All-Star Muffins
I call these the All-Star muffins because they win in just about every health category - Whole Foods Plant Based/Vegan, Gluten-Free, Grain-Free, No Added Sugar, you name it. Plus, the kids can't get enough of them! You can continually reinvent these with different flavors and mix-ins, like classic blueberry, cinnamon raisin, and chocolate!
The key to these muffins (as well as waffles, pancakes and loaf breads) is my "magic baking mix" - a roughly 4:4:1 ratio of chickpea flour, almond flour and arrowroot flour (also called arrowroot starch). Baking with this mixture lends baked goods a moist yet not-too-heavy crumb - while getting my kids to eat chickpeas!
- 2 Bananas (Overripe and mashed)
- 2 tsp Rice vinegar (Can also use white or apple cider)
- 1/3 cup Olive Oil (Mild olive oil is best - see Groceries section)
- 1 Flax "Egg" (1 tbs flaxmeal mixed with 2-3 tbs water)
- 2/3 cup Chickpea Flour
- 2/3 cup Almond Flour
- 3 tbsp Arrowroot Flour (Also called Arrowroot Starch)
- 1 tsp Baking Soda
- 1/2 tsp Kosher Salt
- 1 tsp Vanilla Powder (Ground Vanilla Bean)
- 0.5-1.5 cup Raisins, Blueberries, Cacao, etc. (I usually use half a cup of raisins or 1 cup of blueberries)
- Mix the wet ingredients
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Line a muffin tin with parchment muffin cups
Mash the bananas in a large bowl. Mix in the rest of the wet ingredients (vinegar, oil and flax egg) with a whisk or fork.
- Mix the Dry Ingredients
In a medium bowl, whisk together the dry ingredients (flours, baking soda, salt, vanilla powder).
Add the Dry Ingredients into the Wet Ingredients and stir until just combined.
- Add Flavors and Mix-Ins
I usually add either 1/2 cup raisins and a few heavy dashes of cinnamon, or 1 cup blueberries (but honestly I don't measure - the amount is flexible).
I think a chocolate muffin would also be delicious but haven't tried it because Grace doesn't like chocolate. I think you could just add some cacao powder. I would use a light hand with this because the muffin base isn't that sweet so it probably can't support a ton of chocolate flavor which is bitter if not sweetened.
- Bake
Pour the batter into muffin cups, approximately 1/4 cup per muffin (this will make a small/medium muffin that just rises above the paper. Try 1/3-1/2 cup per muffin if you want a big muffin top).
Totally optional, but I like to sprinkle a tiny amount of sugar on the muffin tops - think 1 tsp across the entire batch, which is about 1-2 calories or 0.3 grams of sugar per muffin. This gives the muffins a nicer appearance and a crustier texture, and the kids think they're getting a special treat.
Bake for 20 minutes, until a toothpick comes out clean.