Boy am I ever glad to be on the the other side of that flu! Last Thursday, when I posted my Triple Almond Energy Balls recipe, I thought that after five long days of bedrest I was starting to feel a bit better. Unfortunately, I wound up taking a turn for the worse Thursday evening with some scary flu complications cropping up overnight. My temperature skyrocketed (despite being on fever meds) and my cough became much worse. Luckily I’d already done quite a bit of reading on this year’s flu season because I was so worried about the kids getting it and wanted to know which high-risk symptoms to look for. Based on what I’d read and what my doctor told me, having symptoms improve and then come back even worse than before was bad news (it’s actually one of CDC’s “emergency warning signs” of flu complications). Gulp!
On Friday morning I couldn’t even get out of bed to see the kids. I was nauseous, sweating profusely, and had major chills despite feeling super hot. Adriana came into my room looking concerned and said “Mommy, why you don’t wake up today?” That just broke my heart. I knew I had to get medical treatment right away.
I think it’s been about 15 years since I’ve needed to take antibiotics, but I can’t tell you how grateful I was to have them for this virus, which had turned into bacterial pneumonia. The medicine brought my fever down quickly and I’ve been feeling a bit better each day since—although I still don’t feel like myself. I’m currently operating at about 36%, maybe, lol! I think the flu was extra hard on me because I was already run down from taking care of the kids the week before (I’m so thankful their flu symptoms weren’t as severe as mine…I’ll take one for the team!), and of course nursing through the flu takes its toll on the body. It was a stroke of luck that Eric got by with mild body aches (consider me impressed as he was living off unhealthy food all week!), so he held down the fort while I slept, and slept…and slept some more. Each night, I would collapse into bed at 7pm as soon as Arlo was down (and this early bedtime was in addition to an afternoon nap each day). I’ve never slept that much in my life. (And now I know what it’s like to be a baby/toddler!)
Needless to say, we’re all ready to start a new fresh month and hopefully keep as healthy as we can through the spring. So far March is shaping up to be great—I’m alive, after all. ;) Take care of yourselves everyone…I’m sending you all healthy wishes for a happy month ahead!!
Update: Sooo many great questions are coming in about these muffins! I’m answering them in the comments below, so be sure to check them out. Thanks everyone! And if I do any more trials of this recipe I will be sure to update the recipe notes. My next test is going to be a sunflower seed and sunflower seed butter version.
Update #2: I added a nut-free version in the recipe tips! :)
Flourless Bite-Sized Breakfast Muffins
Yield
24 mini muffins plus a few ramekins
Prep time
Cook time
Total time
These grain-free, kid-friendly muffins are packed with fibre-rich chia seeds and contain only a couple tablespoons of natural sweetener! The almond butter base gives them a deliciously nutty flavour, and overripe bananas lend an extra sweetness. We love serving these mini muffins at breakfast and snack time. Best of all, this recipe is made entirely in a food processor so there’s only one dish to clean when you’re done! I’ve provided optional instructions for preparing larger muffins as well as a nut-free version so be sure to read through the tips. This recipe is inspired by Paleo with Mrs P.
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup (80 g) whole raw almonds
- 2 3/4 cup (400 g) chopped overripe bananas (about 3 to 4 large)
- 1/2 cup (120 g) natural smooth almond butter*
- 1/4 cup (33 g) arrowroot starch
- 2 tablespoons (20 g) chia seeds
- 2 tablespoons (30 mL) pure maple syrup
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1/2 teaspoon apple cider vinegar
- 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/4 teaspoon fine sea salt
Directions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F (180°C) and set aside two silicone 12 mini muffin pans or one silicone 24 mini muffin pan. There’s no need to grease silicone pans, but if you’re using metal muffin pans, line them with mini paper liners. This recipe makes enough for more than 24 mini muffins, so line an additional 2 to 3 small ramekins with standard-sized paper liners to use up the remaining batter.
- Add the almonds to the food processor and process to a fine crumb. Be sure not to overprocess the almonds into butter. If the ground almonds start getting sticky, they can negatively impact the texture of the muffins once baked.
- Add the chopped banana to the ground almonds along with the almond butter, arrowroot starch, chia seeds, maple syrup, baking powder, cinnamon, apple cider vinegar, baking soda, and salt. Process the mixture until smooth.
- Use a small cookie dough scoop to portion the batter into the muffin pans, filling each until about three-quarters full. Use the remaining batter to fill the ramekins until about two-thirds full.
