I have a couple recipe “blogging rules” that I always try to follow: If I don’t feel a recipe in my heart, it doesn’t go on the blog. I’m true to that, especially over the past few years. Sometimes I drive myself a bit nuts (like the multiple recipes I tested this week and did not post). Also, if I can’t imagine myself (honestly) making the recipe again in the future, it doesn’t get posted. Eric gives me the low-down too. No sugar-coating.
It’s not that the recipes are horrible or that we don’t eat the leftovers (I will pretty much eat anything that I make!), but sometimes they just lack a certain je ne sais quoi. When you know it, you know it.
Anyway, after one bite (and 2, 3, 4, 5…) of these muffin tops, I knew it was going on the blog. No second guessing. My heart, mind, body, taste buds all screamed OH HECK YES.
Granted, these fall under that unfortunate category of “tastes much better than it looks” – why do the homeliest foods always taste the best? This photo shoot was…interesting, to say the least. But really who cares what they look like? If you love chewy, gooey, dense, and naturally sweetened muffin tops you will adore these. These are not fluffy like a muffin. This recipe is simple to make (if you can throw things in a food processor you are golden!), uses common pantry ingredients, and the banana bread flavour is just heavenly – especially when served warm with a pat of vegan butter. I tested a batch the other night and we happily enjoyed some cuddled up on the couch watching our favourite shows. Sketchie curled up in my lap on a blanket…always.
Even better, there’s no added sugar (thanks to the banana and date purée), unless you count the chocolate chips (covering my ears and singing la la la la laaaa) which you can easily replace with walnuts.
Actually, I think my favourite part about this entire recipe is that I didn’t dirty a single muffin pan! I don’t know what it is, but I would rather climb Mount Everest than clean out a muffin tin.
Anyone?
Banana Bread Muffin Tops
Yield
9 large cookies
Prep time
Cook time
Total time
Ultra dense and chewy, these banana bread muffin tops make a great running-out-the-door breakfast or snack. Sweetened with banana and dates, there are no added sugars (and the chocolate chips can be easily swapped for walnuts). Try them warm served with a pat of vegan butter, nut butter, or coconut oil.
Ingredients
- 2 large ripe bananas, peeled (230 grams banana without peel)
- 1/2 cup packed pitted Medjool dates (125 grams pitted dates)*
- 1/4 cup virgin coconut oil
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/4 + 1/8 teaspoon fine grain sea salt
- 2 cups gluten-free rolled oats, divided
- 3-4 tablespoons non-dairy chocolate chips (or chopped dark chocolate)
Directions
- Preheat oven to 350F and line a large baking sheet with parchment paper.
- Add the peeled bananas, pitted dates, coconut oil, and vanilla into a food processor. Process until smooth. I let it run for a minute or so.
- Add in the cinnamon, baking powder, and salt and process again until combined.
- Add in 1.5 cups of the rolled oats and process for only 4-5 seconds, just long enough to roughly chop the oats.
- Remove processor from the base and then remove the blade and set aside. Carefully stir in the remaining 1/2 cup rolled oats and the chocolate chips.
- Spoon a large portion of dough (about 3-4 tablespoons or so for each) onto the parchment. Do not press down on the dough to flatten - simply leave it in a mound on the baking sheet.
- Bake cookies for 10 minutes, rotate the pan, and bake for another 7-9 minutes until golden brown on the bottom.
- Immediately transfer the baking sheet onto a cooling rack for 10 minutes. Then lift off muffins and place on the rack to cool completely.
Tip:
Make sure you use very soft Medjool dates. If you are using firm dates, be sure to soak them in water until softened before proceeding with recipe.
Nutrition Information
(click to expand)PS – We’re looking into why some of you didn’t receive the first newsletter (be sure to check your “social” and “promotions” folders if you use Gmail, by the way). I will most likely post the info on my book page in the near future in case you did not receive it. Stay tuned!
Wow! So yummy! Was planning to make some type of banana muffins for dance teachers year-end thank you gift and I came across these. I’m sure they’ll love the health factor of these as well as their yumminess! I substituted carob chips, which I learned, are sugar free so I can pronounce these babies sugar and gluten free!
