Gluten Free Oats, ground almonds, bananas, dates and coconut oil combine to create toothsome, tropical, and super moist muffins.
Author: Melissa D'Arabian, adopted by Ginger Wroot
Recipe type: Breakfast or Brunch
Cuisine: American
Serves: 12
Ingredients
½ cup (gently packed) pitted dates
2 tablespoons coconut oil (or other oil or butter), plus extra for coating muffin tin cups
2 medium bananas, ripe, roughly chopped
2 eggs, room temperature
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 ¼ cups rolled oats (gluten-free, if making gluten-free)
¾ cup almond flour (*see note below)
1 ½ teaspoons baking powder
¼ teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon cinnamon
½ teaspoon kosher salt
Pinch of xanthum gum, if making gluten free (optional)
*'To make your own almond flour, finely grind ¾ cup unsalted almonds in a food processor.
Instructions
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
Coat muffin tins with coconut oil, or use muffin tin liners.
Place the dates in a large mixing bowl and pour ½ cup boiling water on them and let them sit for 5 minutes to soften.Once dates are soft, then pour off the excess water, but do not drain completely; leave them very wet. Use a fork to smash the dates gently into a loose paste.
Using an electric mixer, mix the date paste, coconut oil and bananas on medium high speed until soft and creamy, about 2 minutes.
To the date mixture, add the eggs one at a time, mixing after each one, and then add the vanilla, mixing once more.
Place the oats in a food processor and pulse until oats become a coarse powder (I prefer them very coarse). Add the almond flour, baking powder and soda, cinnamon, salt, and xanthum gum, and pulse a few times to mix.
Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients half at a time, mixing after each addition. If the dough becomes too thick for the whisk attachment, fold in using a rubber spatula (my dough stayed relatively thin).
Use a small scoop or measuring cup to scoop dough into a standard muffin pan (or mini-muffin pan), either greased or fitted with paper liners.
Bake until muffins are golden brown on top and spring back to the touch, about 22-25 minutes for standard muffins, about 17-20 minutes for mini muffins.
If not using muffin liners, let cool 3-4 minutes before removing from muffin pan,
Refrigerate or freeze any leftovers. Can be reheated in microwave.
Recipe by GINGER WROOT at http://gingerwroot.com/gf-oatmeal-banana-date-muffins/