Banana cinnamon muffins overhead

Banana and cinnamon muffins with a twist

Banana and cinnamon muffins with a twist? What’s this twist, you say? …… avocado! ๐Ÿ˜ฎ You know I love to sneak ‘green things’ into the foods I cook for my husband…. particularly the green things he doesn’t like, and avocado is one of those. Mind you he has no issue dolloping guacamole on his homemade tacos on taco Tuesday, he seems to disassociate that from avocado somehow. Go figure ๐Ÿ™„

If you’re not an avocado fan yourself the good news is you really can’t taste it at all in these muffins. It also doesn’t impart any colour so you won’t end up with green treats! …. although that would be fun, wouldn’t it? ๐Ÿ˜€

Avocado is such a wonderful food to include as part of a wholesome diet. I still find quite a lot of my clients are fat phobic and are somewhat reluctant to include even the good fats, which is something we continue to work on. This is because including the right fats each day is absolutely necessary for good health, and avocado is one of the best.

Avocado is rich in oleic acid (just like olive oil), which is anti-inflammatory, high in antioxidants and can help to reduce cholesterol and triglycerides. A definite heart healthy foodย ๐Ÿ’— It is also an excellent source of fibre, vitamin K and folate as well as containing good amounts of vitamin C, potassium (more than bananas!), B vitamins, vitamin A and vitamin E. You see why I love people to enjoy it on a daily basis!

The thing I really love about the avocado in these banana and cinnamon muffins with a twist is, it keeps them from drying out. If you use a lot of coconut flour in your gluten-free baking, you’ll know unless you get that liquid to dry goods balance just right, whatever you bake can turn out quite dry. Coconut flour is very thirsty, but I’ve found using avocado helps to reduce that dryness quite significantly thanks to the fat content.

These muffins are very versatile and can be enjoyed for breakfast, snacks or even dessert. They’re not overly sweet and are quite dense making them very filling. They’re also delicious when served with a little coconut yoghurt and berries or any other toppings of your choice.

So how do you feel about avocado? Is it a yay or nay for you, and have you ever baked with it before? Let me know in the comments, I’d love to know your experiences with this super nutritious food ๐Ÿ™Œ๐Ÿป

Banana and cinnamon muffins with a twist

Banana Muffins With a Twist
Makes 12 muffins

Ingredients

  • 3 medium, ripe bananas (250g of flesh)
  • 1 avocado (150g of flesh)
  • 3 medium, organic eggs
  • 1/2 cup nut butter or tahini
  • 1/3 cup + 1 Tbsp coconut flour (40g)
  • 1/4 cup cacao nibs
  • 1/4 cup maple syrup
  • 2 Tbsp macadamia oil (or coconut oil for a nut free version)
  • 1 tsp baking powder
  • 1 tsp vanilla extract
  • 1 tsp cinnamon
  • Pinch of salt

Directions

  1. Preheat oven to 180 degrees Celsius / 356 degrees Fahrenheit
  2. Line a 12 hole muffin tray with paper baking cups (I used If You Care)
  3. Place all ingredients in a blender and blend until smooth (Thermomix speed 4 for 15 seconds)
  4. Spoon evenly into each muffin liner then bake for 20 minutes. Test the muffins are ready by inserting a skewer into the centre of one and ensuring it comes out clean. If not, bake for another 5 minutes and repeat but don’t over-bake or they will be dry
  5. Leave to cool in the tin (if you can!) then enjoy!ย I like these just as they are but you might like to top with nut butter and berries, coconut yoghurt and nuts or anything else you fancy
  6. Store in the fridge (they also freeze well)

Banana and cinnamon muffins Pinterest

10 Comments

  1. They look absolutely delicious! Pinned and shared! <3

  2. These look so good Gabby, I must try to make your recipes with avocado but I have to say that in my country, it’s very hard to find ready to eat avocados, they’re often hard as stones ๐Ÿ˜‰

  3. I love avocado! My problem is the last 2 times I have eaten it I became very ill! I’m kind of afraid to try it again! I wish I could eat these yummy muffins! Maybe I should give it another go!

    • Oh no!! When I was struggling with histamine intolerance a little while back, avocados used to make me feel quite unwell too…. but Iโ€™m very glad Iโ€™m over all of that. Poor you! โ˜น๏ธ

  4. Okay um these sounds so yummy! I honestly think Iโ€™m the only person who doesnโ€™t LOVE avocado. I want to love it but I just canโ€™t eat it straight. This is such a great alternative to getting in those good fats! I may try to make these for Christmas morning!

    • I hope you enjoy them if you do, Aleka! You are not alone…. my husband hates avocado but he loves guacamole and these muffins ๐Ÿ˜ณ๐Ÿ˜‚

  5. I bet the avocado keeps the muffins moist. Very cool! I’ll have to try it. I love avocados and mostly just eat them plain or next to eggs. I bet these taste great! I’ll give it a try as it is tricky using coconut flour and I’m on the look out for more recipes using it.

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