shhhh! they're, ahem, whole wheat

Whole wheat, no butter, and tastes good... impossible, you say? Nay! As luck would have it, I discovered this gem of a recipe on my very first attempt at whole wheat banana muffins, and they're perfect! Perfectly perfect. I do have to confess that, in what was not my proudest culinary moment, I took these from being pure, whole food made from mostly organic ingredients, to having a container of vanilla pudding from my pantry. But I forgot we were out of milk, and I stumbled upon some random pudding we had leftover from something else. So I used the whole container (single serving size) and upped the oil to 6 tablespoons. 

Whole Wheat Banana Muffins Recipe:

2 cups (260 grams) whole wheat pastryflour (can use unbleached all purpose flour)

1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder

1/4 teaspoon baking soda

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1 1/ 2 cups (360 ml) mashed banana (about 3 large ripe bananas (approximately 1 pound or 454 grams))

2 large eggs, lightly beaten

1/2 cup (120 ml) pure maple syrup (preferably Grade A dark amber)

1/2 cup (105 grams) light brown sugar

1/3 cup (80 ml) milk

1/4 cup (60 ml) canola, corn, or safflower oil

1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

3/4 cup (75 grams) walnuts or pecans, coarsely chopped

In a large bowl combine the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and ground cinnamon

In another large bowl combine the mashed bananas, lightly beaten eggs, maple syrup, brown sugar, milk, oil, and vanilla extract. With a rubber spatula or wooden spoon, lightly foldthe wet ingredients into the dry ingredients just until combined and the batter is thick and chunky. Fold in the chopped walnuts. (The important thing is not to over mix the batter. You do not want it smooth. Over mixing the batter will yield tough, rubbery muffins.) Spoon the batter into the prepared muffin tins and, if desired, place a slice of banana or dried banana chip on top of each muffin for garnish.

Bake about 18 - 22 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Place on a wire rack to cool for five minutes and then remove muffins from pan. Serve warm or at room temperature.

Makes about 16 regular sized muffins.