A few weeks ago, I began binge-watching Food Network shows, starting with The Pioneer Woman. I needed all of the tips I could get before filming the first few episodes of my new YouTube TV show!
Talking slowly, smiling at the camera, when to switch camera angles, how often to zoom in on my hands and mixing bowls, how to take a ladylike bite at the end without crumbs ending up all over my face and shirt… I soaked up a lot of knowledge by watching Ree (and Giada and Ina)!
In one of the first few Pioneer Woman episodes I watched, Ree shared a recipe for muffins tops: blueberry orange muffin batter dolloped onto a baking sheet instead of into regular muffin pans. She explained that she preferred the soft, sweet tops—and that she rarely ate the muffin bottoms!
I laughed as I heard that quip. I know a few people like that… And that’s what my 5-year-old self used to do too! But 10+ years ago, I discovered a simple trick that ensured the sides and bottoms of my muffins turned out just as tender as the tops—not tough or overly brown like usual!
I’ve used that easy trick to bake 99.9% of my muffins over the past 10+ years… Including these Healthy Cranberry Banana Muffins! They’re supremely tender and full of sweet banana flavor, with fresh tangy cranberries sprinkled liberally throughout the batter.
And yes—they’re just 108 calories and have that perfect soft muffin texture even without any refined flour or sugar! This special trick always makes the most incredible muffins!
My trick comes into play just before popping your muffins in the oven… So let’s quickly go over how to make the batter! It starts with whole wheat flour (or gluten-free, if you prefer!), along with baking powder and baking soda. I use both to ensure my muffins rise nice and tall!
Next comes the mashed banana. See those bananas? That’s the minimum amount of spots that I recommend! Bananas with more brown than yellow are perfect for baking because they contain a stronger flavor and more natural sweetness than their pure yellow friends. So those extra ripe bananas mean you’ll only need to mix in a couple tablespoons of pure maple syrup (like this!) to boost the sweetness. Hooray!
In addition to flavor and sweetness, the mashed banana also adds moisture to the batter for a more tender texture… And to amplify that, without using lots of butter or oil, you’ll also mix in a bit of Greek yogurt. I’m sure you know how much I ♡ Greek yogurt if you’ve been reading my blog for a while! It adds the same moisture as extra butter or oil to your muffin batter for a fraction of the calories, and it gives your muffins a protein boost, too. I always keep a big container in my refrigerator because I use it in so many of my recipes!
’Tis the season for fresh cranberries right now, with delicious memories of Thanksgiving lingering and the eager anticipation of Christmas dinner right around the corner… So that’s exactly what you’ll use! If you’re feeling lazy and don’t want to chop them all by hand, then just pop them in a food processor (this is the amazing one I own!) and pulse until they’re about ¼ of their original size. Super easy!
And now for that top-secret tip for supremely tender muffin sides and bottoms… I use these silicone muffin pans! Traditional metal muffin pans usually turn your muffin sides and bottoms really dark brown and slightly tough—but not silicone! They keep your muffins a light golden brown, just a few shades darker than the tops. True perfection!
Bonus: They’re really affordable and durable. I still have (and use!) the same silicone muffin pans from 10+ years ago when I first discovered them!
Ready to bake your own yummy muffins? And have them turn out supremely tender, thanks to my special trick? ? And when you make your own, remember to snap a picture and share it on Instagram using #amyshealthybaking and tagging @amyshealthybaking IN the photo itself! (That guarantees I’ll see your picture! ?) I’d love to see your muffins and feature them in my Sunday Spotlight series!
| Healthy Cranberry Banana Muffins | | Print |
- 2 cups (240g) whole wheat flour or gluten-free* flour (measured like this)
- 1 tsp baking powder
- ½ tsp baking soda
- ¼ tsp salt
- ½ tbsp (7g) unsalted butter or coconut oil, melted and cooled slightly
- 2 large egg whites, room temperature
- 1 ½ tsp vanilla extract
- ¼ cup (60g) plain nonfat Greek yogurt
- ¾ cup (200g) mashed banana (about 2 medium)
- 2 tbsp (30mL) pure maple syrup
- ½ cup (120mL) nonfat milk
- 1 ½ cups (165g) whole fresh cranberries, diced
- Preheat the oven to 350°F. Lightly coat 12 muffin cups with nonstick cooking spray. (See Notes!)
- In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. In a separate bowl, whisk together the butter, eggs, and vanilla. Mix in the Greek yogurt, stirring until no large lumps remain. Mix in the mashed banana and maple syrup. Alternate between adding the flour mixture and milk, beginning and ending with the flour mixture, and stirring just until incorporated. (For best results, add the flour mixture in 3 equal parts.) Gently fold in the cranberries.
- Spread the batter into the prepared muffin cups. Bake at 350°F for 21-24 minutes or until the tops feel firm to the touch and a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Cool in the pan for 5 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely.
White whole wheat flour, whole wheat pastry flour, or all-purpose flour may be substituted for the whole wheat flour.
For best results, use the ripest, darkest, most spottiest bananas you can find! The ones with more brown color than yellow are ideal. (See my picture in the blog post above!)
The mashed banana and Greek yogurt combined need to measure 1 cup. If you have slightly more than ¾ cup mashed banana, then reduce the Greek yogurt by the same amount, and vice versa.
Honey or agave may be substituted for the maple syrup.
Any milk may be substituted for the nonfat milk.
To quickly dice the cranberries, add them to a food processor (← that's the one I own and love!), and pulse until they’re no larger than ¼ of their original size.
Frozen and thawed cranberries that have been patted dry to remove any excess moisture may be substituted for the fresh. In a pinch, 1 cup of diced dried cranberries that have been hydrated may be substituted for the fresh cranberries. To hydrate the dried cranberries, add them to a microwave-safe bowl, add water until it rises ½” above the cranberries, and cover the top with a lid or plastic wrap. Microwave on HIGH for 1 minute. Let the cranberries sit while preparing the banana bread batter. Just before mixing them in, drain and pat dry.
I use these silicone muffin pans! Traditional metal muffin pans usually turn your muffin sides and bottoms really dark brown and slightly tough—but not silicone! They keep your muffins a light golden brown, just a few shades darker than the tops. True perfection!
{gluten-free, clean eating, low fat}
View Nutrition Information
You may also like Amy’s other recipes…
♡ Healthy Cranberry Pecan Banana Bread
♡ The Ultimate Healthy Cranberry Orange Muffins
♡ The Ultimate Healthy Banana Nut Muffins
♡ Healthy Cinnamon Apple Banana Bread
♡ Healthy Zucchini Banana Bread
♡ Healthy Cranberry Banana Oatmeal Cookies
♡ …and the rest of Amy’s healthy banana recipes!
I love your recipes and I think you have the best healthy baking site but what I’d like to know if it would be possible to add a jump to recipe button?
You’re so kind, Gayle! I’m truly honored that you love my recipes and would call my blog the best healthy baking site. Thank you so much! 🙂
I’m working on adding a “Jump to Recipe” button to all of my recipes. It requires some coding and reconfiguring of all recipes individually, and with 1000+ recipes on my website, it’s taking a bit of time to do. However, I promise adding that “Jump to Recipe” button to all recipes as quickly as possible is a top priority!
I really appreciate your patience — and if you end up making these muffins, I’d love to hear what you think of them!