Banana Walnut Muffins with Roasted Walnut Oil

We’ve all made banana nut muffins before with a basic batter, mashed fruit and a few nuts thrown in before baking. What if we told you we are completely replacing the butter in this recipe with our Roasted French Walnut Oil giving you additional rich flavor from the pure oil of the walnut itself? We also included Greek yogurt and whole wheat flour in the recipe ingredients making these muffins just a bit healthier. These are delicious with coffee at breakfast, an afternoon treat at the office or an after-school snack for the kids. One thing’s for sure, they tend to go quickly!

INGREDIENTS

• 4 very ripe bananas
• 1 cup light-brown sugar, packed
• ½ cup Olive This! Roasted Walnut Oil
• 1 large egg, at room temperature, lightly beaten
• 1 cup all-purpose flour
• 1 cup whole wheat flour
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• ½ teaspoon kosher salt
• ½ cup non-fat Greek yogurt
• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• 1 cup chopped toasted walnuts, divided

DIRECTIONS

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line 24 muffin tins with paper cupcake liners.

In a large bowl, whisk together the dry ingredients (1 cup of all-purpose flour, 1 cup of whole wheat flour, 1 teaspoon each of baking powder and baking soda, and ½ teaspoon of kosher salt). Set aside.

Toast the walnut pieces in a dry skillet over low heat for about 5-8 minutes, flipping occasionally. Keep an eye on these or set a timer; it’s easy to forget about them!

Mash the four bananas in a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. (If you don’t have a stand mixer, mash the bananas with a fork on a dinner plate.)

Add the 1 cup of packed brown sugar, the ½ cup of roasted walnut oil, and the lightly beaten egg. Mix well until smooth. Slowly add the reserved dry ingredients to the mixture. Mix until well blended. Add the ½ cup of yogurt and the 1 teaspoon of vanilla extract. Beat until well combined.

Fold in ¾  cup of toasted walnuts. Reserve the remaining ¼ cup aside.

Pour or spoon the batter into the muffin liners to about ¾ full.

Top each cup of batter with the remaining ¼ cup of toasted walnuts.

Bake until a toothpick inserted into the center of one of the muffins comes out clean, about 18-20 minutes.

MAKES 24 MUFFINS

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