Banana-Nut Spice Muffins

Don’t you just love the week of Thanksgiving? I really do. Well, it’s been another minute since my last post.  This recipe was made, photographed and waiting patiently to become a post back in September. Life happened and I was prevented  from sharing these muffins but now that Thanksgiving is upon us and you may have house guest soon, let me grace your eyes with a breakfast ready/freezer friendly treat. This time of year we are bombarded with obvious fall flavors.  I’m not one to get tired of pumpkin or apple treats, but I know people who do. Or perhaps you just aren’t interested in sugar overloads this early in the game. Since variety is the spice of life, we’re bringing back bananas and spice this week!

A little spice gives a nod to the fall season while a sweet banana flavor shines. These are my rendition of a delicious cafe style treat without loads of sugar or white flour. These muffins taste fantastic fresh from the oven or deliciously warmed again for a quick breakfast. Great news is that they can be frozen for a few weeks so we can pretend like we do have freshly baked goods each morning. Whole wheat, oats and a sprinkling of walnuts makes these a bit heartier and more nutritious. Feel free to omit the walnuts if they aren’t your style but the oats are irreplaceable. Oats help these muffins puff up into golden little beauties. Delish!

If you are careful to fill the muffin tins to the top, these muffins plump up and are pretty enough to gift to a friend or serve to your house guests. Because you can freeze them, you could whip up a batch soon and freeze until you need them during the weekend. They’ll keep you fueled while you prepare your feast and enjoy your family and friends. I hope you have a beautiful Thanksgiving! Enjoy!

Banana-Nut Spice Muffins

1 ¼ cups Mashed Banana
1/3 cup Grape Seed Oil
¼ cup Maple Syrup
1/3 cup Coconut Sugar
2 Large Eggs
½ teaspoon Baking Soda
1 ½ teaspoon Double Acting Baking Powder
1 teaspoon Vanilla Extract
½ teaspoon Sea Salt
½ teaspoon Cinnamon + 1/8 teaspoon Nutmeg
1 ½ cups White Whole Wheat Flour
1/3 cup Oats + 2 Tablespoons for tops
4- 5 Tablespoons chopped Walnuts, to taste
Optional: 1 Tablespoon of Maple Sugar, Coconut Sugar or Raw Turbinado for sprinkling over tops + extra cinnamon

Directions:
Prepare 10 muffin liners by placing in a muffin sheet and lightly spraying with oil.  In a mixing bowl, combine the bananas, oil, maple syrup, coconut sugar and eggs. Mix in the baking agents, vanilla, salt and spice. Add in the flour, oats and walnuts together, mixing until just combined. Pour the batter in the prepared baking sheet and sprinkle with the extra sugar if desired. Bake at 425 degrees for 5 minutes, turn down heat to 375 and bake for an additional 10-13 minutes. The tips should be cracked and golden when done. Store in an airtight container.