Cinnamon Olive Oil Banana Muffins

It's me with a muffin recipe. AGAIN. But hear me out!  I had two lonely, and very ripe bananas sitting on the counter and instead of wasting them, I decided to mix up a quick batch of breakfast muffins. These came as a surprise this morning and both of my kids LOVED them. I like that they're not super sweet, especially because I can't have Will thinking we eat cupcakes for breakfast.

I'm not one for winging it while baking, but I did here and the result was excellent, which is why I'm sharing it with all of you. I pulled a few of my favorite muffin recipes, mixed the ingredients in one bowl (with my almost 4 year old assistant) and crossed my fingers when they went into the oven. You almost can never go wrong with banana baked goods! 

These muffins sound fancy with the olive oil in them and all but let's be honest here, I'm sure that unsalted butter or coconut oil would work just as well. Olive oil totally makes the recipe sound better but in all honesty, I find myself using olive oil in my baking a lot. No melting necessary and hello! Good fats. The result is a semi nutty, slightly sweet breakfast treat that you can feel good about giving your kids. I'm really into using honey or maple syrup as natural sweeteners when I bake for my little ones to keep everything free of refined sugar. The best part about this recipe? Everything can be mixed in ONE BOWL! These muffins are an all around win! I love these with fruit for an easy breakfast for Will and Kate. I also think they would be a great pre-workout snack! Enjoy!

Cinnamon Olive Oil Banana Muffins

1/4 cup olive oil
1 cup mashed banana (about 2-3 medium bananas)
14 cup honey or maple syrup
1/4 cup almond milk
2 eggs
1 tsp. vanilla
1.5 cups white whole wheat flour
2 tsp. cinnamon, plus more for sprinkling
1 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. salt

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line a muffin tin with liners or spray with cooking spray.

In a large mixing bowl, combine olive oil, banana, honey, almond milk, eggs and vanilla. Mix until combined. Add in dry ingredients (flour, cinnamon, baking soda and salt). Mix until everything is incorporated and you have a nice thick muffin batter. Fill liners with batter a little over 3/4 way full. 

Bake for 16-18 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out clean. Cool for 5 minutes. 

Whole Wheat Double Chocolate Banana Muffins

Starting this Monday morning early with a giant cup of coffee and these muffins! Who doesn't want Chocolate for breakfast? And because the 3pm snack break is almost always inevitable, these also make the perfect mid-afternoon sweet treat.

Whole wheat flour makes these feel a little less guilty for me and with agave in place of refined white sugar, I'm calling these healthy-ish. Surprisingly, the coconut oil doesn't hide in this recipe and gives these muffins a little nutty kick. Using super ripe bananas take these muffins from great to best ever. I love them and so did the tiny humans in this house. 

Whole Wheat Double Chocolate Banana Muffins

recipe from Sally's Baking Addiction

3 very ripe bananas

1/3 cup organic blue agave 

2 large egg, at room temp

1/4 cup coconut oil, melted

1 tsp. pure vanilla extract

1 cup whole wheat flour

1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder

1 tsp. baking soda

1 tsp. baking powder

1/2 tsp. salt

1 cup dark chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Prepare a muffin tin with liners. (these silicone liners are my FAVORITE and I don't know how I ever lived without them)

In a medium bowl, mash the bananas up with a fork. Mash them well! Once they are nice and smooth, whisk in the agave, egg, coconut oil and vanilla until combined.

In a large bowl, mix together the flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, baking soda and salt together until combined. Pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients and whisk until everything is combined. Fold in the chocolate chips. 

Spoon the batter into the liners, filling them all the way to the top. Top each one with a few chocolate chips. Bake the muffins for 5 minutes at 425 degrees. Then, keeping the muffins in the oven, reduce the temperature to 350 degrees. Bake for an additional 13-15 minutes, or until a toothpick in the center comes out clean. 

Cool for 10 minutes before removing from the pan. Store in an airtight container in the fridge for up to five days.

Mini Whole Wheat Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Muffins

October is rolling in tomorrow and I will now officially acknowledge pumpkin season. I baked my first pumpkin spiced bites of the season yesterday and to no surprise, they were a huge hit with Will. I don't always have freshly baked treats in my kitchen until Fall arrives and I just can't help myself. GIVE ME ALL THE FALL TREATS. 

I'm convinced that you can really never mess up a recipe made with pumpkin. Almost any pumpkin bread, muffin or cookie tends to stay extra fluffy and never really comes out dry. I have been making these muffins for a few years now and they are still one of my favorites! I lightened up an already healthy recipe even more by swapping in whole wheat flour and omitting some of the sugar. I love that these are bite sized, and perfect for little hands. They are just sweet enough and the mini chocolate chips in every bite make for the perfect toddler treat! 

These mini muffins are totally adult approved, too. 

Mini Whole Wheat Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Muffins

recipe adapted from Skinny Taste

1 1/4 cups whole wheat flour

1/2 cup raw turbinado sugar

3/4 tsp. baking soda

2 tsp. pumpkin pie spice

1/4 tsp. cinnamon

1.5 cups pumpkin puree (not pumpkin pie filling)

2 Tbsp. coconut oil, melted

2 large egg whites

2 tsp. vanilla extract

baking spray

2/3 cup mini chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Prepare mini baking tins with cooking spray or paper liners.

In a medium bowl, sift together flour, sugar, baking soda, pumpkin pie spice and cinnamon. In a large bowl, whisk together pumpkin, coconut oil, egg whites and vanilla until combined. Add the dry mixture to the pumpkin mixture and mix until batter is fully combined. Mix in chocolate chips. 

Pour batter into prepared muffin tin and bake for 22 minutes, or until a cake tester comes out clean. 

Makes 24-28 mini muffins. If you opt for regular sized muffins increase the cooking time to around 25 minutes. 

Banana Spice Greek Yogurt Muffins

I'm having a moment with these muffins and this recipe is too good and easy not to share. I know I have said this a million times over, but I love having healthy muffins on hand. These make the perfect addition to breakfast or a great snack to take on the go. They are also good for pre or post workout! 

The batter is mixed in a food processor, making it super smooth, which is a nice deviation from our usual muffins. Adding in pumpkin pie spice give them a nice festive flavor and mini chocolate chips make for a sweet add in! I also love to use dried blueberries, and have skipped the pumpkin pie spice for lemon zest instead. So tasty! 

Banana Spice Greek Yogurt Muffins

makes 12 muffins

1 cup plain 2% Greek yogurt

1 Tbsp. olive oil

2 ripe bananas

2 eggs

2 cups organic oats

2 tsp. pumpkin pie spice

1/4 cup coconut sugar

1.5 tsp. baking powder

1/2 tsp. baking soda

1/2 cup mini chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Prepare muffin tins with liners and spray with coconut oil or other cooking spray of your choice. 

Combine all ingredients in a food processor, except for the chocolate chips. Pulse until smooth. Fold in chocolate chips and pour batter evenly, about 3/4 full, in muffin cups. Bake for 15-20 minutes.