Growing up, my mom and I would occasionally make or bake things together like zucchini bread, chocolate silk pie (from a box), or ambrosia. But one thing that we made most often was banana bread.
To this day, the smell of banana bread as it bakes is one of my most favorite smells, and always brings a smile to my face as I remember those cherished memories with my mom in our tiny little kitchen.
So I am continually on the hunt for a banana bread recipe that tastes just like my childhood but without all of the “bad stuff” like flour, baking powder, or white sugar.
Fast forward…
I went to my dear friend Thea’s house the other week and she made these wonderfully fluffy muffins for me. They were so good, I had 2 or 3 while we sipped tea and caught up with each other.
As always, being a long-time amateur baker, I decided to tinker with the recipe to a) make it grain-free, and b) increase the flavor. Below is what I’ve come up with, so please feel free to leave me a comment to tell me if you make them! Also, check out the notes below the recipe for some extra tips and tricks.
36+ mini muffins
10 minutes
13-15 minutes
Easy
Printingredients
- 3 cups almond flour
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon arrowroot starch/ powder
- 1/2 teaspoon tapioca starch/ powder
- 1/4 teaspoon sea salt
- 3 large very ripe bananas (bordering on overripe, can be previously frozen but must be room temperature)
- 3 large eggs, room temperature
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 2 tablespoons melted unsalted butter, ghee, or coconut oil
- cinnamon, crushed nuts, or banana chips (optional, for topping)
directions
- Preheat the oven to 350F degrees. Grease your muffin tin or line with paper cupcake liners.
- In a large mixing bowl, combine all of the dry ingredients (almond flour, cinnamon, baking soda, arrowroot, tapioca, and sea salt).
- In a blender, combine the bananas, eggs, vanilla, and butter.
- Once mixed, leave the blender on low as you slowly add the dry ingredients to the blender. You may have to stop the blender occasionally to wipe down the sides with a spatula.
- Once mixed thoroughly, fill each mini muffin cup 3/4 full. Feel free to add a small dusting of cinnamon, crushed nuts, or banana chips on top.
- Bake for 13-15 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out clean. Otherwise, wait about 10 minutes for them to cool and enjoy! Store in an airtight glass container for no more than 2 days on the counter, or up to 7 days in the refrigerator. They freeze very well.
Notes & Other Tidbits
For more flavor, try:
- Pureeing the banana and then cooking in a saucepan on the stove over low heat for about 10-15 minutes, stirring constantly. This will cause water to evaporate from the banana, which will result in more concentrated banana flavor.
- Adding 1/2 teaspoon each more of cinnamon and vanilla.
- Using both butter/ghee and coconut oil. So 1 tablespoon of butter/ghee and 1 tablespoon of coconut oil instead of 2 tablespoons of the same thing. Unrefined coconut oil will add an extra layer of flavor compared to refined coconut oil.
- Adding 1/4 cup dark chocolate chips, raisins, or dried currants into the mix after blending but before filling the muffin cups.
What if you don’t have arrowroot or tapioca on hand?
If you don’t have arrowroot, 1 full teaspoon of tapioca will be fine. And if you don’t have tapioca, 1 full teaspoon of arrowroot will be fine.
You may even be safe leaving them both out and just using baking soda, but I don’t recommend increasing the amount of baking soda because the flavor would be too overpowering. The blender puts air into the eggs, which helps with rising and fluffiness.
For regular-sized muffins:
Bake 25-30 minutes or until golden brown and a toothpick comes out clean. Should yield about 12-14 muffins.