- Bake the mini muffins for about 18 to 22 minutes (I bake for 20 minutes), allowing an additional 6 to 9 minutes for the ramekins to bake through. To test doneness, gently touch the top of one muffin. When ready, they will spring back very slowly. Finished muffins should also have visibly golden edges.
- Cool the muffins in the pans/ramekins for 30 minutes before attempting to remove. Carefully slide a knife around each muffin and gently pop it out of the silicone pan. (If using paper liners, the muffins must be cooled completely before removing, or the liners will stick to the muffins when peeled.) I love spreading these muffins with a little coconut oil before serving, but they’re also fantastic topped with chia seed jam. And thanks to the nutty taste and natural sweetness, you can enjoy them plain too. Leftovers can be stored in the fridge in an airtight container for 3 to 4 days, or in the freezer for up to 1 month.
Tip:
It's important to stir the almond butter well before measuring. Be sure not to use firm/hard/dry almond butter as it'll result in dense muffins.
To make a dozen regular-sized muffins, use a 12-cup silicone muffin pan. Fill each mold to two-thirds full and bake for 24 to 26 minutes. If using a metal pan, be sure to line each with paper liners, filling and baking as directed, until they have golden edges and very slowly spring back when touched on the top.
For a NUT-FREE version: Swap the almonds for 1/2 cup raw sunflower seeds and the almond butter for 1/2 cup smooth sunflower seed butter (I use SunButter Organic Sunflower Seed Butter...make sure it only has sunflower seeds on the ingredient list), and increase the cinnamon to 1 teaspoon. The muffins have a distinct sunflower seed flavour, but I find it quite pleasant even though they aren't as sweet as the almond version. The muffins are also a bit darker, but still need just as much bake time, if not a minute or two longer, and they are more dense.
If you’d like to make these muffins more decadent, try stirring some chocolate chips into the batter! For a crunch, add a couple handfuls of chopped walnuts or pecans.
OMGosh, bless your heart!! I had the flu about 2 weeks ago for the first time in 22 years but it wasn’t near as bad as your’s! I started on abx right away because I caught it from my 3 yo grandbaby who also had strep! I am so thankful you are better, these muffins look yummy.
Thank you so much Jenn! It’s such a scary flu season. I’m so glad to hear you’re better too (and I hope your 3 year old grandchild is too!!) Enjoy the muffins if you try them out. :)
Hi Angela! Glad you are feeling better!! Good PSA on the flu; few take it seriously but it can be dangerous!
Thanks for the recipe, I’m going to send it to my mom who is looking for uses for her new food processor.
Have a nice weekend! I hope you continue to get the rest you need!
Jessica
Thanks Jessica. This flu season was a real eye opener for me I tell you! Is it summer yet? heh.
I hope your mom enjoys them if she tries them out.
Can I replace the arrowroot starch with cornstarch?
Hope you are back to normal soon…never easy with little ones around…
And speaking of little ones – thanks for giving more and more recipes for little ones, mine is about the same age as Arlo and I’m in dire need of more things to do that the older siblings can eat as well.
So glad you’re enjoying the kid-friendly recipes! I hear you on running out of ideas…it’s a constant struggle, lol. Especially as their tastes seem to change from day to day.
I do think cornstarch should work, but I haven’t tried it yet. If you do I’d love to hear how it goes!
Just to let you know…made the recipe with cornstarch instead of arrowroot and they are delicious! Thanks for a great recipe to change things up.
Whohoo, so glad it worked! Thanks for letting me know :)
Is there a aubsutitue for arrowroot starch?
Thanks!
Hey Lisa, I haven’t tried it yet, but I think cornstarch should work just fine. Hope this helps!
Good Morning Angela!
What a lovely recipe! Could a date or two be substituted for the maple syrup?
Oh that’s an interesting idea. At first I was like…how are you going to puree it and then I was like…duh it’s made in the processor! hehe. I think as long as the dates are very soft they should be able to break down enough? They might make the muffins a bit denser too. Let us know how it goes if you try it! If the bananas are ripe enough you may be able to get by without adding any sweetener at all too.
Is there anything I could substitute for the almond flour? I bake for a lunchbox program for kids and I’m always looking for good nut-free recipes. We use Sunbutter and Wow Butter in place of nut butters. I suppose using oat flour would be possible, but would render them not grain-free. Do you have any thoughts or suggestions? I hope you’re feeling much better soon! Fortunately, I’ve been spared the flu so far, but I know a few people who have been knocked out by it! It’s a doozy! (BTW, we have a mutual friend: Karly. I used to babysit her and her sisters!!)
