Butternut Squash Banana Muffins (Printable Version)
Moist muffins combining roasted butternut squash and ripe banana for a naturally sweet breakfast or snack.
# What You Need:
→ Produce
01 - 1 cup butternut squash puree (roasted and mashed)
02 - 1 cup ripe banana, mashed (about 2 medium bananas)
→ Wet Ingredients
03 - 2 large eggs
04 - 1/3 cup melted coconut oil or vegetable oil
05 - 1/2 cup pure maple syrup or honey
06 - 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
→ Dry Ingredients
07 - 1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
08 - 1 teaspoon baking soda
09 - 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
10 - 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
11 - 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
12 - 1/4 teaspoon salt
→ Mix-ins (optional)
13 - 1/2 cup chopped walnuts or pecans
14 - 1/2 cup dark chocolate chips
# How To Make It:
01 - Preheat the oven to 350°F (175°C). Line a standard 12-cup muffin tin with paper liners or lightly grease each cup.
02 - In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the butternut squash puree and mashed banana until smooth and free of lumps.
03 - Add the eggs, melted coconut oil, maple syrup (or honey), and vanilla extract to the squash-banana mixture. Whisk thoroughly until well combined.
04 - In a separate bowl, sift together the all-purpose flour, baking soda, baking powder, ground cinnamon, ground nutmeg, and salt.
05 - Gradually fold the dry ingredients into the wet mixture using a spatula. Stir gently until just incorporated — avoid overmixing to keep the muffins tender.
06 - If using, gently fold in the chopped walnuts or pecans and dark chocolate chips until evenly distributed throughout the batter.
07 - Divide the batter evenly among the prepared muffin cups, filling each about two-thirds to three-quarters full.
08 - Bake on the center rack for 22 to 25 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center of a muffin comes out clean.
09 - Allow the muffins to cool in the pan for 5 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely before serving.
# Helpful Hints:
01 -
- The squash keeps these muffins incredibly moist for days, almost improbably so for something this simple to throw together.
- Maple syrup and banana do all the sweetening, so you never feel weighed down after eating one (or three).
02 -
- Overmixing the batter is the fastest way to end up with rubbery muffins, so stop stirring the moment the flour disappears.
- Letting the squash cool completely before pureeing prevents the coconut oil from separating when you combine them.
03 -
- Toast the nuts in a dry skillet for three minutes before folding them in to deepen their flavor and keep them crunchy inside the muffin.
- Underbake by just one minute if you plan to freeze them, because reheating will finish the job without drying them out.