Okay – I am going to share with you my all time favourite go-to muffin recipe! I have been using it for years and I find that it creates the perfect banana muffin. Now, normally I add chocolate chips to this recipe, and then these become more of an afternoon snack or dessert muffin, but this time I thought I would try to be a bit healthier and add frozen blueberries. I was not disappointed! The blueberries added a total flavour burst to the wonderful essence of banana that was already present.

By adding blueberries instead of chocolate chips, I felt that the muffin transformed into a breakfast treat. It contains rolled oats and fruit, similar to a bowl of oatmeal, and really, who is going to pass up a tasty muffin for breakfast? 🙂 I threw half of the batch in the freezer and in the morning I would pop one in the microwave for thirty seconds, and voila, I had breakfast on the go!  When Cherie and I were doing 24 hour ultramarathons, I would bake these in my mini-muffin pan to create bite size morsels that we could grab for an instant burst of energy (of course, those ones I made with chocolate chips) 😉

This recipe has a subtle hint of cinnamon and nutmeg, not what your would normally find in a banana muffin, but these flavours really work together. That first bite really reminds me of coffee cake. A hint of spice with a dense cake is a perfect partnership in flavour. I always pair my morning muffin with a big cup of coffee. They just seem to crave each others company.

I have played around with this recipe over the years to make it a bit healthier. I use half all purpose flour and half whole wheat flour, and have started to use almond milk in place of regular milk. It is still a treat, but one that we can feel a bit less guilty about.

What I love about muffins is that I feel a little bit better about myself when I make them instead of cupcakes. Don’t get me wrong, I have absolutely no problem having a cupcake (or two) for breakfast, but the muffin does make me feel like I am making a healthier choice. And isn’t that what it is all about, the choices that we make?

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Ingredients:

• 1 cup rolled oats
• 1 cup almond milk
• 1 cup all purpose flour
• 1 cup whole wheat flour
• 1/2 cup white sugar
• 3 over-ripe bananas – mashed
• 5 tsp baking powder
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 1 tsp salt
• 1/2 tsp cinnamon
• 1/4 tsp nutmeg
• 1/2 cup melted butter
• 2 eggs
• 2 tsp vanilla
• 1 1/2 cups frozen blueberries

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 375°F.
2. Combine rolled oats and almond milk, set aside.
3. In a large bowl, mix flours, sugar, salt, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon and nutmeg.
4. Add melted butter, eggs, vanilla and mashed bananas.
5. Add wet mixture to dry ingredients and stir until just combined.
6. Add in frozen blueberries and gently stir.
7. Fill muffin tins and bake for 20 minutes.