Hey Alana, That’s so fun you know Karly!! She’s a gem (and her whole family too of course). We did try swapping the almonds for pecans and walnuts (both successfully) and our next attempt was going to be sunflower seeds. I think it could work, although the flavour will change of course. Please let us know how it goes if you try it! I will have to test a sunflower seed and sunflower seed butter version soon.
I’ve been dabbling in grain-free cooking and baking due to nursing an infant that’s sensitive to grains, and have had success with Coconut Flour or a Coconut Flour and Tapioca Flour mix. I made a banana bread with just Coconut flour and it was surprisingly light, and held together well. It may be something to test out if you haven’t already?! I think the banana bread recipe used 1/2 cup of the coconut flour and 1/2 cup of a nut or seed butter – so, similar to your recipe, and may be possible to just sub 1/2 cup of coconut flour.
Hey Stephanie, I’ll definitely have to try it out sometime. :) I do have quite a bit of coconut flour just sitting around in my pantry..hah.
Lol. That was one of my reasons to try the bread in the first place. I think I had a bag that I bought over 3 years ago.
I think mine is even older than that…haha! If you don’t hear from me again, you know what happened.
Hey Alana,
Good news! I tried the nut-free version and it worked great. I used 1/2 cup raw sunflower seeds instead of the whole almonds and I used 1/2 cup of SunButter Organic Sunflower Seed Butter (only sunflower seeds on the label) instead of the almond butter. I also upped the cinnamon to 1 tsp. They do have a sunflower flavour (not surprisingly!), but I find it quite pleasant even though they aren’t quite as sweet as the almond version. They are also a bit darker brown in colour. I hope this helps :)
Hi Angela,
Thanks so much for trying this out for me! How kind! And yes, her entire family is lovely! Guess where the youngest got her name! ;)
Wow what an honour! haha. And I was so happy to try it out…nut-free versions are so needed these days.
Hi Angela!
I just wanted to let you know that I’ve made this nut-free version a few times at the centre where I volunteer, and they have been a hit every time! The kids love them. Thanks again for playing with this recipe for me, and thank you for all your wonderful recipes! I gave your most recent cookbook to my brother-in-law and he and my sister-in-law have enjoyed many, many meals from it!
Take care,
Alana
Hey Alana, Oh I’m so glad the nut-free version was such a hit! I make them quite often as I can’t do a lot of nuts lately. And thank you so much for your support for my cookbook…I’m SO glad that it’s been enjoyed so much.
Oh Angela, this sounds awful! I have been missing your daily Instagram updates but I’m so glad to hear you’re getting lots of rest and starting to feel better. I hope March is good to you and your family. Although I know it will be because how much worse can it possibly get! Lol. These muffins look delish, I’ll have to make them this afternoon :) #wastenotime.
That’s so sweet you missed my updates. My eyes hurt so much from sinus pain I couldn’t even look at my phone most days. Actually, it’s been a positive because I feel like it was the “phone reset” I was looking for lately!
Do you think I can use thawed frozen bananas for this recipe?
Hey Vera, I’m not too sure…the thawed bananas might make the batter a bit watery (even if drained after thawing)…that said, I have had success using frozen and thawed mashed banana in my banana bread recipe, so maybe it could work. It might need more bake time though. Please let us know how it goes if you try it out :)
Hey Vera, I just spoke with Nicole and she said that she did a trial using frozen and thawed bananas and it worked just fine. :) So happy news. I hope it works for you too.
I’m so glad you’re better. Your kale salad is a family favorite. It’s the only raw green vegetable my daughter will have seconds of, and possibly a third if I let her. I add chopped gala apples to your recipe.
For this recipe does the almond butter need to be salt and sugar free? I buy various types.
Hey Wanda, Aww thank you! That’s so great to hear. Yes, please use natural almond butter in this recipe (just almonds on the label), and if there is salt you can omit the added salt in the recipe. Hope this helps!
Glad you are on the mend! And also glad your little ones didn’t catch the worst of it, it’s heartbreaking to see them so sick. ❤
Question, do you think I could sub the almonds for coconut flour (obviously in a lesser quantity)?
Thanks Angela :) Coconut flour can be tricky to work with as a swap because it’s such a “thirsty” flour and absorbs a ton of moisture. I think using a lesser amount than the almonds like you suggested is a good starting place, but it’ll probably take some experimenting to see if they will turn out. I would probably start by trying 3 tablespoons of it and then letting the batter rest a bit to see if it thickens to the right consistency (it should be the consistency of pancake batter).
