Butternut Squash Banana Muffins (Printable view)
Moist muffins blending roasted butternut squash and sweet banana, ideal for breakfast or snacks.
# What You'll Need:
→ Produce
01 - 1 cup butternut squash purée (roasted and mashed)
02 - 1 cup ripe banana (about 2 bananas), mashed
→ Wet Ingredients
03 - 2 large eggs
04 - 1/3 cup melted coconut oil (or vegetable oil)
05 - 1/2 cup maple syrup or honey
06 - 1 tsp vanilla extract
→ Dry Ingredients
07 - 1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
08 - 1 tsp baking soda
09 - 1/2 tsp baking powder
10 - 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
11 - 1/4 tsp ground nutmeg
12 - 1/4 tsp salt
→ Mix-ins (optional)
13 - 1/2 cup chopped walnuts or pecans
14 - 1/2 cup dark chocolate chips
# Steps:
01 - Preheat oven to 350°F. Line a 12-cup muffin tin with paper liners or grease lightly with oil.
02 - In a large bowl, whisk together the butternut squash purée and mashed banana until smooth and free of lumps.
03 - Add the eggs, melted coconut oil, maple syrup (or honey), and vanilla extract to the purée mixture. Whisk until well combined and homogeneous.
04 - In a separate bowl, sift together the all-purpose flour, baking soda, baking powder, ground cinnamon, ground nutmeg, and salt until evenly distributed.
05 - Gently fold the dry ingredient mixture into the wet mixture, stirring until just combined. Take care not to overmix, as this will result in dense muffins.
06 - If using, gently fold in the chopped walnuts or pecans and dark chocolate chips until evenly distributed throughout the batter.
07 - Divide the batter evenly among the prepared muffin cups, filling each about two-thirds to three-quarters full.
08 - Bake for 22 to 25 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center of a muffin comes out clean and the tops are lightly golden.
09 - Allow the muffins to cool in the pan for 5 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely before serving.
# Expert Advice:
01 -
- These muffins pull off the rare trick of tasting indulgent while being packed with real vegetables and fruit.
- The natural sweetness from both the squash and banana means you can cut back on added sugar without anyone noticing.
- They freeze beautifully, which means you can stash a batch and have ready breakfasts for weeks.
02 -
- Overmixing the batter is the fastest way to turn tender muffins into dense, rubbery ones, so stop folding the second the flour disappears.
- Letting the squash puree cool completely before combining it with the other ingredients prevents the coconut oil from seizing and creating weird clumps.
03 -
- Roast your squash cut side down at 400 degrees F for about 40 minutes until it collapses into softness, then scoop and mash for the best flavor.
- Letting the batter rest for 10 minutes before filling the cups gives the flour time to hydrate and produces a taller, more even dome on each muffin.