Banana Walnut Muffins

I altered this recipe to make it gluten free, dairy free, and as healthy as possible:) Have fun and enjoy. I was pleasantly surprised at how amazing these were. I will put in parenthesis what I did to alter recipe.

Ingredients

1 cup old fashion oats, not quick cooking (1 cup gluten free oats)

1 cup 1% or fat-free buttermilk (1 cup organic lite coconut milk)

1 1/2 cups whole wheat pastry flour (1 1/2 cups gluten free all purpose baking flour Red Mill)

1 tsp of ground cinnamon

1tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp baking soda

1/4 tsp salt (sea salt)

1 large egg (1/4 cup flax meal added to 1/4 cup warm water. mix and set aside for later)

1/2 cup applesauce

1 cup mashed ripe bananas, 2 or 3 bananas

1/2 cup lightly packed light brown sugar (1/2 cup Coconut Secret Raw Coconut Crystals) a low Glycemic sugar alternative found at whole foods)

1/2 cup chopped walnuts

In large bowl, combine oats and coconut milk and set aside for an hour. Preheat oven to 350. Line your muffin pan and spray liners with cooking spray or if you don't have liners spray your pan. Not lining them will create a chewier crust around the muffin.

In small bowl, whisk together flour, cinnamon, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.

Take oats and milk mixture after it has set aside for an hour and add egg or flax mixture. If you use an egg, beat it before adding it. Add applesauce, banana, and sugar or sugar substitute until well blended. Add dry ingredients, whisking just until they are combined: over mixing makes muffins tough Spoon batter into prepared muffin tin. Add walnuts on top. I added them into the mixture and on top.

Bake 20 minutes if you are following original recipe. I used a 6 large muffin tin without liners and mine were cooked in 15 minutes. I tend to under cook my baked goods because I love them super moist so just watch them close and follow the old toothpick rule. If you follow my recipe and use a 12 muffin tin I would look at them at 10 minutes. The recipe made 9 large muffins for me. If you use a 12 tin pan, you will have more than 12 also.

Oh and I added gluten/dairy free chocolate chips to mine:)

Enjoy! You will not be able to only eat 1:)