Banana Oat Muffins (gluten-free, nut-free, with dairy-free and egg-free options)

These gluten-free muffins have become a family favourite. They freeze fairly well so can be popped into a school lunch quite easily. The oats give them more protein than your traditional flour-based muffin, and they’re fairly forgiving if you need to replace some of the ingredients with others you have on hand (see below).

Prep time: About 15 minutes. Cook time: About 20 minutes. Yield: 12 muffins. 

Ingredients:

1 cup rolled oats (such as the sprouted gluten-free oats at Costco)

1 cup gluten-free flour (Bob’s Red Mill 1 to 1  gluten-free flour works well)

1 tsp baking powder

1 tsp baking soda

1/2 tsp salt (preferably rock salt or sea salt)

1/2 cup honey (raw local honey is best)

3 bananas (especially the ones that are starting to spoil, or ones directly from your freezer)

2 large eggs

1 stick of butter (i.e. 1/2 cup), melted

Chopped dates or dark chocolate chips, optional

Gluten-Free Muffins Instructions:

1. Mix all wet ingredients (bananas, honey, eggs, melted butter).
2. Add the oats and let them soak for about 10 minutes. (This is key to moister, fluffier muffins!)
3. In a separate bowel, mix the remaining dry ingredients (flour, baking powder and baking soda, salt)
4. Add dry ingredients to wet ingredients.
5. Spoon into oiled ceramic muffin tin or silicone muffin cups. Cook at 350 degrees F for about 20 minutes.

Substitutions:

1. Dairy-Free: Butter is often okay for people who are dairy-sensitive. If you need a dairy-free option, try 1/4 cup + 2 tbsp oil (instead of the butter) AND replace one of the bananas with 1 cup of a yogurt replacement (such as oat yogurt). The result might be a bit drier than optimal, but still doable if you add something sweet like chopped dates to the muffins.
2. Applesauce to replace the bananas works well too. (Consider adding cinnamon and replace the chocolate chips with raisins if you do this.)
3. Egg-free: Eggs can each be replaced with chia seeds: For each egg, let 1 tbsp of chia seeds soak in 2.5 tbsp water for about 5 minutes. (The muffins will be a bit drier if you replace both eggs with “chia eggs”.)
4. Strict gluten-free: Some people with Celiac disease are unable to tolerate even gluten-free oats. Try substituting almond flour or any kind of nut flour.

*Image by Pam Carter from Pixabay