It’s no secret that I love walnuts – one quick scroll through my blog makes that pretty obvious! These small but mighty nuts are nutrient-dense and versatile in both sweet and savory recipes. And I can’t wait for you to try them in these Banana Walnut Muffins.
If you didn’t know, February is American Heart Month, making it the perfect time to talk more about walnuts. A heart-healthy diet includes nutrients like fiber and unsaturated fats, which is why walnuts are a key staple in this diet.* Just one ounce of walnuts contains 2 grams of fiber! And my favorite fun fact: walnuts contain more of the omega-3 fatty acid, ALA, than any other tree nut, with 2.5g/oz ALA!*
In this recipe, the walnuts are accompanied by other wholesome favorites, like oats and bananas. These ingredients help to ensure that these muffins are not only delicious, but also that they’re super nutrient dense too.
These muffins utilize only six simple, main ingredients. The ingredients create an end result that’s sweet without being too sweet and dense without being too dry. They’re filling, satisfying and of course, easy to make!
Plus, these muffins are great to enjoy at any time of the day. I recommend having one or two for breakfast or even as an afternoon snack. And if you really feel like getting fancy, warm one up, slice it in half and add a little walnut butter on top – yum!
As always, the few ingredients in these muffins are easy to find and, very possibly, ingredients that you already have at home. The muffins take no more 30 minutes to make, too. You know by now that you won’t find overly complicated or obscure recipes around here!
*California walnuts are certified by the American Heart Association. Heart-Check certification does not apply to recipes, research or information unless expressly stated. Supportive but not conclusive research shows that eating 1.5 ounces of walnuts per day, as part of a low saturated fat and low cholesterol diet and not resulting in increased caloric intake, may reduce the risk of coronary heart disease. One ounce of walnuts offers 18g of total fat, 2.5g of monounsaturated fat, 13g of polyunsaturated fat including 2.5g of alpha-linolenic acid – the plant-based omega-3.
Notes
- Oat flour: To make oat flour, simply add oats to a powerful food processor or blender and grind until the oats resemble a fine, flour-like consistency. I used about 3 cups of oats to get 2 ¾ cups of oat flour.
- Bananas: Don’t have ripe bananas on hand? Easy hack: place your bananas on a baking sheet and bake in the oven at 400 F for about 10 minutes. The bananas will be black on the outside, but perfectly ripe and soft on the inside for baking.
- Milk: Any kind of milk works here – your preference! I used an unflavored plant-based milk.
- Maple syrup: Feel free to swap the maple syrup 1:1 for honey.
- Walnuts: The best place to store walnuts is in the refrigerator if you’re going to use them right away, or in the freezer if they’ll be stored for a month or longer. Walnuts also absorb the flavors of other foods, so keep them away from foods with strong odors. You typically can find walnuts in the produce department, baking aisle or snack aisle at your local supermarket.
- Baking: Lowering the oven temperature at the end of baking helps to get a soft muffin with a perfectly crispy top. When lowering the temperature, make sure to keep the oven door closed so that the baking doesn’t get interrupted.
Ingredients
- 2 3/4 cup oat flour
- 1 tablespoon baking powder
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 2 large eggs
- 2 ripe bananas about 1 cup mashed
- 1/2 cup milk or plant-based milk
- 3/4 cup maple syrup
- 1 cup walnuts + 1/2 cup for topping
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 375 F. Line a muffin tin with muffin liners or spray with cooking spray.
- Add oat flour, baking powder and salt to a large bowl. Mix to combine.
- In a separate bowl, whisk eggs. Mash bananas and add to the bowl. Add eggs, milk and maple syrup and mix well.
- Mix wet ingredients into dry ingredients. Fold in 1 cup of chopped walnuts.
- Pour mixture evenly into a muffin tin. Top with remaining 1/2 cup walnuts, gently pressing the walnuts onto the tops of the muffins.
- Bake in the preheated oven for 12 minutes. Without opening the oven, lower temperature to 350 F and continue to bake for 5-6 minutes.
- Let muffins cool for a few minutes before serving.
