Whole Grain Banana Nut Muffins

I love muffins! They are the perfect make-ahead breakfast, afternoon snack, or gift for the neighbor. I make some version of them at least once or twice a week. In fact, it's only Tuesday and already I have made 3 dozen muffins this week. Luckily, I also know a lot of people who like muffins as much as I do so I won't be eating them alone.

These Banana Nut Muffins are my new breakfast menu favorite. They are soft and moist, with a sweet mild flavor and a bit of nut crunch. I like to make my muffins big so that just one, with a glass of milk, is plenty filling for breakfast. I also like to add in freshly ground Spelt flour so I can start my day off with whole grain goodness. Spelt keeps the muffins light and fluffy so much better than wheat flour. I hope you'll enjoy them as much as I do!

Whole Grain Banana Nut Muffins

(Printable Recipe)

Ingredients

3 tablespoons canola oil
1 cup unbleached white flour
1 cup spelt flour
⅓ cup maple syrup
½ teaspoon salt
3 teaspoons baking powder
1 egg
¼ cup milk
1 cup mashed banana (about 2 medium bananas)
½ cup chopped pecans, walnuts, or cashews

Directions

Grease each cup of muffin tin and set aside. Preheat oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit.

Combine all of the dry ingredients in a large bowl and mix well. Stir chopped nuts into flour mixture. In a separate bowl, combine milk, egg, syrup, oil, and banana. Beat until smooth. Make a well in the center of the dry ingredients and pour in the wet mixture. Fold wet and dry mixtures together, being careful to not over stir. Batter will be lumpy, not smooth.

For large muffins, fill 9 muffin tin cups almost to the top. For medium muffins, fill 12 muffin tin cups ⅔ full. Bake 20 to 30 minutes, or until muffins are golden and spring back when touched. Cool on wire rack and serve warm.