Spelt Banana Muffins (or bread!)

I made these healthy spelt banana muffins recently for the school cake sale, when I realised that a lot of my recipes on my blog contain almonds, and I needed to make something nut free! This recipe is very versatile and can be made into banana bread as well as muffins.

I love to use wholefood, real ingredients- Spelt is a great wheat substitute, it is a cousin of wheat, and does contain gluten, but is easier to digest as unlike wheat, it does not contain fructan, a component of FODMAPs, which are poorly absorbed in the intestine.

I use maple syrup in my baking instead of sugar, as it adds moisture, plus it is a natural sweetener containing a decent amount of naturally occurring minerals. Maple syrup also has a lower glycemic index at around 54, whereas in comparison, sugar has a glycemic index of around 65, which is an indicator that maple syrup raises blood sugar slower than regular sugar. I’ve used coconut oil in this recipe, but you could just as easily use butter instead. You can also customise this recipe, by adding dried fruit, nuts or chocolate chips.

These muffins are great for an on the go snack, a quick grab breakfast, or even a sweet treat for after dinner.

How to make your spelt banana muffins- here are the step-by-step instructions:

You will need:

• 2 cups of whole spelt flour
• 1/4 teaspoon of salt
• 2 1/2 teaspoons of baking powder
• 1 teaspoon of cinnamon
• 3 very ripe bananas (chopped)
• 2 eggs
• 1/3 cup of milk of your choice
• 1/3 cup of maple syrup
• 1/4 cup of melted coconut oil
• 1 teaspoon of vanilla
• 12 cupcake cases (or loaf tin if making banana bread)

Muffins in the oven

Instructions:

1. Preheat your oven to 170 C and place the cupcake cases into a 12 cup muffin tin.
2. In a medium bowl, combine all your dry ingredients- the flour, salt, baking powder and cinnamon. Mix your dry ingredients.
3. Using a high speed blender, you can combine your chopped bananas, eggs, melted coconut oil, maple syrup, milk and vanilla and whizz until well combined. You can do this manually, mashing the bananas with a fork if you do not have a blender to hand.
4. Add this mixture to your dry ingredients in the bowl and stir well with a spatula until all the mixture has been combined. Do not over-mix.
5. Spoon your batter into the individual cupcake cases- there should be just enough for 12. If you are making banana bread, pour the batter into a well greased loaf tin.
6. Bake the muffins for 20 minutes or the banana bread for 45 minutes.
7. Remove and place on a cooling rack. Best served and eaten warm.

References: Healthline- Maple Syrup: Healthy or Unhealthy?