Caramelized Banana Oat Muffins

I love baking days. When the snow is softly falling and there is a chill in the air, there’s nothing sweeter than spending Sunday afternoon with a great friend whipping up delicious treats.

So, let’s talk about these Caramelized Banana Oat Muffins. After being “pinspired” to include these delectable delights on this week’s Eat for Your Health meal plan, I HAD to make them. Because caramelized bananas. And because muffins.

I’ve caramelized bananas before and they are just all-time. Oat flour, on the other hand, was a new experience. I used rolled oats and ground them into a flour using the most ancient food processor in Brit’s house. But I loved it.

So, flour prepped and whisked. Then came the messy part. Or my favorite part. We made a few substitutions for the wet ingredients to make it a tad healthier. Instead of half and half, we used full fat coconut milk, and instead of butter, we used melted coconut oil.

So the muffins were like a banana coconut paradise.

Next step: add wet to dry. Mix. But not too much. No one likes chewy muffins.

Batter poured and ready for the oven.

Our muffins took approximately 20 agonizingly painful minutes. You know the feeling. When you can’t wait to taste your creation!

Our beautiful muffins were pulled out of the oven, cooled and photographed until our hunger pangs just couldn’t deal anymore.

The verdict: YASSS! So good. Lightly sweet. Nay, naturally sweet. With big chunks of bananas spread throughout to surprise and delight every bite. Soft on the inside. Crispy on the outside. C’est parfait.

It’s your turn! Whip up a batch of these for your friends, family, coworkers, or even just yourself. (We won’t tell anyone if you eat the whole batch.) Post your photos on Twitter and Instagram and use the hashtag #eatforhealth!

[recipe title="Caramelized Banana Oat Muffins" servings="12" time="30-45 min"]

INGREDIENTS

• 4 bananas, peeled and sliced (NOT overly ripe)
• 1 cup oats, pulsed through a food processor until coarse flour forms
• ¼ cup + 2 tablespoons whole wheat flour
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• ½ teaspoon salt
• ¼ teaspoon cinnamon
• ⅛ teaspoon nutmeg
• ½ cup half and half
• ¼ cup Greek yogurt
• 2 eggs
• 5 tablespoons melted butter
• 2-3 tablespoons raw honey or real maple syrup
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

For the topping

• ⅓ cup oats
• 1 tablespoon melted butter
• 1 tablespoon raw honey or real maple syrup

 INSTRUCTIONS

1. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Slice the bananas into rounds. Line a baking sheet with aluminum foil and spray generously with nonstick cooking spray. Place the bananas on the baking sheet and bake for 5-10 minutes, flipping once and removing from the oven when the bananas are deep golden brown on the outside. Transfer to a bowl and mash the bananas with a wooden spoon.

2. Break down the oats in a food processor until a flour-like meal is formed. This should yield a little more than ¾ cup. Combine the oat flour, whole wheat flour, baking powder, salt, cinnamon, and nutmeg in a large bowl. Stir to combine.

3. In a separate bowl, whisk the half and half, Greek yogurt, eggs, melted butter, vanilla, and honey until smooth. Make a well in the dry ingredients and add the wet to the dry. Stir around the bowl just 10 times until the batter is just barely combined (if you stir too much during this step, your muffins are going to have a gummy, chewy consistency). Fold the caramelized bananas into the mixture, stirring just 5 more times.

4. Transfer the batter to a greased 6 or 12 cup muffin tin. Mix the topping ingredients together and spoon over the muffins. Bake for 10-15 minutes, until the muffins are puffed slightly and spring back when you touch the tops.

[/recipe]

XO | britt