Chocolate Chip Banana Muffins/Bread

Banana bread is one of those nostalgic foods that brings most of us back to a warm childhood memory: a lazy Sunday morning or an afternoon at grandmas. I honestly never think to make it anymore because most versions are loaded with a good amount of sugar and barely any nutrition. Don’t get me wrong, not EVERYTHING we eat has to be super healthy, but when I know it’s possible to have both great taste and good-for-you ingredients, it’s hard for me to resist!

This version is loaded with healthy fats and fiber, but has the perfect amount of dark chocolate and happens to be gluten free. Without going into too much detail, while I’m not gluten intolerant, I definitely feel my best when it’s kept to a minimum. The quality of our wheat products has gone down so drastically that it’s just not the same as it was even 50 years ago. It’s over-processed, bleached, and transformed into an almost unrecognizable product (at least to our bodies). This can cause a slew of issues from inflammation and gut imbalance to allergies and more.

I do understand that sometimes you just need a warm baguette with butter (is there anything better?) and I’m not overly strict about it, I’ve just learned what works best for my body and so when I can experiment with different flours or tastes, I do!

gluten free banana muffins

INGREDIENTS:

(makes 12 muffins)

1 cup mashed, over-ripe bananas (about 3)
1/3 cup coconut oil
1/4 cup almond milk (or any other milk)
2 eggs
1/2 cup unsweetened coconut flakes
1/2 cup oats
1 cup brown rice flour
1/4 cup almond meal/flour
1/4 cup maple syrup
1/2 cup dark chocolate chips
1 TBSP whole flax seeds
1 TSP vanilla extract
1/2 TSP cinnamon
1/8 TSP nutmeg
1/2 TSP salt

Optional topping: Sliced bananas + coconut sugar

TO MAKE:

Heat oven to 350 degrees. Mash bananas, coconut oil, milk, eggs, vanilla, and maple syrup in a bowl until combined.

Pulse oats into a food processor or blender for just a few seconds. You can choose to leave the oats whole here or grind them completely into a flour; I personally like them in the middle, partially ground.

Mix in the remainder of ingredients: oats, coconut flakes, brown rice flour, almond meal, flax seeds, cinnamon, nutmeg, and salt. Add the chocolate chips and stir to combine.

Pour into muffin tin or liners. Top with banana slices if you’d like. I made 6 muffins and put the rest in a bread pan (spraying coconut oil down first). This recipe definitely creates more of a bread/dense consistency, but I think it works for either.

Cook for 28-30 minutes, or until golden near edges. They’re best eaten right out of the oven with a slab of butter on top, but can definitely stay fresh for a few more days if covered!