Homemade Banana Strawberry Muffins are deliciously fruity, with juicy ripe strawberries and rich banana flavor that is reminiscent of banana bread. Whole wheat flour, unsweetened applesauce and raw brown sugar help to make these muffins a healthier breakfast treat or after school snack.
I love baking and one of the things I like baking most are muffins! I've baked everything from Lemon Poppy Seed Muffins to Self-Frosting Pumpkin Nutella Muffins to Streusel Coffee Cake Blueberry Muffins and they're all super delicious.
To me muffins are single serving bites of deliciousness that freeze well and make a great on-the-go breakfast or after school treat. Of course, most muffins are not what you would call a low cal treat but more an occasional treat but today I've made some substitutions to make these Banana Strawberry Muffins something you can indulge in more often.
There are several ways to make your home-baked goods more healthy and still have them taste delicious. Here are some of the choices I made when adapting the recipe for these Banana Strawberry Muffins.
Healthy Substitutions
- Raw brown sugar vs white sugar: Since raw brown sugar goes through less refining than white sugar it has slightly fewer calories, contains more natural minerals and has an overall higher nutritional value.
- Unsweetened applesauce vs vegetable oil: Using unsweetened applesauce in place of vegetable oil reduces the fat content of the muffins while still helping to retain their moistness. ½ cup of vegetable oil has 1920 calories, all from fat, while ½ cup of the applesauce has 50 calories with zero from fat.
- 100% whole wheat flour vs white all-purpose flour: Whole wheat flour retains more of the natural nutritional grains since it requires less processing than your everyday bleached white flour. These natural grains contain more folate, riboflavin and vitamins B1, B3 & B5 than all-purpose flour. Additionally, whole wheat flour contains more dietary fiber, ½ cup has 6.4 grams vs 1.3 grams of white flour, which is known to help prevent constipation and lower cholesterol.
- Note that some enriched all-purpose flours contain similar amounts of the same nutrients contained in whole wheat flours but without the additional fiber.
So now you're asking yourself how easy are these muffins to make. Let me show you.
Step by step directions
- First gather your ingredients. In a large bowl combine mashed bananas, brown sugar, applesauce, vanilla extract and eggs.
- Mix together both flours, baking soda, cinnamon and salt. combine with wet ingredients.
- Toss strawberries with 1 Tablespoon of flour and add to batter.
4. Divide batter evenly between muffin cups, about ⅓-1/2 cup each.
5. Ready to bake.
6. Bake for 20 minutes then let rest in pan for 10 minutes before removing to wire rack to cool completely.
The aroma wafting through your kitchen from these Banana Strawberry Muffins will have you wanting to devour the whole dozen while they're still warm. So go ahead! That's really when I like to snitch one too! Ohhh, they're just so good soft & warm!
These muffins will freeze well too. Perfect for a grab-n-go breakfast or warm delicious after school treat. Just a 20-30 second turn in the microwave and you're ready to enjoy!
More banana muffin options
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Banana Strawberry Muffins
Ingredients
- 3 bananas
- ⅔ cup raw brown sugar (was ⅔ cup white sugar)
- ½ cup unsweetened applesauce (was ½ cup vegetable oil)
- 2 eggs
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 cup unbleached all purpose flour
- ⅔ cup whole wheat flour (was a total of 1-⅔ cup all-purpose flour)
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1 cup fresh strawberries, finely chopped
- 1 Tablespoon unbleached all-purpose flour
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Spray a 12-cup muffin pan with a nonstick spray. Set aside.
- Place bananas in a large bowl and mash well.
- Add brown sugar, unsweetened applesauce, eggs and vanilla to mashed bananas.
- In a smaller bowl, combine flour, baking soda, cinnamon and salt and mix well.
- Add to mashed banana mixture and stir to combine.
- Toss cut-up strawberries with 1 tablespoons flour and stir into batter.
- Divide batter evenly between 12 muffin cups.
- Bake for 20 minutes or until toothpick in center comes out clean.
- Place pan on wire rack and let muffins rest for 10 minutes. Remove to wire rack to cool completely.
