When I wrote this Coffee Break post, I had no idea what would happen. The night before I hit publish, I called my mom and mentioned I felt a little nervous. “It isn’t my regular recipe post,” I explained. “What if everyone thinks I’m crazy?”
The next day when I logged onto my computer, I found dozens of comments and emails from you expressing your gratitude for sharing what I had written. I felt overwhelmed as I read every word you wrote, and I even felt a few tears well up in my eyes at some of your messages. Thank you for sharing your wonderful comments!
Over the past year, I’ve realized messages like that are ones we need to hear — and practice! — every day. It’s like going to the gym. You don’t walk through the doors once a month (or once a year!) and expect to immediately become fit after one workout…
Yet that’s how many of us approach this other aspect of life. (Myself included, up until 2017!)
Psst… If you’re completely confused about what I’m talking about, here is my blog post I’m referencing!
While I hope to share more blog posts like that in the future, I’m sticking with baked treats today… Specifically these healthy apple banana muffins! They’re full of sweet fruit flavor, and they’re great for quick grab-and-go breakfasts or snacks. I’ve even been known to eat one as a pre-bedtime treat!
In other words… They rarely last long in my house! 😉
KEY INGREDIENTS TO MAKE HEALTHY APPLE BANANA MUFFINS
Let’s talk about what you’ll need to make these healthy apple banana muffins!
Flour. You’ll start with white whole wheat flour. It’s not a combination of white (aka all-purpose) flour and regular whole wheat flour… Regular whole wheat flour comes from a heartier variety of red wheat, but white whole wheat flour is made by finely grinding a special type of soft white wheat — hence the name! This gives white whole wheat flour a lighter taste and texture, which lets the fruit flavor truly shine in these healthy banana muffins.
Tip: If you’d like to make your healthy apple banana muffins gluten-free, then see the Notes section of the recipe. I’ve shared how to do so there!
Leavening agents. You’ll use both baking powder and baking soda to make these healthy apple banana muffins. We’ll cover why it’s important to include both momentarily!
Spices. It feels strange to bake any type of apple treat without spices… So I added two. That turned out so well! You’ll mix in both cinnamon and allspice. Although its name sounds confusing, allspice is a single spice — not a blend! It’s called allspice because it tastes like a combination of cinnamon, nutmeg, and cloves. The allspice really rounds out the spice flavor and makes these healthy muffins taste so irresistible!
Tip: This is my favorite cinnamon because it tastes stronger, warmer, and a bit sweeter than the regular kind. It’s basically the only cinnamon I use in my baking now!
Greek yogurt. With just 1 teaspoon of melted butter or coconut oil, the rest of the tender texture comes from two ingredients: Greek yogurt and mashed banana. If you’ve been around my blog for a while, you know how much I love including Greek yogurt in my healthy baking recipes! It adds the same moisture as extra butter or oil for a fraction of the calories. It gives your treats a protein boost, too!
Bananas. The mashed banana actually plays 3 roles! Flavor (obviously!), moist and tender texture (just like the Greek yogurt!), and natural sweetness.
See those bananas above? That’s the minimum amount of brown spots I recommend. More is even better! That’s because the brown bananas contain more natural sweetness and a stronger flavor than the pure yellow ones. They also add more moisture to the batter. Thus, brown bananas = the key to the best banana muffins. (And banana bread! Have you tried my ultimate healthy banana bread yet??)
Secret ingredient. This healthy banana recipe includes a special ingredient… A small amount of distilled white vinegar! Just an itty bitty bit. I promise you can’t taste it! The acid in the vinegar reacts with the baking soda to help these muffins rise and achieve a more tender texture. (It’s a secret ingredient in my ultimate healthy banana bread recipe, too!)
Pure maple syrup. The ripe bananas add lots of natural sweetness, so you’ll only use a touch to boost that fruity flavor! Make sure it’s the real kind that comes directly from maple trees. The only ingredient on the label should be “maple syrup,” and it’s often sold in thin glass bottles or squat plastic jugs (like this).
Apples. For the second fruit component, you’ll need apples. (Very obvious, I’m sure!) I highly recommend red Fuji apples! They’re my favorite for baking because they have a nice firm texture and lots of natural sweetness.
And because someone always asks… I’m lazy and leave the skin on, but you’re welcome to peel your apples before folding them into the batter, if you prefer!
HOW TO MAKE HEALTHY APPLE BANANA MUFFINS
Let’s briefly cover how to make this healthy apple banana muffins recipe! It’s easy and straightforward, so I mainly have a few quick tips for you, starting with…
Measure correctly. It’s really important to measure all of the ingredients correctly — especially the flour and bananas! For the flour, use this method or a kitchen scale. (← That’s the one I own!) Too much flour will dry out the batter, and it will also make your muffins crumbly and bland. Yet if you take a few extra moments to measure it properly, your apple banana muffins will turn out perfectly soft and moist.
