While they may not be the prettiest muffins you’ve ever laid eyes on, they just might be the healthiest. ย These little gems are packed with banana, apple and flax seed goodness. ย For those of you who aren’t nutrition obsessed California dieters, ย flax seed are rich in fiber and Omega-3 fatty acids which helps protect against heart disease and cancer. ย In these muffins, flax seed meal (ground up flax seeds) replace butter and oil. ย How great is that!? No butter, no oil muffins! ย Just healthy fats in a yummy, moist, fruit muffin!
The fruit in this recipe help to keep the muffins deliciously moist. ย I used grated apples and mashed bananas, although the recipe calls for carrots instead of bananas. ย Really, use any reasonable fruit of veggie you like: zucchini, apple, carrot, banana, pear, pineapple. ย Go crazy!
And! ย This is also my entry into February’s Weekend Breakfast Blogging Event- created byย Saffron Trail and hosted byย Tasty Palettes. ย This month featuresย Healthy Eats,ย and what could be healthier than fresh fruit and flax seed muffins? Serious Yum.
Gnarley Muffins
adapted from Bob’s Red Mill
1 1/2 cups all purpose flour
3/4 cup flax seed meal (if you live near a Trader Joe’s, you can get flaxseed meal and oat bran there!)
3/4 cup oat bran
1 cup brown sugar
2 teaspoons baking soda
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons cinnamon
1 1/2 cups carrots, shredded
2 apples peeled and shredded
1/2 cup raisins (optional)
1 cup nuts, chopped (optional)
3/4 cup milk
2 eggs, beaten
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1. ย Using a wooden spoon, mix together flour, flax seed meal, oat bran, brown sugar, baking soda, baking powder, salt and cinnamon in a large bowl.
2. ย Stir in carrots, apples, raisins and nuts.
3. ย Combine milk, eggs and vanilla. ย Pour liquid all at once into the dry/fruit mixture. ย Stir until ingredients are moistened. ย Do not overmix.
4. ย Fill muffin cups 3/4 full. ย Bake in a 350 degree F oven for 15 to 20 minutes. ย Yields 15 medium sized muffins.
Healthy trans fat free muffins. Your heart say ‘Thanks!’
45 Responses
I am following the paleo diet. Do you know how much almond or coconut flour I should use in this recipe?
just made a batch of these as a snack for my 20 month old and myself. we both gobbled ours in record time. yay for healthy treats!! thanks a mil for such a tasty recipe!
I made these at midnight last night. I followed the recipe posted with the carrots instead of the bananas. The only substitute I made was almond milk in place of cows milk. I also generously sprinkled sugar on top before baking. I also added the optional raisins and walnuts. They are really good!!! Moist, hearty and a little sweet. I calculated the nutrionals and if you make 12 muffins they are each about 350 calories and 10 grams of goooood fat.
I just made these last night. I wasn’t too thrilled with them when they came out of the oven (tasted kind of boring) but I decided to let them “mature” overnight and they tasted much better this morning! I used grated pineapple, carrots, and an apple. (I left the peel on the apple, I never peel apples in baking.) I also didn’t feel like food processoring my rolled oats into oat bran, so I just used rolled oats and liked them in there.
I also added some cardamom, ginger, and cloves to up the spice factor a bit! (I want to replicate the spices from Ina Garten’s Carrot Cake which I love but is not the healthiest thing.) Yummy! My muffins sunk a bit after they came out of the oven. I am thinking that is because of the pineapple juice added when the pineapple was grated or the volume of baking soda/powder. (It seemed a bit high for me.)
But I love that these are healthy and taste yummy. Will definitely be making again. Thanks Joy!
i’ve only made this recipe once, but it was a big hit with the whole family. even the toddler! one question: there’s a strong baking soda/baking powder taste still present. yes, i love these muffins so much that even the powdery taste doesn’t stop me from devouring them. have you ever had that happen? did i do something wrong?
You know Belisa, I don’t think you did anything wrong. I can totally see what you mean about the baking soda/powder taste. I think you might be able to get away with taking the baking soda down to 1 tsp instead of 2. Give that a try!
Thanks for saying hello!
will do – and i’ll let you know the results!
btw, i also just made your zucchini and sweet potato bread for a family brunch this weekend and it was another huge hit with everyone. the toddler was actually obsessed with it and i think i’m going to have to make another loaf soon – she keeps asking for it!
These are GREAT muffins. My husband loves them, my kids love them (except for the picky tween) and I don’t feel guilty about serving them at all. Having a great time coming up with new flavor combinations!!