chocolate banana walnut muffins, vegan & grain free

chunky!

we’re licking the scraps of muffins off of the muffin papers as i write this. chocolate clings to every surface of my coffee mug.

chocolate for breakfast?

yeah. what do you want from me. i’ve been living off of sweet potatoes and sausage for weeks now, it was time for a change.

now i admit, chocolate is not typical in my home as a breakfast option. like, ever. i’m not sure if we’ve ever eaten chocolate before 1pm in our married lives, so this seemed like a fun step out of the safety box for us. not to mention, this was pretty healthy for chocolate ANYTHING, so i don’t feel too badly.

i’d been hunting for grain-free & egg-free baking recipes for weeks now, and it looks like i’ve finally found a great start. in fact, i’m thinking of making a pumpkin version by subbing bananas out for pumpkin puree next time, and tapioca flour for cocoa powder. we’ll see just how crazy things get.

these muffins set up perfectly once cooled, the coconut flour doing its job wonderfully at soaking up all of the wet. they are soft and moist, but not very gushy, which seems to turn most people off of coconut flour baking. this was also the first time i’ve ever used dates to sweeten any recipe, and they worked like a charm. their flavor was completely undetectable in the finished recipe, leaving only their sweetness behind. if you are afraid of dates, or just don’t have them, i think any liquid sweetener would suffice here as a switch-out, though i do recommend giving this method a whirl first.

many thanks to the ever inventive paleo parents for this recipe! click the link to see the recipe, including modifications to omit the cocoa from the muffins.

this recipe makes a baker’s dozen.

chocolate banana walnut muffins

2 large black bananas, chopped

1/2 cup creamy almond butter

1/2 cup coconut oil, melted

1 tsp vanilla

2 tbsp cocoa powder

1/2 cup coconut flour, sifted

1 tsp salt

1/2 tsp baking soda

1 cup dates

method:

preheat oven to 350f.

begin by boiling 2 cups or so of water. pour over dates, and let them steep for 10 minutes. drain.

sift flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, and salt together in a large bowl.

put dates and 1 banana in food processor with the oil and puree. add in almond butter and vanilla. puree briefly, just to mix in. add dry ingredients.

by hand, stir in the other chopped banana until well combined. i like to do this separately so i end up with a few banana chunks in my muffins.

scoop batter into paper lined muffin tin, top with nuts, chocolate chips, or both, and bake for 20 minutes.

allow muffins to cool for half an hour or so before removing from tin, and another few minutes before serving.

what a delicious mess!

fitday nutritional analysis per muffin, with chocolate and walnuts:

282 cals

27 carbs

3 grams protein

add a few strips of bacon and your breakfast is complete. this is why i’m not worried about the lack of protein. noms away!