Banana Bran Flax Muffins

Last weekend I had some overripe bananas that needed to be used, so I thought it would make a good variation for Bran Flax Muffins. Only I didn’t have any eggs.

I googled substituting eggs in recipes, and it turns out that a  banana is a good substitute for eggs, along with the addition of an extra ½ teaspoon of baking soda for every egg substituted. I was in business!

My adjustments means that the muffins are gluten free (if you use gluten free oat flour) and vegan.

The muffins came out great, so I’m sharing the recipe. I also did a quick nutrient analysis (I was in the mood having just analyzed the granola recipe – which I added to the updated version). 

I was surprised that the fiber content wasn’t higher. As it is, most of the fiber comes from the flax seeds – nearly double what the oat bran offers. But if you eat two, which is reasonable given the calories, then you get a good dose of fiber. At least it is better then most muffins, which are more like eating cake.

One last note, I used honey in the recipe, but I don’t think it was needed. This much fruit gives quite a bit of sweetness to the muffins.

Banana Bran Flax Muffins
1 cup oat flour
½ cup cornmeal or polenta
(you could substitute other whole grain flours)
¾ cup freshly ground flax seed
¾ cup oat bran
¼ cup honey (or agave nectar) – see note below
3 tsp baking soda
1 tsp baking powder
½ tsp salt
2 tsp cinnamon (or 1 TBSP!)
½ tsp ginger
1 cup chopped walnuts (or other nuts)
¾ cup soy milk or milk
1 tsp vanilla
3 ripe bananas, mashed
1 apple, finely chopped
½ cup dried cranberries

Mix the dry ingredients in one bowl and the wet ingredients in a second bowl. Pour the liquid ingredients over the dry ingredients and stir until moistened (do not over mix). Bake in muffin tins at 350 degree oven for 15 – 20 minutes. Alternatively, bake in a 9 x 13 in pan for a little longer.

I think of two muffins as a serving as a meal, or one muffin when eaten with something else.

Note: I find that if I use a pastry brush to lightly coat the muffin tins with olive oil, they are easy to remove without using paper liners and the pans still clean easily if soaked. I’ve never tried freezing the muffins, but the friend who gave me this recipe told me that she freezes the uncooked batter.

Makes 24 muffins:
Each muffin contains: 124 calories, 3.4 grams protein, 5.5 gm fat (from the flax and walnuts), 18 grams total carbohydrate, 7 grams of sugar and 3.2 grams of fiber

Note: The fruit makes them pretty sweet. If you leave out the honey/agave you drop the calories to 114 each, and the carbohydrate to 15.26 and sugar to 4.21.

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