The Almost Healthy Muffins – I had some bananas that had gotten to too ripe to freeze for smoothies so I decided to make some healthy banana muffins. Typically, I look at several recipes and often blend ingredients to fit my own tastes. In this case I blended a recipe I found for whole wheat banana muffins with a recipe from the back of Bob’s Red Mill Wheat Bran package. I wanted a healthy muffin and was doing well until I decided to fold in three quarters of a cup of Ghirardelli 60% Cacao Chips at the end. The Damerara sugar sprinkled on the top is not necessary but does add a nice crunch to these muffins. I think end results turned out good and these muffins freeze well – enjoy!

Ingredients
1 cup Bob’s Red Mill Wheat Bran
1-1/2 cups whole wheat flour
2-1/2 teaspoons salt
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1 teaspoon baking powder
3 ripe bananas ( about 1-1/2 cups)
2 large eggs
1/3 cup vegetable oil
1/3 cup maple syrup
1/3 cup 2% milk
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 cup chopped walnuts
3/4 Ghirardelli bittersweet chocolate chips
Demerara Cane sugar to sprinkle on top

Directions
Preheat oven to 350 degrees – with the rack in the center.
Grease 12 piece muffin tin.
Whisk all of the dry ingredients in a medium/small bowl.
With a hand mixer on low setting beat the bananas, eggs, vegetable oil, maple syrup, milk and vanilla.
Fold the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients.
Fold in the walnuts and the chocolate chips if using.
Fill the muffin tins all the way up.
Sprinkle the muffin tops with the Demerara Cane sugar
Bake for 15 minutes / check to make sure toothpick comes out clean.

Adding the Demerara Cane Sugar is not necessary, but it gives the muffin tops a nice crunch, that I like.

I individually wrap these muffins and put in a 1 gallon freezer bag and put them in the freezer. Not exactly sure how long they will last frozen because they’re usually gone in a month or two.