Feast of Green
Banana and Cardamom Oatmeal Muffins

Bananas, oats, dried mango, and citrus are the foods I’ve been consistently craving during this pregnancy, making frequent grocery runs to keep them in stock. These muffins fulfill two of my cravings at once, and with their super clean ingredient list are really more of a baked oatmeal than a traditional sweet muffin. They’re just slightly sweet, with a hint of banana and cardamom and a subtle crunch from chia seeds. They are honestly the perfect breakfast on-the-go – it’s much easier to grab a muffin than make a bowl of oatmeal, and you’re getting all the same (if not more) health benefit.

I love baking with oat flour because of its varied texture and because unlike other gluten-free flours, I find that it doesn’t need binding from xanthan gum, which can often result in a chewy texture. (I tried this recipe with and without xanthan, and “without” was the obvious winner.) Oats do not naturally contain gluten, but because they are almost always processed on the same equipment as wheat, people with serious gluten intolerances must make sure to buy “gluten-free certified” oat products. (Oats do contain proteins that are similar in structure to gluten, so some people with celiac or other autoimmune diseases may need to avoid oats entirely.) Oat flour can be bought at most grocery stores, but I usually just blend oats in a vitamix to make my own. (I like that this gives me some larger oat particles and more texture in the finished product.)

If you don’t have coconut oil on hand, feel free to use melted butter or ghee. I think coconut oil makes for the best flavor combination here and produces a perfectly crunchy muffin top, but you can never really go wrong with butter.

  • 1 1/2 cups mashed banana (about 3 bananas)
  • 1/4 cup maple syrup
  • 3/4 cup melted coconut oil
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla
  • 2 eggs (to make these vegan, use flax eggs)
  • 2 1/4 cups oat flour
  • 1 teaspoon baking powder
  • 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 3/4 teaspoon cardamom
  • 2 tablespoons chia seeds

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees, and line a muffin tin with parchment cups. Combine the wet ingredients: bananas, maple syrup, coconut oil, vanilla, and eggs. Stir until well combined.

In a separate bowl, stir together the dry ingredients: oat flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cardamom, and chia seeds. Stir the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients until well combined.

Spoon evenly into prepared muffin tins – should make 10-12 muffins. Bake for 25-30 minutes.

These are best eaten within a day but are perfectly good for a couple days, stored in an airtight container.

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