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?
Featuring all new, protein-packed salads, hearty toppers, flavour boosters, and dressings you'll want to drink, my new cookbook will transform the way you think about salads. Oh, and be sure to flip to the back for a surprise dessert chapter!
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!
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?