Looking back on my childhood, I've come to realise that my mother was on the Real Food bandwagon long before said bandwagon even existed.
Oatmeal and yogurt only came in one flavour: plain. Cereal meant Rice Krispies and Cheerios - the unfrosted, unflavoured kind. Bread only came in brown, and milk only came in white. Drinks were either juice or water, and sometimes pop on a special occasion. Dessert, assuming we even had any, was fruit.
To my younger self, it seemed like my parents weren't very good at picking groceries. Everyone else had boxes of sugary cereal, cookies and granola bars in their cupboards, a carton or two of ice cream in the freezer, pudding in their lunchbox, and a box full of Coke cans in the living room. It just wasn't fair.
Being a somewhat clever child, I soon figured out that standing in front of the cupboards whining "I'm HUNGRY, and there's NOTHING to eat!" wouldn't magically produce individually-wrapped packets of delicious treats, and ended up devising a few semi-grab-and-go snacks I could cobble together.
My favourite snack of all consisted of a slice of toasted multigrain bread, slathered with peanut butter topped with sliced bananas and drizzled with honey.
The only problem is that peanut butter and honey have a near-magical ability to end up pretty much everywhere, no matter how carefully they're handled. I'd inevitably find little smears on my skin, on my clothes, in my hair, on the furniture... it's a good thing our only pets were fish, because I'm pretty I'd have managed to get some on a cat or dog if only we'd had one.
These muffins, on the other hand, bundle all those sticky, gooey ingredients in a conveniently tidy and portable package, without compromising on any of the wonderful balance of sweet and nutty flavours.
I've even used a blend of white and whole wheat flours to mimic the multigrain toast of my childhood, which has the added bonus of adding a healthy boost of fiber. (My childhood self would have wrinkled her nose at the idea of a whole wheat muffin, but my adult self quite likes the added flavour and texture it adds... so there!)
The only downside is that you don't get the burst of satisfaction that comes from licking that last errant dribble of honey off your elbow, but I think that's still a pretty fair trade.
Oh, and my mother? I'm sure she'd get a giggle out of opening my pantry these days, considering it doesn't look all that different from hers. I guess we have more in common than I thought.
//
Print
Peanut Butter Banana Muffins
- Total Time: 35 mins
- Yield: 12 1x
Description
All the goodness of a peanut butter and banana sandwich with none of the gooey mess!
Ingredients
- 1 cup mashed ripe bananas (2-3 medium bananas)
- ½ cup peanut butter
- ½ cup honey
- ½ cup plain yogurt
- 1 egg
- 3 tbsp canola oil
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- ¾ cup all purpose flour
- ¾ cup whole wheat flour
- 1 tsp baking powder
- ¼ tsp baking soda
- ½ tsp salt
- ½ tsp cinnamon
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400°F. Lightly grease a 12-cup muffin tin and set aside.
- In a large mixing bowl, beat together the mashed bananas, peanut butter, honey, yogurt, egg, oil and vanilla until smooth.
- In a small mixing bowl, stir together the remaining ingredients. Add to the wet ingredients, and stir until just barely combined. Divide batter among the prepared muffin cups.
- Bake in preheated oven for 20-25 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the centre of a muffin comes out with a moist crumb. Let cool in the pan for 10 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to finish cooling completely.
- Prep Time: 10 mins
- Cook Time: 25 mins
Anna Marie says
These muffins are terrific. My finicky husband loved them; definitely going to make them again.
★★★★★
Kimberly says
These are the BEST! My son loves Banana bread and anything Peanut Butter, however, finding moist and healthy at the same time has been a challenge. And he never really goes for muffins. Well, he went for these! These are amazing. The flavor is perfect and they are so moist. Thank you for this recipe.
★★★★★
Isabelle Boucher says
So glad your little guy enjoyed these, Kimberly!
Fallon says
Can you substitute a much cleaner / healthier oil for the Canola?
Isabelle Boucher says
Yes, the canola can be substituted with any oil of your choice. Just keep in mind that if the oil is very flavourful, it could affect the taste of the muffins, so I'd suggest sticking with something relatively neutral. Melted butter is another option, assuming you're okay with dairy.
mcquin eisenhauer says
it works so well my family loves it great and quick if your prepared
McQuin
★★★★★
Alizea says
Another successful recipe from your blog :) Thanks !
https://consapore-alizea.blogspot.com/2012/03/ciasto-bananowe-z-maslem-orzechowym.html
Katie says
I think all kids regard packaged snacks in the same way! Thank goodness we grow out of it. :)
These muffins look great. I made a PB and banana oatmeal the other day, but I'd love the combo in muffin form!
Russell van Kraayenburg says
It sounds like your parents knew what they were doing. I wish my junk-food-tooth wasn't so spoiled as a kid, it's made kicking some food habits and moving to an all natural, unprocessed diet tough! These muffins look divine. I am seriously questioning my foodie status since I have never tried a peanut butter and banana muffin.
Claire @ Blueberry Muffins says
5 shinning stars! Kids will surely love it! This is a match made in heaven. I hope new moms will learn from your story. :)
★★★★★
Deanna B. says
My house was the same way growing up. On the rare occasion we had cookies or brownies in the house we could eat it for breakfast as long as we had fruit and a glass of milk with it. My mom said at least she knew what was in the cookies, unlike Lucky Charms.
Miriam @ Overtime Cook says
My mom always gave me healthy snacks too, because I was a pretty chubby kid. I didn't get into peanut butter and banana until I grew up though. Love the combination- I'm going to try these muffins!
-Miriam
Catherine says
This makes me smile. I was on the same boat growing up, we had very little pre-made stuff around the house and I was always a little jealous of the other kids lunch or snacks. Little did we know then :)
These muffins look wonderful, love the combination of bananas, peanut butter and honey.