Healthy Pumpkin Banana Muffins

Healthy Pumpkin Banana Muffins

I have been pretty much ready for fall since the end of August. I have been using the cooler weather as an excuse to slowly start sneaking pumpkins and other fall items into our home. Now it is September- late September even and I feel like I have the green light for any and all autumn related things. And honestly, I am not talking just adding pumpkin spice everything! These muffins have the real deal –pumpkin puree!

Now let’s get into what makes these muffins so special. I feel like they serve two purposes for me. One, I get to use up the spotty overly ripe bananas that we always end up with and two, I get to indulge in some fall baking. I have made these twice now. The first time I used oil (not milk) and maple syrup and the second time I used coconut milk and honey. Both results were very successful and most importantly very tasty. I noticed the batch I made using oil and maple syrup had a denser and more moist texture. While the coconut milk/honey combo yielded a fluffier muffin. With both batches, I found that the muffins tasted their best after sitting in the fridge overnight. The sweetness from the banana really intensifies and gives so much more flavor.

Pumpkin Banana Muffins

Yield: 12 muffins

• 2 cups flour (I use whole wheat white flour by King Arthur - could use oat flour or white flour)
• 1 tsp baking soda
• ¾ tsp baking powder
• ½ tsp each: ginger and pumpkin pie spice
• 1 tsp cinnamon
• 1.5 cups mashed ripe banana (about 3 bananas)
• ½ cup pumpkin puree
• ½ cup maple syrup, honey or agave
• 1/3 cup oil OR milk (any milk! I used coconut!)
• 2 tsp vanilla extract

1. Preheat oven to 350F
2. Mix dry ingredients together in a small bowl. Set aside.
3. Mix wet ingredients (banana, pumpkin, maple syrup/honey, vanilla, oil/milk) together in a large bowl - I use my kitchenaid, but you can definitely do this by hand! 
4. Add dry ingredients to the bowl of wet ingredients and mix well. Scoop into a greased muffin tin - I did a spray of coconut oil. Do not use muffin liners/cupcake cases.
5. Bake for approximately 22 minutes or until a tester inserted in the center of a muffin comes out clean. Remove from the pan onto a cooling rack immediately. 
6. These taste best the next day after the flavors have had time to intensify. These will keep longer in the fridge - or you can freeze them!

I love this recipe so much because it is a healthier treat that you can indulge in and feel good about what you're eating. There are so many variations and it is easily adaptable to what you have on hand! You can try mixing in different ingredients like dark chocolate chips, raisins, pecans, etc. Let me know what kinds of combinations you come up with!

What other "fall" recipes would you like to see?