Is there anything I can use instead of arrowroot starch?
Hey Tara, Cornstarch should work, but I haven’t tried it! Let me know how it goes if you do.
So glad you are on the other side of that nasty bug! I have no idea how you were able to nurse through it—you are amazing!! Thank goodness your hubby was able to hold down the fort so you could recover—I can’t imagine having to care for 2 little ones in the middle of that!
So excited to try these muffins, as I am constantly looking for new breakfast/snack ideas for my 2 munchkins, as well. Do you think almond meal would work in place of the whole almonds or would it be too fine (you mentioned a texture issue)? I just bought a big bag and was looking for recipes to use it in ;)
Forgot my follow-up question—if almond meal would work, would you still use 1/2 cup or decrease the amount? Thank you!
Thanks KC :) The only thing that kept me going with nursing was knowing that the antibodies were protecting Arlo! Otherwise he would’ve been left high and dry let me tell you…lol!
I do think almond meal should be fine (that is what ground almonds are). In terms of volume, I would probably try 1/2 cup plus 1 tablespoon of almond meal. And if it’s quite coarse run it in the processor for a few seconds before adding the banana. Does that help at all? I’d love to know how it goes!
Sorry I meant 1/2 cup plus 1 tbsp…(not 1 cup…edited the above!)
Just a quick update, I made these with the almond meal and the muffins ended up sinking in the middle…the batter was pretty thin and they just had a hard time cooking through, even after adding several minutes to the baking time. The taste was yummy, texture was off. Oh well, trial and error. Will make exactly as written next time. :)
I’m so sorry to hear the almond meal didn’t work as a swap for whole almonds…I wonder why? Thanks for reporting back!
Hi Angela: i want to know if i can substitute the arrowroot starch with cornstarch (or something else). I live in Bolivia and can’t find it here. Thanks
Hi Daniela, I haven’t tried it but cornstarch should work just fine. Please let me know if you try it out! :)
Lovely!! A recipe I don’t have to change any of the ingredients!! And they sound delicious. Thank you for all your time and hard work prepping these recipes and the beautiful pictures. AND sharing your goodies!
You’re so sweet, thank you Kimberly! I’d love to hear what you think about the muffins.
Hi Angela. Glad you’re on the mend. Could you please share the weight or volume measurement of the almonds once grounded up? I’d like to use almond flour, which I have, and cut to the chase. I can’t wait to share/sneak these with my boyfriend who swears he doesn’t like vegan but always (unknowingly) gobbles up vegan muffins and asks for more. :-)
Hey Marie, The almond weight measurement is 80 grams. I’m not sure of the volume exactly, but it’s probably 1/2 cup plus 1 tablespoon or so. Hope this helps!
Can you substitute almond butter for cashew butter?
Hey Amanda, I just made a trial with sunflower seed butter and it worked well, so this makes me think that many nut or seed butters should work as long as they’re smooth and not dried out. If you try anything do you want to let us know how it goes?
Hello, I am glad you’re feeling better. Can I use another fruit instead of bananas ? I am alergic to them :( ( lots of recipes have bananas on them ) …Last week I bought your first book on Amazon, and I can’t wait to get in my hands! Lots of love from Spain !
Hey Raquel, Thank you! As for subbing bananas, that is tricky since the volume is so large in this recipe (almost 3 cups). If I was going to try it out, I would probably try subbing pitted dates, but I’m really not sure as they are more dense and sticky. I would probably try 1 cup pitted dates with some applesauce and see how that goes like I did in my banana bread muffin tops recipe.
So glad you are feeling better! I sure did miss you on Instagram. Keep resting and taking care of you!??
Thanks Amanda :)
This recipe turned out really well and the muffins are so tasty. I didn’t have arrowroot starch so used gluten free flour (brown and white rice, potato a starch) and only had 1 3/4 c bananas, with great results. Love the texture of the chia seeds! Will put on my “regular” list. Thanks Angela!
Hey Dawn, I’m so happy these worked so well even with the modifications! I love when recipes are versatile like that. Thanks for your review!
I’m SO glad you’re feeling better and sorry you had to go through that! Thank you for sharing your experience – I woke up feeling a little run down and so now I’m doing all the research on these “emergency warning signs” since I take two immunosuppressant medicines. I never tolerated being sick very well but now I have something to go on for whether this is me being a brat or me genuinely needing extra help.
xo