FitVeggieLife

If there was one recipe I could have anyone try from anything I’ve ever posted… it would be these lil babies because holy sh*t. I keep checking for crack in the ingredients list (haha).
But in all seriousness, if you’re looking to show up anyone at some bake off or win over your in-laws, this is the recipe.

They are incredibly moist, and contain the perfect mixture of banana and cinnamon tastiness. I used bananas that were about to start oozing because of how soft the peel got, and they were completely brown… maybe this is why they tasted like heaven? I found this recipe on Dirty Blonde Vegan, made by the lovely Erin. Also shout out to Erin for one of my new favorite recipes.

Ingredients

Banana Muffins

• 2/3 cup granulated sugar(choose organic to be sure it’s vegan)
• 1/2 cup vegetable oil
• 1/2 cup applesauce
• 2/3 cup mashed ripe banana (approximately 2 small bananas)
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 1 & 2/3 cups all purpose flour
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon

Cinnamon toast topping

• 1/4 cup granulated sugar
• 1/2-3/4 tsp ground cinnamon

Instructions

1. Preheat the oven to 375F.
2. Line your 12 count, standard size muffin tin, with paper baking cups and spray each cup with non stick spray. Set muffin tin aside.
3. In a mixing bowl, mash two overripe (brown spots/patches are the softest and sweetest) bananas with a fork.
4. Add the sugar, applesauce, vegetable oil, and vanilla extract. Use a whisk to combine well. Some clumps from the bananas are expected.
5. Add the flour, baking soda, salt, and cinnamon (1/2 tsp) and mix to just combine the wet and dry ingredients into a batter. It will be thick, but do not over mix. Stop mixing when you can no longer see dry flour anywhere.
6. Spoon the batter into the pre-greased muffin cups. The batter should be exactly the right amount to divide evenly between the 12 cups with no extra. (As a rule, muffin cups should be filled about 80% full to allow for rising in the oven.)
7. In a small bowl, combine 1/4 cup of sugar with 1/2-3/4 tsp of ground cinnamon to make the cinnamon-sugar topping. Mix with a spoon.
8. Sprinkle the cinnamon-sugar topping over the twelve muffins with the spoon. Divide the topping evenly over each muffin top.
9. Bake for 17-22 minutes at 375F. Muffins are done when a toothpick inserted into the muffin comes out clean, with no sticky batter on it. Resist the urge to open the oven during the first 15 minutes of baking, this is when the muffins are rising the most!
10. Cool the muffins in the muffin tin for 5 minutes, then transfer to a cooling rack. Enjoy!

Notes

• Baking times vary by ovens, so start checking the muffins at 17 minutes, and remove from the oven when a toothpick inserted into the center of a muffin comes out clean (no batter stuck to it).
• For Gluten-Free: Substitute a gluten-free flour mix (such as Bob’s Red Mill) for the flour.
• For Oil-Free: Use additional applesauce instead of the vegetable oil. This may result in a denser, but still delicious, muffin.