Healthier Banana Muffins

Healthier Banana Muffins This recipe was inspired by the Starbucks Banana Bread recipe . As promised...a while back, I am now sharing the "healthier version" of the banana bread. I opted to make them into muffins instead, and ended up using some frozen bananas that had been sitting in my freezer. They really needed to be used up. Since we really liked the Starbucks Banana Bread, I immediately thought of making a healthier version. I have been trying to substitute ground oatmeal for some of the white flour in my recipes. I even substituted some of the white flour in my Naan Bread with some oatmeal flour and it was wonderful. I figured some oatmeal flour would go well in this recipe as well. Would the muffins work?... I really did not know. I played around a bit with the ingredients. I added a bit of baking powder to "fluff" them up a bit. I figured that all the heavy whole wheat/oatmeal flour would need some help. I didn't want the muffins to be dense. I also substituted honey for all of the white sugar. I ended up using only 1/2 cup of honey. These muffins weren't very sweet... I thought they were just right. But you might want to add a bit more honey. I also added some almond flavor and some lemon peel. We really liked it that way. Feel free to omit it if you don't like it...and stick with vanilla. You know, this was a great little recipe that I will be making again. I am glad they came out. So this post is for those of you who would like to try a healthier muffin. Hope you enjoy....

You will need:

1 cup whole wheat flour

1 cup ground oatmeal flour( I usually use my Vitamix to grind regular(not instant) oatmeal)

1 tsp baking soda

1/4 tsp baking powder

a pinch of salt

1 tsp lemon peel

1/2 cup honey

1 egg

1/2 cup oil

2 TBS buttermilk

1 tsp almond extract/vanilla

3 ripe bananas, mashed

1/2 cup walnuts/pecans(either or ...or a mixture)

Topping:

1/3 cup chopped walnuts/pecans(either or...or a mixture)

Directions:
Pre-heat the oven to 325.˚
Blend together the flours, baking soda , baking powder, lemon peel and salt. Set aside.

Mix together the egg, honey and oil. Add the flour mixture and when blended add the buttermilk, vanilla and mashed bananas and mix until combined. Fold in 1 ⁄2 cup chopped walnuts/pecans.

Pour batter into prepared paper lined muffin pan. Top batter with remaining 1 ⁄3 cup chopped walnuts.

Bake for 18- 25 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. I forgot to check the time:( Sorry...But, just check it...and keep an eye on it. Cool for 10 minutes on a wire rack before removing from pan.