Carrot-Banana Muffins

Stop right there. You have no need to look any further for a morning muffin that packs more nutrition or flavor than the one I'm about to tell you about. That's right, this muffin contains no added sugar. Seems crazy right? Think again. I was completely blown away when my lips met with the delicious sweetness of coconut, honey, bananas and dates mixed with the unmistakable crunch of  carrots and chopped walnuts. I warn you. Once these muffins cool enough to eat, you will have a hard time stopping yourself from going back for a second or even a third!

Step One: Gather the ingredients. Prep the carrots, dates and walnuts so they are ready to go when you need them. You could use a small food processor with a grater attachment if you want. For the amount of carrots that need shredding for this recipe, I didn't think the clean-up was worth it, and decided on a handheld grater. WARNING: Chopping dates takes a while, and your hand will be tired...and if you are like me, may cause blisters. Be careful! Good news is, you can buy chopped walnuts, and you don't need to get them any smaller than they already come.

Step Two: Combine the wet and dry ingredients, then bake in lined muffin cups in an oven preheated to 325 degrees for 25-35 minutes. Now is the time to get that coffee going if you haven't already!

Step Three: Allow the muffins to cool on a wire rack. Your house will smell pretty dang good, so this may be difficult...just saying...

Once cooled to the touch, be prepared to be wowed as you take your first bite!

Recipe adapted from True Food cookbook 

CARROT-BANANA MUFFINS | Yield: 12-16 muffins | Total Time: 1 hr. 15 min.

INGREDIENTS:

2 C all-purpose flour
2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1 Tbsp ground cinnamon
1/2 C sweetened shredded coconut
3 large eggs
3 bananas, mashed
1/2 C (8 Tbsp) unsalted butter, cubed and softened
2 Tbsp honey
1 tsp apple cider vinegar
1 1/2 C pitted and chopped dates*
3 medium carrots, shredded
3/4 C chopped walnuts

*NOTE: If you can't find dates, you could try substituting raisins, candied ginger, dried apricots or cranberries for a similar taste and texture.

DIRECTIONS:

Preheat the oven to 325 degrees. Line a muffin tin with paper liners, or lightly spray with cooking oil.

In a large bowl, mix together the flour, baking soda, salt, cinnamon and coconut. In another bowl, whisk together the mashed bananas, eggs, unsalted butter, honey and apple cider vinegar. Stir the wet ingredients into the dry ones. Fold in the chopped dates, shredded carrots and chopped walnuts. Divide the batter among the muffin cups.

Bake for 25-35 minutes, until tops are golden brown and a skewer inserted into the middle of a muffin comes out clean. Cool in the pan for 5 minutes before transferring to a wire rack.

Do you have any healthy muffin recipes that incorporate fruits and veggies?