Healthy Banana Bread Muffins Recipe with coconut flakes and carob chips – healthy treat without sacrificing the flavour or moisture. I basically have transformed my Easy Whole Wheat Banana Bread into muffins with slight modifications, of course.:)
The trick was to reduce sugar amount while still ending up with moist muffins. They turned out well. I like the crunch from coconut flakes and bursts of natural sweetness from carob chips.
Carob chips are healthier version of chocolate chips. They look the same but taste a bit differently. Carob and chocolate both come from trees.
Chocolate is usually processed with harsh chemicals and is also caffeinated and very bitter. So it requires sweeteners to make it palatable. Carob is caffeine-free and contains a lot of natural sugars, which reduces the amount of added sugar to it. Carob contains about 60% fewer calories than chocolate, because it is lower in fat.
I buy mine in a bulk section of my grocery store. I’m sure you can find them in natural and organic aisles too.
As for the coconut flakes, I always buy organic and unsulphured. I try to buy all my dried fruits unsulphured. They taste better and have less to none additives and chemicals, which I strongly believe lead to cancer etc.
So, going back to my muffins.:) Great for breakfast and snack. Well, 2 or 3 of them might replace dinner too.:)
Ingredients
- 1 cup applesauce, unsweetened
- 1 ripe large banana, mashed
- 1/2 cup egg whites, lightly beaten
- 2 tsp pure vanilla extract
- 2 tbsp coconut oil, melted
- 3 tbsp almond milk, unsweetened (vanilla or plain)
- 1/2 cup all-purpose white flour
- 1/2 cup brown or raw sugar
- 1/2 cup wheat bran
- 1/4 cup carob chips
- 1/4 cup coconut flakes, unsweetened
- 1/2 tsp baking soda
- 3/4 tsp baking powder
- 1 cup whole wheat flour, sifted
Directions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
- Add all wet ingredients except coconut oil in a bowl and mix to combine.
- Combine all dry ingredients except whole wheat flour in another bowl and mix.
- Add wet ingredients to the bowl with dry ingredients and mix gently, just enough to combine. Add coconut oil. Do not over mix! Sift whole wheat flour into this bowl and again mix gently, just enough to combine, do not over mix! If you mix too long, the gluten will start forming and muffins will not rise well.
- Spray regular 12 muffin tin with cooking spray. Pour mixture into muffin pan, filling each cup two-thirds full.
- Bake for 25 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into center of muffin comes out clean.
- Store in an air tight container to prevent muffins from drying out.
Nutritional Info
Servings Per Recipe: 12
Amount Per 1 muffin:
Calories: 166.8
Total Fat: 7.0 g
Cholesterol: 0.0 mg
Sodium: 304.7 mg
Total Carbs: 26.8 g
Sugars: 12.7 g
Dietary Fiber: 3.7 g
Protein: 4.0 g
Weight Watchers Points +: 5
Weight Watchers Points: 3