Healthy Blueberry Banana Oat Muffins

Sunday, January 17, 2021

As promised in my last post — which was full of indulgences like brown butter, brown sugar, and the expression of one’s most sentimental feelings — today brings us a whole-grain treat chock-full of wholesome goodness!

I have to admit, and I had my doubts when I first started baking with whole wheat. I had even more doubts the first time I made a recipe with no butter, browned or otherwise, but as with the whole wheat, my fears were for naught. “Healthy” baking — limiting refined sugars, embracing whole grains, using alternative facts to butter — can be just as tasty, delicious, and satisfying as any other kind of cookery!

Believe me; I wouldn’t do it if it weren’t.

Not unlike my favorite bran muffins, I love these muffins for many reasons:

1. They’re delicious and yet make me feel like one of those women doing yoga in yogurt ads. One muffin, and suddenly I think I can pull off a perfect Firefly Pose. (Spoiler alert, I cannot.)
2. They freeze really well! I love to make a batch of muffins, eat one that day (I mean, obviously), keep one on the counter for breakfast the next day (again, does this need to be said?), and toss the rest in the freezer for future enjoyment. I wrap each muffin in cling-wrap then store them all in a gallon-size freezer bag; then, when I want a blueberry hit, I unwrap my little muff and zap it in the microwave for 30 seconds to a minute—bliss on demand.
3. Not only is this recipe quick and easy to pull together, but it’s also comically adaptable. Check out these substitutions:

• Instead of 1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil, you could use: 1/2 cup coconut oil (as the original recipe suggests) or 1/2 cup melted butter (hey, everything in moderation, right?).
• Don’t have honey? I bet you could get away with brown sugar, white sugar, or even maple syrup with delicious results. In fact, I’ll probably try maple syrup next time because of blueberry and maple? Hello, Power Couple of Breakfast Flavors!
• Not blueberry season? Substitute frozen! No need to thaw first. Other berries also welcome!
• No plain, whole milk yogurt on hand? You can use any kind of yogurt — Greek, different fat content, dairy-free — or even sour cream. I would suggest trying to avoid a heavily-flavored yogurt, as they often include more sugar than the plainer varieties. Still, you could also just reduce the total amount of honey a smidge.

Mostly, I just really love muffins.

Healthy Blueberry Banana Oat Muffins (adapted from Elizabeth Lindemann’s delightful Bowl of Delicious)

Note: all weight measurements were taken on my basic kitchen scale, in grams.

Ingredients:

• 1/2 cup (95 g) extra virgin olive oil
• 1/4 cup (80 g) honey
• 2 large eggs
• 2 ripe bananas, mashed (my bananas were on the smaller side and came out to 152 g, without the peel)
• 1/2 cup (130 g) plain, whole milk yogurt
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• Heaping 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
• 1/4 teaspoon ground cardamon
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon fine sea salt
• 1 cup (96 g) old-fashioned oats
• 1 + 1/2 cups (193 g) whole wheat flour
• 1 + 1/2 cups (246 g) blueberries, washed and lovingly patted dry
• 1/2 cup (65 g) toasted walnuts, coarsely chopped (other nuts would probably also be delicious)

Protocol:

1. Preheat oven to 375 F.
2. Prepare a 12-cup muffin pan, either with a little coating of butter and flour, nonstick spray, or muffin liners: dealer’s choice! I prefer the butter and flour method, but only because it’s my ol’ tried-and-true.
3. Add the olive oil and honey to a large mixing bowl and whisk to combine. I like olive oil here not only for the health benefits but because I like the way my fruity olive oil plays with the floral honey in the final product. Don’t go easy on these two — really whisk it up for a minute there, until the olive oil and honey are thoroughly blended.
4. Add the eggs and yogurt. Mix together until very well-combined. At this point, my batter was pale yellow and frothy — quite pleasant to look at, really. I’d paint a wall this color.
5. Add the mashed bananas, vanilla, cinnamon, nutmeg, cardamom, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Mix until well combined.
6. Add the oats and almost all the flour, saving a wee bit of flour for step 7. Stir until just combined.
7. Gently toss your blueberries with the reserved flour — this will ensure the berries are evenly distributed throughout your batter (and your muffins!). Fold the flour-coated berries into the batter, being careful not to over-mix.
8. Evenly distribute your batter between all 12 cups of the prepared muffin pan. They don’t need to be identical, just even enough that they bake at the same time.
9. Bake for 20–25 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.
10. Let cool in the pan for 5–10 minutes, then remove from pan and let cool completely on a wire rack. If the muffins aren’t coming out of the pan readily, run a butter knife around the edge of each to help loosen them. It works like a charm!

Happy snacking! (As you can see from the image below, I took my snack to a quiet little park for a lovely little lunch break. In the words of my new favorite fictional character, I would “10/10” recommend this.)