What a nice idea — I’m sure the teachers will appreciate your thoughtfulness!! I hope they enjoy the muffin tops. :)
I’ve been cooking from your blog and book for 1.5 years and had never tried these. Your newsletter inspired me last night and I made them immediately, using walnuts instead of chocolate. These are amazing, Angela! I can’t thank you enough for all the inspiration. These will be a new go-to in this house.
Hi Melissa, Oh, I’m so glad you saw the recipe in this week’s newsletter and gave it a shot! It’s on frequent rotation around here. I’m glad it earned your seal of approval, and hope you enjoy many batches to come.
WOW!! Just made these for the first time and immediately ate three. Delicious! I’ll definitely be making these many times…probably this week ?
My breastfeeding infant is allergic to coconut, so I substituted olive oil.
Is there anything I could substitute the oats with?
Hi Stefanie, Since the oats make up a large proportion of this recipe, that’s a bit of a toughie! I really don’t know if there’s a perfect substitution. My guess would be that a mixture of quinoa flakes, ground nuts, and a different flour could work, but it would be an experiment for sure! Good luck if you give it a try. :)
These are also delicious with half banana and half baked and pureed kabocha squash!
Good to know, thanks Sophie! :)
These are delicious!!! I made them last Saturday and they are delicous! Thank you, Angela <3
I just made these and had to instagram them (#ohsheglows) – they are so good! I cheated and used normal semi sweet chocolate chips because I didn’t have non-dairy ones, and my dates were not Medjool and a bit hard (even after soaking) so I ended up having to fish them out of the banana blitz and chop them up by roughly hand, and I only had quick cooking oats so I just used that instead without buzzing them up in the blender. Going to make another batch because these won’t last long:)
Oh, I’m glad you enjoyed them, Tatianna!
Loved these! I affectionately call them banana clumps. I love that (a) the bananas and dates provide natural sweeteners as opposed to using added sugars and (b) the recipe calls for only 1/4 cup of oil. I added some hemp and chia seeds for extra nutritional goodness.
“Banana clumps” – lol, love it! Too cute. :)
So yummy! Did not use a food processor (just used my dinky blender) so it was not very smooth (think small date chunks) but I loved the texture! Even threw in some whole oats which was great. Next time I would add some ground flax for an extra nutritional boost, and some nuts for texture. Calling up my veggie mom right away so she can make some!
Just wanted to let you know that these are amazing. I made 13 batches yesterday, my 6 year old eats these like crazy. For anyone wondering- they freeze and thaw wonderfully. I will never stop recommending people this recipe/website.
Thanks for the love, Emily! :)
Thanks for sharing that, Emily. Any specific tips on how to freeze them?
Christine
Just tried these today; will be making these again! Super easy (especially if you have a Vitamix blender!) and fast. My boyfriend approved of the recipe, too! I used chocolate chips, but might swap in pecans or walnuts next time. Great way to use up some uber-ripe bananas! Thank you, thank you….
Sounds like they were a big hit! So glad to hear it :)
These are the perfect easy and delicious snack. Does anyone know the nutritional value. My batch seperated into 18 1.5T bites.
I love these so much and make them quite frequently. Is it possible to freeze them?
Yes you can definitely freeze them, for probably 4 to 6 weeks. Wrap them tightly with plastic wrap and then pop them into a freezer safe airtight container.
These are fabulous!
I’ve made these a few times and my goodness are these absolutely delicious! I can’t believe there is no sweetener in this, the dates & banana are sweet enough! Love that I can have these as a non-guilty snack :)
I’m so glad you enjoyed them so much! Thanks for your review :)
Hi! I love your recipes. I’m doing weight watchers and trying to calculate various point values. Do you have the combined nutritional values per serving anywhere for your recipes? Thanks!
Hey Kristen, I’m sorry I don’t, but in my second book (OSG Every Day) I did hire a nutritionist to calculate the nutritional info. There’s a link in the intro of the book for the nutritional info of those recipes.
