I keep saying that I am not a sweets person, and I am not–I would pick a savory dish over dessert any day of the week. However, I might have to change saying this if I keep creating happy accidents as I did a while back, when I whipped up a delicious dessert for Hubby.
He wanted a treat. I was not in the mood to go grocery shopping, so, I knew I would have to make do with what I had in the house.
I looked in the fridge and the pantry and came to a quick conclusion–I need to exercise my imagination and hope for a miracle. I had a few pears on hand, which became my inspiration.
I made batter, poured it into a muffin pan, placed it in the oven and nervously waited. To my eternal delight, when I finally cracked the door of the oven open, I saw my banana muffins–little brown pillows of culinary delight. My mouth watered, my taste buds were not disappointed either–the first bite I took literally melted in my mouth.
As soon as Sprout spotted me tasting the first muffin, she was on my case–she wanted one too! I could not cool them off fast enough in order for her to try it…she had three! Needless to say, Hubby was not disappointed either.
While this is not a totally guilt free recipe, it is an amazing treat for a special occasion.
Granola Topped Pear Banana Muffins
yields 12 muffins
Ingredients
- 1 cup apple sauce
- 2 heaping tbsp vegan mayo (I used Veganaise)
- 2 medium size ripe bananas
- 1.5 tsp baking soda
- 1 tsp apple cider vinegar or 1 tbsp lemon juice
- 1 cup sugar
- 1/8 tsp of sea salt
- 1 cup white flour
- 1/2 cup whole wheat flour
- 1.5 peeled and thinly sliced pear (*optional)
*I made these muffins with and without pears, and both variations were pretty amazing.
Granola Topping
Granola topping is optional, but it adds a lot to the muffin experience.
- ½ cup quick rolled oats
- ¼ cup unbleached organic white flour
- ¼ cup organic brown sugar
- 3-4 tablespoons olive oil
Preparation
Batter
- Place apple sauce, mayo, bananas, soda, lemon juice, salt and sugar in a food processor and blend until smooth
- Add flours and pulse until well integrated
- Fold in sliced pears
If you do not have a food processor, you can mash or grate bananas by hand, then use a whisk and a bowl to follow steps 1 through 3.
Baking
- Preheat oven to 375 F
- Line muffin pan with paper cups
- Fill cups 3/4 of the way with batter (if you want extra fluffy, over the top muffins, you can fill your cups almost all the way to the top)
- Bake 23 mins or until golden brown (you can test if muffins are ready by inserting a toothpick in the middle of a muffin; if it comes out dry, muffins are done)
- Let muffins cool for 3-5 mins, then place on a cooling rack for another 10-15 mins before enjoying.
- These muffins taste amazing when served with cold, unsweetened almond milk (we like the 365 (Whole Foods) brand).
(with granola topping; image from my instagram feed)
(delicious and juicy inside–no granola topping, with pears)
Make these. Enjoy them. Let me know how you liked them.
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