These cute little banana corn muffins are low fat, easy to make, and the perfect healthy breakfast treat.
Earlier this week I had an agenda:
1. Start experimenting with my NEW camera (!!!)
2. Bake something healthy enough to eat on a daily basis
3. Use up the extremely brown bananas on my counter
Based on the above list, I decided to make Banana Corn Muffin Bites.
1. New camera experimenting, check
2. Low fat whole grain baked good, check*
3. Brown bananas in muffin form, check
These mini muffins are moist and grainy with a wonderful sweetness from the ripe bananas. I snacked on them alone, topped with peanut butter (obviously) and mixed into ice cream. Matt cut his in half and topped them with jelly.
The best part? Muffins like these are easy to make and don’t require a mixer. Plus, mini muffins bake so quickly that it shouldn’t take you an hour from start to finish.
*Don’t worry, I’ll be back with something decadent and extra delicious shortly.
Start by combining the dry ingredients in a medium bowl and set aside
In a large bowl, whisk together all remaining ingredients except for sliced banana
Whisk the dry ingredients into wet until just combined
Spoon batter into prepared mini-muffin pan; top each muffin with a slice of banana
Bake for 12-14 minutes or until a toothpick or knife comes out clean
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Banana Corn Muffin Bites
Yield: Makes 24 mini muffins
Ingredients
- 1 cup corn meal
- 1 cup whole wheat flour
- 1/4 cup granulated sugar
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- 2 tablespoons cinnamon
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1 egg, beaten
- 1/4 cup unsweetened applesauce
- 1 cup mashed ripe banana (~2 large bananas)
- 3/4 cup skim milk (or any light milk of choice)
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- 1/2 large banana, sliced
Cooking Directions
- Pre-heat oven to 400 degrees
- Spray a mini muffin pan with cooking spray or fill with cupcake liners
- Combine dry ingredients in a medium bowl and set aside
- Whisk all remaining ingredients, excluding sliced banana, in a large bowl
- Whisk dry ingredients into wet ingredients just until combined
- Spoon batter into prepared muffin tin
- Top each muffin with a slice of banana
- Bake for 12-14 minutes or until a toothpick or knife comes out clean
Adapted from All Recipes
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[Note: I recommend serving these soon after baking because the bananas on top brown by the next day. They are still edible but not all that pretty for company]
On another note, Mila at Lofty Appetite has some great tips for beginner DSLR users. What is the most useful photography tip you use?
So happy you bought a new camera! What did you go with? Do you love it yet?
This recipe looks great! I’m a big fan of anything with cornmeal in it! Especially sweet things :)
I actually ended up getting a Sony A33- my dad has a Sony and promised to share his lenses. I really need to learn how to use it but I do love it!
These are so cute! I love the banana slice on top :)
They certainly look easy enough, with just a bowl and a whisk! And maybe being “mini” would help control the urge to overeat???? At least try………………. :)
Great pics!
yay for a new camera!!! My tip is just to take lots of pictures! And submit to foodgawker/tastespotting. Rejection hurts, but I learn every time :)
Thanks! I actually got my first photo accepted to tastespotting! I was kind of shocked lol
I love the banana on top! I bet these are delicious. I love the texture of muffins when you add cornmeal. :)
Congrats on the new camera! I’m sure you will love it. I still don’t know how to use mine properly :)
I love this recipe and will have to try it! I love bananas, and always have extra leftover at the end of the week. I have been adapting a banana bread recipe into muffins and every time I baked, the end result was different – thus why I stopped making them a few months ago! :( I will definitely try these out!!! :)
Definitely try these, especially if you like corn muffins!
Hooray for muffins and a new camera! Both photos and food look great!
Congrats on the new camera! So fun!
The banana on top makes these look so cute! I just wanna eat them all up ;-)
Congrats on your new camera!! How fun. These muffins look amazing :)
Oh, these look yummy!
Lovely muffins, Lauren! They look so delicious. Congrats on your new camera, too. I can’t wait to see the results from your experimenting, but these muffin photos are an excellent start! :) Have a great weekend.
Thank you, Georgia!
I absolutely LOVE cornmeal! So glad you added it to your recipe, especially a “healthier” version!
I love baking with cornmeal and haven’t bought any in way too long. These muffins sound awesome!
These muffins look delicious and healthy… winning combo! Enjoy your new camera!!!
These look great! I’ve been having fun experimenting with my DSLR too :)
Horray on your new camera. Your pics look great. I always try to shoot in AF mode so I can control the apeture. It makes pictures look all professional when you can get the blurry background. Also iso and exposure are the big two things I adjust in my photos.
Thank you! I need to start to understand how all those pieces work.
Such a tasty little muffin….great for snackin.
Yay! I’m so happy you did it and the photos look better already! (Not that they were bad, but you know what I mean!). We always seem to have bananas to use up around here and these sound delicious!
Btw, I’m not actually going to be at the bake sale! I know, sad, but I’m running a 10K tomorrow morning in central park and then i really need to study! :(
Thanks, Joanne!
your photos look wonderful! I would LOVE a DSLR camera but am happy with mine for now that gives me control over aperature/ISO!
That is good that you have that ability with your camera… lol I need to figure out how to do that and what it does!
Your photos are looking great, Lauren! What type of DSLR did you buy?
I bought the Sony A33 http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/731637-REG/Sony_SLT_A33L_Alpha_DSLR_SLT_A33_Digital_Camera.html
The other camera I would have bought was the Cannon Rebel, but my dad also has a Sony and this way I can use some of his lenses.
These muffins look SO good, I love the slice of banana on top. Your new camera looks like it is proving to be very effective. I love the pictures.
Thank you so much!
These look great, love the banana on top!
About the muffins – I would have thought the banana slice on top would have turned icky and brown looking after cooking it. But, it still looks good! Great to know. Love the recipe.
About the camera – Congrats! Your photos are looking great–especially the ones on the blue towel–like the contrast. I’m a novice at photography, too–got my own new DSLR when I started my blog, and there’s still a lot of trial and error. Best tip I learned right away was to never use my flash for food photography. Good lighting (natural, whenever possible) is key. I use a light box when I don’t have enough natural window light.
Actually, they did turn the next day! I actually swapped out the banana slices so they wouldn’t look gross (shh!). The day of they were fine, though. I’ll actually add a note to the post.
Thanks for the comment about the photos! I finally got one accepted to Tastespotting:-)
I have several brown bananas on my counter as we speak and I now know what I will be doing with them!
I saw your reply to my comment – thanks! I wanted to let you know that the Pioneer Woman has some great photo tips! Here’s the link to the first post in her series: http://thepioneerwoman.com/photography/2008/05/what-the-heck-is-an-aperture-part-one/
Congrats on the new camera….I love mine:) Also these muffins looks amazing…yum!
Yum! I have a secret obsession with corn meal. I have yet to buy it, and bring it into my house, as I know that EVERYTHING I make will have it in it! Hmmm…cornmeal cupcakes? Maybe there’s something there. LOVE the banana on top. Too cute!
Can I just say that these look amazing and I’m dying to make them?? The texture combination sounds perfect. Thanks for sharing!!