Love these cookies!! What is the best way to store them so they don’t lose their crunch?
Hey Kelly, Thanks, I’m so happy you love them! As for not losing their crunch, that is a tricky one as I find most cookies tend to soften with time (especially loving in a high humidity area). Maybe the freezer or a paper bag? I’m really not sure. You could also try “toasting” them in a toaster oven after storing if you really wanted to.
These are fantastic and are really helpful to have around, especially for school lunches as they are nut-free! They are great to serve to kids as they avoid pretty much all of the most common food restrictions. And besides from the kids – I find them to be a satisfying little sweet treat and are easy to pack on the go.
Hey Allison, Woohoo, I’m so happy the muffin tops went so well. :) Thanks for your review!
Hi Angela Love your recipes, I have been having a problem with your muffin tops. The timing for cooking them in a 350 degree oven seems to make them have dark bottoms to almost black. I have tried adjusting times and where in the oven they are baked and it makes no difference. Should I lower the temp ?What should I do.
Hey Susanne, Oh I’m sorry to hear that you’re having trouble with dark bottoms! I would probably try lowering the temp a bit yes…it sounds like your oven temp might be a bit hot? Maybe try baking the at 325F for a bit longer. Is your rack positioned to the middle and not the bottom? Are you using parchment paper? Just brainstorming here! :)
Hi Angela. Thank you for replying. I will try lowering the temp. Does this change the baking time? I use parchment all the time, when I am baking. My rack is in the middle of the oven and always baking one cookie sheet at a time. I have 2 grandsons and my self that require vegan baking. I am always learning.
Hey Susanne, Thanks for getting back! Yes, I think you’d need to bake them longer if you reduce the temperature to 325F…but I’m not certain exactly how much longer they’d need. I would check on the bottoms now and then as you bake. :)
After cooling, I split them open and spread on a little Justin’s honey peanut butte. My college daughter then packed them as part of her work lunch. She gave them a brief warm up in the microwave and declared the muffies……. Divine!
Thanks Jennifer! So glad they were a hit. :)
These are awesome! My kids devour them which is great because of the no added sugar! I add chocolate chips and the toasted walnuts so double the dry mix ins and they stay together great!
Thanks Liz!
These are a favourite in our household since my sister shared your recipe with me. I’ve even successfully replaced up to a cup of the rolled oats with ground almonds (almond flour) and loved it that way too. This is great quick breakfast for my kids. Others changes I’ve made that have worked well are added 1/2 cup chopped walnuts or sub butter for coconut oil when I didn’t have any coconut oil left over. Thank you for this recipe!
So happy to hear this Nazanin! Thanks for your review :)
Hi, quick question but are these freezeable? Thanks a bunch, super keen to try! ??
Hi there, yes they are! I let them cool first and then freeze them in a freezer bag with the air sucked out of it. They should keep in the freezer for a few weeks or so.
Am I able to substitute the coconut oil for another type of oil?
Hey there, I haven’t tried swapping it before, but I think it should be fine if the oil is neutral-tasting (I’d recommend grapeseed oil as it’s virtually flavourless!)
They are indeed delicious with grapeseed oil as well! :)
Thanks Diane!
Like the other reviews have said, these are awesome. I can’t decide what I like best about them: how EASY they are to make (even with a toddler), or how delicious they are. I’ve made these with steel cut oats (put them in the blender for a little to make sure they were fine and not too chunky) as well, and they still turned out fantastic.
Thank you!!
Hi Erika, Thank you so much for your feedback!
Amazzinnnnnng!! I made this recipe this morning switching the 1/2 cup of extra oats for 1/4 of pumpkin seeds and 1/4 flax seeds for a little extra health kick . My bf didn’t even notice how healthy they actually were ;)
#winning ;) So glad you both love them! I love your oats swap.
Hello,
You say rotate the pan but do you mean flip the cookies?
Hi Caro, There’s no need to flip the cookies for this recipe, to rotate the pan you can just turn it around in the oven (it’s not a crucial step though).
These look delicious but I don’t use oil. Can I leave it out? Thanks so much!