For the mashed banana, measure by cups or grams — not by number of bananas! This is because not all small, medium, or large bananas are the exact same size. If yours are a bit on the big side, you’ll end up mixing too much banana into the batter… Which will add extra moisture, prevent your muffins from baking correctly, and cause them to collapse while cooling and turn out overly dense. On the other hand, if yours are a bit on the small side, your muffins will turn out dry and bland.
So pull out those measuring cups — or a kitchen scale (bonus points for fewer measuring cups to wash!) — for the best tasting muffins with a perfectly moist and tender texture!
Finely dice the apple. That’s right… Dice. Not slice, not chop, and definitely not mince! Your apple pieces should be no larger than the size of chocolate chips. This ensures that (a) your muffins bake evenly and (b) the apples soften while in the oven. (Larger apple chunks remain crisp and firm!)
Tip: I always reserve some pieces to press into the tops of the muffin batter just before baking… I think it makes them look really cute and inviting, don’t you?
Bake. These muffins finish baking relatively quickly, so don’t stray too far from the kitchen! They’re ready to come out of the oven when the tops feel firm to the touch and a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean or with some crumbs attached.
Ready to bake a batch? 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 healthy apple banana muffins!
Healthy Apple Banana Muffins
Ingredients
- 2 cups (240g) white whole wheat flour or gluten-free* flour (measured like this)
- 2 tsp ground cinnamon
- ¼ tsp ground allspice
- 1 tsp baking powder
- ¾ tsp baking soda
- ¼ tsp salt
- 1 tsp unsalted butter or coconut oil, melted and cooled slightly
- 2 large egg whites, room temperature
- 2 tsp vanilla extract
- 1 tsp distilled white vinegar
- ¼ cup (60g) plain nonfat Greek yogurt
- ¾ cup (200g) mashed banana (about 2 medium – and see Notes!)
- 2 tbsp (30mL) pure maple syrup
- ½ cup (120mL) nonfat milk
- 1 ¼ cups (156g) diced Fuji apple (about 1 large – and see Notes!)
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F. Coat 12 muffin cups with nonstick cooking spray. (If using liners, then line 12 muffins cups with liners and coat them with cooking spray.)
- In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, cinnamon, allspice, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. In a separate bowl, whisk together the butter, eggs, vanilla, and vinegar. 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.) Set aside 2 tablespoons of the apple, and gently fold in the rest.
- Divide the batter between the prepared muffin cups, and gently press the remaining apple into the tops. Bake at 350°F for 18-21 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 carefully transferring to a wire rack to cool completely.
Notes
View Nutrition Information + Weight Watchers Points
You may also like Amy’s other recipes…
♡ Healthy Small Batch Banana Muffins
♡ Healthy Banana Oatmeal Muffins
♡ Healthy Chocolate Chip Banana Bran Muffins
♡ Healthy Cinnamon Apple Mini Muffins
♡ Healthy Zucchini Banana Muffins
♡ Healthy Cinnamon Apple Banana Bread
♡ Healthy Carrot Cake Banana Bread
♡ …and the rest of Amy’s healthy banana recipes and healthy muffin recipes!
I’ve baked a lot of muffins in my many years. While these were ok, I felt they were lacking in flavor. Need more banana flavor for one, also felt they weren’t sweet enough. I don’t like muffins that are too sweet, but these could have used more. They actually tasted a little bitter. Good color and texture though. I would try this recipe again but I would definitely make some changes.
I really appreciate your interest in my recipe Carol! That sounds disappointing, and I’m happy to work with you to make sure that doesn’t happen again. 🙂 How ripe were your bananas? Were they as brown as the ones in my photo in the blog post? Did you make any substitutions, including those listed in the Notes section, and did you see the Note about how to make sweeter tasting muffins as well? 🙂
Made these today (5x); they were nice! Though I understand what the earlier poster said in that the flavors blend together so completely, yet subtly, that somehow they just don’t stand out with pizazz. Still nice muffins, though.
Thank you!
Marianna
I’m truly honored that you’ve been making many of my recipes Marianna! That means the world to me! 🙂 As always, thanks so much for taking the time to let me know!
About to try make these muffins. So excited! I love healthy recipes. I think I’ll be using your website a lot.
Thought I should update you. The muffins turned out amazing and I even added some peanut butter for my peanut butter loving husband. Definitely getting more healthy recipes from you in the future.
I’m so glad you and your husband enjoyed these muffins Lucie! Thank you for taking the time to let me know. It means the world to me that you’d consider trying more of my recipes — I’m so honored! 🙂 I can’t wait to hear what you pick to try next! (And as a PB lover, I definitely love your idea of adding some into these muffins too!)
Ooh! Nice idea of adding peanut butter. Definitely making this soon! 🙂
I’m so excited to hear what you think of these muffins Chassidy! 🙂
Made these muffins and added peanut butter like Lucie. Turned out delicious! 🙂 Now I have to make another one of your recipes!
I’m so glad you loved these muffins Chassidy! That really means a lot to me — thank you for taking the time to let me know! 🙂 I can’t wait to hear what you pick to try next too!