Blueberry-Banana Breakfast Muffins

I know I've been posting quite a few blueberry recipes lately, but 'tis the season and baby, am I in love with summer fruits!  These muffins are subtly sweet, addicting, and easy to make.  I like to bake them Sunday night, cool them and store them for the following week.  They're a great source of vitamins and proteins and are perfect for grabbing on the way out the door.

The original recipe called for raisins, and it tastes good with dried cranberries as well if you don't have blueberries on hand.  I personally like it better with warm, slightly sweet berries in the middle!  These are, in my opinion, some of the best breakfast muffins out there.  They have a small amount of dark brown sugar that's loaded with iron-packed molasses, and use olive oil instead of butter (a monounsaturated fat source that, like avocados and salmon, are better "fats" for your body).  The addition of shredded carrots and a ripened banana sweetens the deal without adding too much sugar.

Blueberry-Banana Breakfast Muffins

Printable Version

Takes: 35 minutes  Makes: 12 muffins

You Need:

• 1 1/4 C all-purpose flour, spooned and leveled
• 1/2 C dark brown sugar
• 1/2 tsp baking soda
• 1/2 tsp baking powder
• 1/2 tsp ground nutmeg
• 1/2 tsp coarse salt
• 1 C rolled oats
• 3 Tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
• 1 large egg
• 1/3 C milk (can use almond or soy)
• 4 medium carrots, shredded
• 1 C blueberries, fresh or frozen
• 1 medium ripe banana, mashed

1.  Preheat oven to 400.  Grease a 12-cup muffin pan with nonstick spray.  In a large bowl, whisk flour, sugar, baking soda, baking powder, nutmeg and salt until the lumps of sugar are gone.  Stir in oats.  Add olive oil, egg, milk, carrots, blueberries and banana and stir until combined.
2.  Plop 1/4 cup (use a dry measuring cup) of batter in each muffin spot.  Bake at 400 until a toothpick inserted in the middle (if you get a blueberry, try again) comes out clean, about 24 minutes.  Remove from pan and serve warm, or let cool on a rack until room temp and store for up to 3 days (no need to refrigerate!).


*If you bake these and eat them another day: cut them in half, lightly butter the middles and stick them in the toaster oven.  Yum.