Hi Jocelyn, To be honest, I haven’t made these without the oil before so I’m not sure if they’d be too dry or not. You may want to swap the oil for more mashed banana to help prevent this. I’d love to hear how it goes if you try it. :)
I’m so making these today! Xo
These were delicious! In contrast to many date sweetened recipes, I could totally sense the sweetness after baking them. Next time I will try substituting the oil for nut o sunflower seed butter.
So glad they were a hit, thanks for your review!
Do these freezer well?
Yes they do! I’ve found they are good in the freezer for at few weeks or so. Just wrap them up well
Love this recipe. Do you think I could freeze them – either cooked or freeze the batter?
Hey Melanie, you can definitely freeze them cooked! I haven’t tried freezing the batter before though. Happy cooking :)
Trying these today! Would steel cut oats be too tough to use??
Hey Antonella, You might be able to use pre-cooked steel-cut oats, but I think not cooking them beforehand might be too crunchy. I haven’t tried either idea before though! I’d love to hear how it goes.
Just made these and they came out delicious! I followed a link for the recipe from mamanatural.com as a way to eat more dates during final weeks of pregnancy and I couldn’t be more pleased. I doubled the recipe and added walnuts instead of chocolate and they came out perfect. I also like that they are not overly sweet. All around good end of pregnancy treat!
I make these all the time! They are my absolute favourite go-to snack. Thanks for this recipe, it’s been a huge game changer! I’ve had so much trouble with gluten-free, dairy-free banana bread (always turns out gooey, heavy and still raw). These are the perfect substitute for me. I use 1.5 cups oat flour instead of grinding 1.5 cups of the oats roughly, and use a mixture of rough oats + rolled oats for the .5 cup that is added in with the chocolate chips. I also add chopped walnuts!
I only had 1 banana but I had 1/2 of a 15 oz can of pumpkin waiting to be used, so I used that in place of the 2nd banana. Super delicious. Also added sunflower seeds and coconut flakes in addition to the dairy free choc chips.
Quarantine baking and this recipe is awesome for so many reasons! Healthy and doesn’t require ingredients that are in short supply. Thank you for a great recipe : )
Made these using 1.5 cups oat flour instead of whole oats but still added the 0.5 cups oats at the end as directed. Texture turned out great, they are SO GOOD! Perfect amount of sweetness, a great healthy-ish treat that is great to have on hand while working from home and needing a little afternoon pick-me-up. Great quarantine baking recipe!
One of my favorite recipes – so easy and delicious! I have been making this for years and every time I feel so grateful for finding your blog. Thanks for teaching me how to prepare food that I am proud of! Can’t wait for the new cookbook to arrive!
Are all of your recipes in your books? I wanted to have the banana/date muffin tops somewhere other than a bookmark ? thanks!
Hey Chuck, This recipe for banana bread muffin tops is in my second cookbook, Oh She Glows Every Day. :) Not all of my recipes that are on the blog are in my cookbooks, maybe 15% or so?
Yummmmmmmm.
This is my first attempt at anything vegan, gluten free, nut free, and refined sugar… almost free. I skipped the chocolate ships and put in peanut butter chips….. So now they are Peanut butter & banana, muffin/cookie yumminess!!!!!
Next batch will be with a nut butter instead of the chips. I’ll let you know how it goes.
I have been making these for ages now and they are such a lunchbox favourite for my kids.
Recently, I’ve been reading that banana peel is edible if you blend it up, so I added two bananas and one peel (with the hard end bits cut off) and they can’t even tell!! So, now they’ve got even more fibre.
I also love how they last so long and keep fresh. Really such a wonderful recipe, though I do make them a bit smaller, and have 12 to a batch.
Thanks for such an easy, nutritious recipe.
I have been making these for years as well… probably our number one go to treat! I’ll second Claire… I make them small… they give about 20 in a batch… perfect bite sized treat…
the main modification I make is a ton more spices such as ginger, cardamon nutmeg, all spice and way more cinnamon etc.
Amazing ! They are very popular in our home! thank you !