, Cook time: 20mins, Total time: 35mins