Looking for a tasty, healthy after school snack? Welcome to oat flour sweet potato banana nut mini muffins

 

Hey friends.

Hard to believe it’s already the end of August. I’ve been working on my low waste school snack game, and had to share these delicious Oat flour sweet potato banana nut mini muffins. These muffins are moist, delicately spiced, naturally sweetened and slightly salty thanks to the nutty coated muffin tops. They are full of fiber and healthy ingredients. 

The reason I love this recipe is that it’s not only delicious and healthy, but all of the ingredients are easy to come by without creating any plastic waste. Plastic is a major problem in our world today, and our family has changed the way we cook and eat to help minimize our impact. Some simple ways we do this is by – eating mostly plants, shopping at local markets and using reusable produce bags, composting food scraps, and being mindful of how ingredients are packaged. In Tunisia, I was able to find oats sold in a biodegradable paper bag, coconut oil sold in glass instead of plastic, nuts from a spice shop that I use my produce bags to hold, and more. I feel really great about baking up this healthy alternative to pre-packaged mini muffins. When I don’t use our silicone molds because we will be sharing our cupcakes or muffins with others, I love to use “if you care” baking cups, as they are biodegradable. 

 

Baking tips:

These muffins were baked in regular muffin tins, but appear small due to their lack of rising. They are not bakery-style muffins and do not have a great rise. If you have a mini muffin tin, go ahead and use it! Just note baking time may need to be reduced due to the difference in the size of the muffin. I would check them regularly after fifteen minutes for doneness Check by inserting a toothpick into the muffin, and if it’s removed clean it’s good to go. Otherwise, keep baking. A seed or nut coating is completely optional, but I love the extra taste, texture, and nutrients the combination adds. 

Topping:

Our favorite way to enjoy these muffins is with some almond butter. Coconut butter, and regular butter work great! I simply sprinkled our muffins with a combination of sunflower seeds, walnuts, and additional oats.

Nutrition: 

Sweet potatoes: 

They’re high in fiber and antioxidants, which protect your body from free radical damage and promote a healthy gut and brain.

They’re also incredibly rich in beta-carotene, which is converted to vitamin A to support good vision and your immune system.

Bananas:

they may boost digestive and heart health due to their fiber and antioxidant content.

Oat flour:

Oat flour contains fiber, protein, manganese, selenium, phosphorus, magnesium, iron, potassium, and zinc, among other nutrients. Thanks to its rich, nutty flavor, oat flour. Homemade oat flour simply requires putting your oats in the blender until they are finely ground into flour.

Source.

Now onto the recipe:

Yield: 12 muffins

Vegan sweet potato banana oat flour muffin

Print

Healthy, wholesome mini muffins!

Prep Time 10 minutes

Cook Time 25 minutes

Total Time 35 minutes

Ingredients

• 2 cups homemade oat flour
• 1 cup mashed sweet potato
• 2 ripe mashed bananas
• 1/4 cup maple syrup
• 2 tablespoons vanilla extract
• 1/2 cup coconut oil
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 1/2 tsp baking soda
• 1 tsp cinnamon
• 1/2 tsp salt
• optional: nut topping
• 1 tablespoon sunflower seeds
• 1 tablespoon walnuts
• 1 tablespoon additional oats

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 350F and line a muffin tin with silicon liners.
2. Make your homemade oat flour. Homemade oat flour simply requires putting your oats in the blender until they are finely ground into flour. Set aside.
3. In a large bowl, whisk mashed sweet potato, mashed bananas, coconut oil, maple syrup, and vanilla extract until well combined and smooth.
4. In a small bowl, mix your oat flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon and salt.
5. Combine mix ingredients and dry ingredients until well combined.
6. Pour batter into muffin tins and bake for 25 minutes. Insert a toothpick to check doneness.

optional: chop walnuts, seeds and oats in a food processor and sprinkle on tops of muffins before or after baking.