If you read through my recipes, you've probably come across me saying something like, "My kids loved this!" or "My son actually ate this without hesitation." But if any of the other recipes I've made were on the thrown before, these Banana Oatmeal Chip Muffins are the new queen bee of my kids' tummies. Actually, I love them, too. They really do taste so good, but they're also lower in sugar, gluten free and dairy free.
I think it's always important to try to cut back on sugar wherever possible. If you're ever made a recipe that's a garden variety cookie, for example, it probably wouldn't hurt to reduce the amount of sugar by a few tablespoons.
Most of us are so desensitized to sugar. Sweet food isn't always sweet enough, so we add more. Foods like apple sauce, dried cranberries, fruit juice and especially yogurt all sounds great and healthy - but most contain added sugars.
One of the hardest things for a person to do if they want to start eating healthier is to cut out added sugar. But when you do for a period of time, your taste buds have a chance to readjust. When you reintroduce the sugary foods that you once ate - you'll notice how sweet they are.
Banana Oatmeal Chip Muffins
I really wanted to make these Banana Oatmeal Chip Muffins without adding traditional sweeteners. I really never add cane sugar, but I'll often add honey or maple syrup. I hit the jackpot with these muffins. The sweetness comes from bananas and unsweetened apple sauce. That's it!
One way to bring the flavor out in the foods you make is to add fat. I hope we're all getting to the point where we understand fat is a really good and important nutrient for our bodies. But we need to make sure we're only adding healthy fats. Not the crappy processed fats found in crappy processed foods.
Each of these muffins has about 12.5 grams of fat. The source of the fat is from eggs, almond flour and coconut oil.
If you're not sensitive or allergic to nuts, start adding almond flour to your shopping list. You won't regret it. It's easy to use and a great alternative to wheat-based flour. I have a ton of recipes that call for almond flour, including: Banana Bread, Chocolate Almond Butter Bars, and the greatest ever homemade thin mint cookies!
Back to Low Sugar
If you want to learn more about sugar, where it is and how much of a problem it really is, please visit Sugar Science. It's such a great resource and a real eye opener when it comes to sugar consumption. If you're one of the millions of Americans who consume 57 pounds a sugar a year, or know people who do (that's the average) - check it out!
The Recipe
Banana Oatmeal Chip Muffins
Yields 12 Muffins
Ingredients
2 1/2 bananas, mashed
2 eggs + 1 egg yolk, lightly whisked
2/3 cup unsweetened apple sauce
1 1/4 cups old fashioned oats
1 1/4 cups almond flour
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp vanilla
1/4 tsp salt
3 tbsp coconut oil, melted
1/2 cup dark chocolate chips (option)
Preparation
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees
- Line or lightly grease a muffin pan
- In a medium bowl, mix together the first three bananas, eggs, apple sauce and vanilla. Set aside.
- In a larger bowl, mix together the oats, almond flour, baking soda and salt.
- Add the ingredients from the medium bowl to the large bowl and mix.
- Add in the melted coconut oil.
- Fold in the chocolate chips as an option.
- Fill each muffin tin just over halfway.
- Bake for 25 minutes, or until the tops of the muffins are golden brown.
Note: The chocolate chips are entirely optional and do add about 4 grams of extra sugar per muffin. While that may not be a lot (about 1 tsp), if you're really trying to reduce sugar, go without. I always think dark chocolate is a nice treat, so I splurged on this recipe with them, but they do taste delicious and sweet without the chocolate added.
