Who knew grain-friee (and thus gluten-free) and dairy-free banana muffins could taste so great! These EASY paleo-diet-approved banana muffins are made with coconut flour and coconut oil. I've been on a healthy muffin kick for months now and have the perfect banana muffin recipe down pat, with many variations. For my non-paleo (a.k.a more normal ingredient) whole-grain healthy muffin recipe, click here.
The Nourishing Traditions/Weston A. Price diet is all about eating foods our ancestors would have eaten. The Paleo diet is similar to this in its premise, but most Paleo adherents also avoid dairy, grains and beans. Before you think about how strange and restrictive this diet would be, take a moment to remember all the people you've heard of who can't have dairy or gluten, or who have other unexplained illnesses they are trying to correct nutritionally. While my family does not have any special sensitivities, I have learned that for babies and toddlers, the healthiest diet is one similar to Paleo.
In my research to find the very best diet for my baby, I came across the book Super Nutrition for Babies: The Right Way to Feed Your Baby for Optimal Health. It is like the Nourishing Traditions book but for babies and children. Honestly it is the best nutrition book I've read to date (it's more readable than Nourishing Traditions), and has greatly influenced the way I feed my son and how I plan to feed my kids as I raise them.
Super Nutrition for Babies explains that babies under one year should not eat grains (more on this later), and until two years of age should not eat grains containing gluten. Because of this I purchased some coconut flour to try making some healthy breads I can feed my little guy. (I purchased my coconut flour from Tropical Traditions. If you wait until they have a free shipping special, this is the cheapest place to buy coconut flour. Sign up for their newsletter to be informed of their ongoing sales and specials.)
I researched recipes using coconut flour, or grain-free Paleo recipes, and found many to be rather complicated, calling for a lot of ingredients. One banana muffin recipe even had you divide eggs, whip half the whites, fold them back into the batter, etc, etc. Yeah... Not gonna happen in my kitchen. Especially if I'm trying to make a quick snack for my kid. So I experimented and came up with this simple recipe for banana muffins that are surprisingly good. You really can't even tell it's coconut flour!
Paleo Banana Muffins
2 mashed ripe bananas - brown spotted, or 3 completely black bananas*
1/3 cup coconut oil or ghee
3 eggs
2-4 tablespoons whole cane sugar, real maple syrup, or honey*
1 teaspoon vanilla extract, optional
1/2 cup coconut flour
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon salt
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
Combine the first 5 ingrediants until well blended. Stir in the remaining 4 ingredients until smooth. Prepare paper muffin liners, or use coconut oil to grease approximately 10 muffin holes. Divide batter evenly among the ten muffin liners. They should be about half full. You may fill 11 or 12 if the bananas are extra large.
Bake at 350 degrees for about 23-25 minutes or until the tops are golden brown. I found coconut flour needs to be baked a bit longer than regular flour, and at a lower temperature.
*Use less natural sweetener if you are using 3 black bananas. The sweetener can probably be omitted completely if you are trying to avoid all sweeteners. If you are using the lesser amount of sweetener, or none at all, the muffins will not get as brown as those in the photo when they are done. Just take them out after 25 minutes.
Preparation time: 10 minutes. Bake time: 25 minutes. Servings: 10 muffins.
{This recipe is linked at: Fight Back Friday, Gluten-Free Friday, and Fat Tuesday.}
This recipe was featured on Gluten Free Fridays!
I am an Amazon affiliate which means if you purchase the books I've linked (or anything on Amazon) after clicking through my site I will get a very small percentage of the profit (4%). I am also an affiliate with the handful of nutrition based ads you see on the right-hand side bar. Every dollar I make through this blog helps my family get closer to our goal of being debt-free.
