If you love cupcakes or muffins I got news for you:
You can have them for breakfast!
I made some banana nut muffins but added granola instead of a crumble topping which is mostly butter and flour. Most granola is rich in protein and fiber, which both contribute to fullness. Protein even influences levels of important fullness hormones like ghrelin and GLP-1. Both oatmeal and granola make for a healthy, nutritious breakfast, but the winner for us is granola—the added nuts, seeds, and dried fruits give you a source of fiber and healthy fats that oatmeal can’t quite compete with. Plus, cooked oatmeal digest better than raw which is why some people don’t do well with overnight oats. Although you can make an oatmeal crumble, granola usually have extra good stuff because of the additions and you get more oatmeal than using a crumble. This cupcakes have 1tsp of granola each plus the additional walnuts on the batter. I admit that sometimes I go overboard with extra crunch and add a whole tbsp of topping and the recipe holds it well, so you do you!
Bananas are really good for you and are a good source of potassium. They’re full of nutrients that could help prevent constipation, improve digestive and gut health, and promote recovery from intense activity. Eating one banana per day will provide: 12% of the DV for vitamin C. This 12 cupcake batch has 3 bananas so you get a fair amount when you eat two for breakfast.
You may not love cinnamon but it’s definitely a good addition. Cinnamon is rich in antioxidants and other beneficial compounds. Some research suggests that it may help support blood sugar control, protect against heart disease, and reduce inflammation. Cinnamon is a spice that has been prized for its medicinal properties for thousands of years.
When using oil for breakfast some kinds of oil fit the healthy profile better as coconut oil, olive oil or in this case, I used grape seed oil. Both grapeseed and olive oils contain lots of healthful ingredients including vitamin E, unsaturated fatty acids and antioxidants. Grapeseed oil contains plenty of vitamin E, with up to 53 mg vitamin E per 100 g of oil – higher than that of olive oil. Grapeseed oil has been well studied for its anti-inflammatory properties. It also acts as an astringent, meaning that it causes your skin cells to tighten and contract. For this reason, it may promote overall skin health and treat common issues like dark circles, although more research is needed.
Instead of using white cane sugar you can opt for maple syrup, palm sugar, coconut sugar monkfruit or the sweetener of your choice. We already know that too much sugar specially for breakfast is not good. You spent many hours without food (fasting) and too much sugar can spike your sugar levels, we don’t want that! It’s always suggested to have a protein and fiber packed breakfast instead of just carbs and sugar because you’ve been fasting, that’s why is called “break-fast”.
Now you can see cupcakes in another light. This also makes a great snack for kids to eat at school, way better than chips, cookies or any other snack. There’s many foods you love and might not have them often because it turns out they’re not the most healthy of all BUT many recipes can take a twist so you can enjoy them more often without the guilt. This is one!
Chef’s tip:
Sometimes you buy bananas and even forget about them waiting for them to turn dark. To avoid wasting produce you can peel them and store them in a ziploc bag and store them in the freezer for whenever you’re ready to make banana bread, muffins or even smoothies. You could use an airtight container but in the case -like avocados- bananas turn dark when exposed to oxigen. Bananas contain the enzyme polyphenol oxidase, and when the enzyme interacts with oxygen, it causes a chemical reaction. This chemical reaction, known as enzymatic browning, changes the banana’s peel and fruit to brown. In this case, the bag helps keep them better because the air exposure is minimum instead of being stored in a container which will leave it more exposed resulting in darker bananas. The flavor won’t change but the appearance will.
I usually store them in a bag and mash them right in the bag with my hands, they break up so easily and it’s less work and utensils to wash! Win-win!
Ingredients:
⅓ cup melted coconut oil or extra-virgin olive oil*
½ cup maple syrup or honey
2 eggs, preferably at room temperature
1 cup packed mashed ripe bananas (about 3 bananas)
¼ cup milk of choice or water (I used almond milk)
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
½ teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon cinnamon, plus more for sprinkling on top if you want
1 ¾ cups white whole wheat flour or regular whole wheat flour
⅓ cup old-fashioned oats, plus more for sprinkling on top if you want
* Granola, nuts or turbinado (raw) sugar, for sprinkling on top for that extra crunch.
*If you’re using sugar it’s important that you use a coarse sugar that maintains while baking so it doesn’t melt and combine with the batter.
Method:
Preheat the oven to 325 degrees Fahrenheit (165C). If necessary, grease all 12 cups of your muffin tin with butter or non-stick cooking spray. You can avoid this by using paper cups as I did here.
In a large bowl, beat the oil and maple syrup together with a whisk. Add the eggs and beat well. Mix in the mashed bananas and milk, followed by the baking soda, vanilla extract, salt and cinnamon.
Add the flour and oats to the bowl and mix with a large spoon, just until combined. If you’d like to add any additional mix-ins, like nuts, chocolate or dried fruit, now is the time to fold them in.
Divide the batter evenly between the muffin cups, filling each cup about two-thirds full. Sprinkle the tops of the muffins with a small amount of oats, nuts, granola or sugar, followed by a light sprinkling of your topping of choice (about 1 teaspoon in total). Bake muffins for 22 to 25 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into a muffin comes out clean.
Place the muffin tin on a cooling rack to cool. You might need to run a butter knife along the outer edge of the muffins to loosen them from the pan if you’re not using liners.
Enjoy!
*These muffins will keep at room temperature for up to 2 days, or in the refrigerator for up to 4 days. They keep well in the freezer in a freezer-safe bag for up to 3 months (just defrost individual muffins as needed). They taste great toasted with some butter too!