Grain-free Banana Chocolate Chip Muffins
My daughter M loves her carbs but needs to keep things gluten-free due to a wheat sensitivity. I’m always on the hunt for a good recipe that tastes like a favorite treat but actually is good for her and for the rest of us. The fact that these grain-free banana muffins get some protein into her diet is also awesome!
These grain-free banana muffins are paleo-friendly, too. I do my best to avoid grains myself, and these fit the bill. They are also super filling since they are filled with healthy fat and protein. They fit into an AIP (auto-immune protocol) diet as well.
I’ve scoured the internet to find the best grain-free banana muffin recipe, and I’ve tried a bunch. They’ve all been okay, but none really stand out. This recipe is based on a great one for banana bread that I found at the website Civilized Caveman.
His recipe is yummy as is, but I have changed it up and I think the end result is extra good for pleasing kids while still being healthy. I increased the spices a lot from what he suggested, adding nutmeg and cloves and upping the cinnamon and salt. I added in chocolate chips because, well, now it’s a treat! The kids think they’re eating a dessert instead of realizing all the healthy protein and fats are getting in them to help them grow. My son T doesn’t like bananas, but if you add chocolate he will compromise his principles. As you’ll notice as you read the recipe, I only added a tiny bit of chocolate because I want to keep the sugar level low. Just a hint of chocolate is enough to please the kiddos without turning this healthy snack (or breakfast) into a sugar bomb. This grain-free banana muffin recipe is also flexible – you can choose to add sugar or not, creating your own healthy/yummy balance.
If you’re serving it for breakfast, scramble up some eggs or heat some nitrate-free sausage to serve alongside, plus a big glass of milk for a well-rounded breakfast that will keep them full for hours. My Easy Veggie Scramble would be great with these!
If your kids aren’t big breakfast eaters, as many tweens and teens are not, then just send them off to school with a grain-free banana chocolate chip muffin or two to munch when they get hungry.
Pack of four
These keep well for a couple of days at room temperature. Put them in the fridge if you want them to last 3-4 days. They also freeze well. Just stick them in a freezer baggie and make sure they aren’t touching as you place them in the freezer so that they freeze separately. Then you can thaw them overnight on the counter, or microwave them at 50% power until warm.
If you like to do gluten-free baking, check out my Gluten-free O
Banana Chocolate Chip Muffins
Ingredients
- 4-5 medium bananas ripe or overripe
- 4 eggs
- 1/2 cup almond butter
- 4 tbsp unsalted butter, melted or coconut oil
- 1/2 cup coconut flour
- 4 tsp cinnamon
- 1 tsp nutmeg
- 1 tsp cloves
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 1 tsp baking soda
- 1 tsp baking powder
- 1 tsp vanilla
- 1/2 cup brown sugar or coconut sugar optional
- 1/2 cup chocolate chips You can add more if desired
Instructions
- 1. Preheat oven to 3502. Peel bananas and place on a plate. Using a fork, mash them until they are a goopy mess. 3. Put the mashed bananas into your food processor. (You can also use a blender or a mixing bowl with a hand mixer).4. Add eggs (I always crack them into a small bowl one at a time before adding them to the food processor to make sure I don't get shells in my recipe).5. Add almond butter and melted butter. Blend ingredients well.6. Add coconut flour, spices, baking soda, baking powder, salt, and vanilla. Use a fork to evenly distribute the ingredients a bit before turning on the food processor. Blend again.7. At this point, taste the mixture and decide whether to add sugar. The muffins are good either way – it is up to you how sweet you would like them to be.8. Prep your muffin pan. You can either use paper baking cups, or grease it with coconut oil spray or butter.9. Place two chocolate chips in each cup of your muffin tin. Fill the cups halfway with the muffin batter. Place two-three more chocolate chips in each one, then fill to about 3/4 full. Finish by adding an additional 2-3 chocolate chips.10. Bake 20 minutes or until toothpick inserted in one of the center muffins comes out clean (watch out for melted chocolate).
