Double Chocolate Banana Muffins

Makes 12

These muffins are my family’s favourite. They are deliciously moist, full of flavour and fibre.

 Fibre Tip: Each muffin contains 6 g of fibre, which is about 6 times more than a commercial muffin, so don’t go pigging out and eat a half dozen. To put it mildly, you’ll be in for a big surprise about twelve hours later. So just eat one. For little kids – make these in mini muffin tins and serve them one mini or 1/3 of a regular muffin.

Dry Ingredients

1 cup (250 mL) whole wheat flour

¾ cup (175 mL) wheat bran

¾ cup (175 mL) ground flaxseed– see notes below

1/4 cup natural cocoa powder

¼ cup (60 mL) chocolate chips – see note below

2 Tbsp (30 mL) wheat germ

2 Tbsp (30 mL) cinnamon

1 ½ tsp (7 mL) baking powder

1 tsp (5 mL) baking soda

 

Wet Ingredients

1 ½ cups (375 mL) mashed banana, approx. 4-5 really ripe banana

3/4  cup (185 mL) dark brown sugar, packed

½ cup plain yogurt, Greek or regular

¼ cup skim milk, or your favourite milk

1 omega-3 egg

 

1. Preheat the oven to 400F°/200C°. Line a muffin tin with paper cup liners.
2. In a large bowl using a fork or a wire whisk mix together all the dry ingredients: whole wheat flour, wheat bran, flaxseed, chocolate chips, wheat germ, cinnamon, baking powder, and baking soda.
3. In a medium bowl beat together all the wet ingredients: mashed banana, brown sugar, yogurt, milk and egg. The mashed banana really needs to be mixed in well.
4. Pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients and mix until just combined.
5. Scoop into muffin cups and bake for 20 to 25 minutes or until done. Test for doneness: a toothpick inserted into the centre of the muffin comes out clean.

 

Makes – 12

Each muffin contains (depending on what type of yogurt and milk you used): 210 Calories, 5.8 g Total fat, 1.6 g Sat Fat, 0 Trans Fat, 170 mg Sodium, 37 g Carbs, 6 g Fibre, 6 g Protein

 

 Professional Home Economist tips:

 

Ground Flaxseed

Ground flaxseed is a good source of omega-3 fatty acids which help with brain function and act as an anti-inflammatory. Store ground flaxseed in the fridge for up to 3 months.

 

Chocolate Chips

To make this recipe nut free, choose chocolate chis that are labeled free from nuts. The brand that I use is Enjoy Life.

 

Big Cooking Tip

For a moist muffin make sure that the bananas are really ripe.

You want them to look almost all black and be fairly squishy. You can either let your bananas hit this state of ripeness on your counter attracting fruit flies or look in the Markdown Produce Section for some ripe ones; then let them sit on your counter getting even riper.

Freeze any that you won’t be using right away. When it comes time to make these muffins pull out 4-5 of the blackened bananas; tip: freezing really turns them black, thaw them, cut off the tops, and squish them into a measuring cup, which equals perfect intensely banana flavoured mush; albeit slightly gross looking.

 

Professional home economist tip: For a quick breakfast serve the muffin with a piece of fruit and a glass of milk which weighs in with 8 gm protein or soy beverage with 6 gm of protein. Both are higher in protein than the commercial almond beverage which on average only supplies 1 gm of protein per serving.

 

Recipe is from Healthy Starts Here (Whitecap 2011)