These gluten-free banana walnuts are moist and tender and packed with all sorts of deliciousness. The muffins get their sweetness from the maple syrup, bananas and vanilla protein powder. Each muffin is less than 200 calories - sweet!
1 1/2cupsBob's Red Mill Gluten-Free 1-to-1 Baking Flour Blend
1/2cup+ 1 tablespoon Bob's Red Mill Gluten-Free Gluten-Free Oatsdivided
1/3cupBob's Red Mill Vanilla Protein Powder Nutritional Boosteroptional, omit if you don't want to add
1tspsalt
1tspbaking soda
1tspbaking powder
1tspcinnamon
3-4very ripe bananas1 1/2 cups of mashed banana
1/4cupmelted coconut oil or vegetable oil
1/3cuppure maple syrup
1Tbspapple cider vinegar
1tsppure vanilla extract
1/2cupchopped walnuts
Instructions
Preheat oven to 350º F. Grease a muffin tin with cooking spray or line with cupcake liners. Set aside.
In a large bowl, combine gluten-free flour, ½ cup of the oats, vanilla protein powder, salt, baking soda, baking powder, and cinnamon and whisk to combine.
In another bowl, mash bananas with a fork. Then add in melted coconut oil, maple syrup, apple cider vinegar, and pure vanilla extract. Whisk to combine.
Add wet ingredients to the dry ingredients and stir to mix.
Stir in the chopped walnuts until combined.
Spoon muffin batter into the muffin tin wells to get 12 regular-sized muffins. Sprinkle remaining tablespoon of oats over the tops of the muffins.
Bake at 350º F for 23-25 minutes, until muffins are lightly browned on top and a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean.
Let cool for 5 minutes and then transfer to a wire rack to finish cooling.
Notes
The protein powder is optional for a nutritional boost. Omit the ingredient if you don't want to use it. The muffins will still come out delicious without it.These muffins are lightly sweetened with maple syrup. They get extra sweetness from the mashed bananas and the vanilla protein powder. The overall sweetness level is very light, which is perfect for protein muffins.Make sure your bananas are very ripe. The skin should have some brown spots on them. The more ripe your banana is, the sweeter it will taste.It normally takes 3 large bananas to get 1 ½ cups of banana mash, but it may take 4 bananas, depending on the size of each banana.These muffins are gluten-free, dairy-free, and vegan as written. If you are not vegan, you can use honey instead of maple syrup. Agave is also another option.You can freeze these muffins for an easy grab-and-go breakfast or snack. Freeze the muffins in a single layer on a baking sheet for an hour. Then place them in a freezer-safe bag or container. Let sit at room temperature until it is completely thawed.Apple cider vinegar is essential to this muffin recipe. It reacts with the baking soda resulting in a fluffier muffin. It is a great replacement for eggs in muffins, and you will not taste a difference in the end product.