Recipe: $4.33 | Per Serving: $0.24 | Yields: 18 muffins
Carrot-Banana Muffins! Carrot Cake Banana Muffins! With prunes and carrots and bananas and no sugar.
These are really super amazing! They're like carrot cake, but sweetened with bananas and prunes (or date syrup), and they're spiced with nutmeg and cinnamon (you can even add ground cloves! or pumpkin pie spice?!!!). If you're feeling fancy, go ahead and add a Tablespoon of molasses, and top these babies with maple cream cheese icing and you'll be so super happy. They're awesome. I love them. They're probably our favorite muffins. (Maybe tied with Dark Chocolate Banana Muffins. CANNOT DECIDE.)
And since Thanksgiving is coming up, Now seems like a fantastic time to make these.
Last week I decided it was finally time to put these delicious carrot muffins on the blog. Muffins that I've been making every fall for 3 years. But when I searched in my recipes folder for my carrot muffin recipes, I had FIVE documents. All of them with 2+ recipes. That's how many times I've tried to perfect these muffins. The first recipe was from 2013, and I even found a draft post on my site with this picture:
That version was made with molasses, since I hadn't experimented with dates or prunes yet. And they were really good, but I tried them like 4 times because they kept sticking to the paper/muffin pan. I love this picture because it was taken at my parents' house and there's a lot of stuff going on in the background. I didn't really know much about pictures back then.
Fast-forward to this year! I've made these muffins for our bento boxes several times this year, and they're always fantastic. If you're looking for a health BREAKFAST gift for your Thanksgiving hosts (really, it's nice to bring them breakfast for the morning after), then this is what I recommend. They feel like such a treat, but they're made with pureed fruits and whole wheat flour, so they're still on the healthier side of baked goods.
And if you're feeling extra-fancy, you can make them carrot-banana cupcakes with Maple Cream Cheese Icing! This stuff is amazing. It's basically cream cheese, a little yogurt, and some maple syrup.
Whole Wheat Carrot Banana Muffins
Ingredients
- 2 cups whole wheat flour
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon cinnamon
- ½ teaspoon nutmeg
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon ground cloves optional
- 1 ½ cups ripe bananas mashed, about 4 medium bananas
- 1 cup prunes or dates
- 2 eggs
- ¼ cup yogurt
- 2 teaspoons vanilla
- 1 ½ cups shredded carrots
Maple Cream Cheese Frosting:
- 1 package cream cheese
- 1 Tablespoon maple syrup 2 if you like it really sweet
- 2 Tablespoons plain yogurt
Instructions
- In a large bowl, mix together the flour, baking soda, baking powder, cinnamon, nutmeg, and salt. Set aside.
- Remove pits from the prunes/dates. If they’re a bit firm, be sure to soak them in hot water for about 5 minutes, then puree them in your blender until mostly smooth. You can add up to 2 Tablespoons water to help it blend. Add the mashed bananas and blend again. Add the remaining wet ingredients - eggs, yogurt, vanilla, (and optional molasses) - blend briefly, just until smooth.
- Combine the wet ingredients and shredded carrots with the dry ingredients. Stir just until mixed. Divide into 18 silicone-lined muffin cups. Bake on 350ºF for 18-22 minutes. Check with a toothpick and remove from oven to cool.
Maple Cream Cheese Frosting:
- Leave the cream cheese out to soften at room temperature for 30 minutes. Place in a large bowl and whip vigorously, using a fork or whisk, or if you've got it, an electric mixer. (DO NOT USE BLENDER/PROCESSOR FOR THIS.) Add yogurt and maple syrup and combine until smooth. Scoop into a pastry piping bag or icing decorator and refrigerate for about 30 minutes. Pipe onto cooked & cooled muffins and serve at room temperature. (You can also refrigerate it and spread it on with a knife or spatula.) ENJOY.
Notes
Optional: ½ teaspoon ground cloves - I LOVE ground cloves in this recipe, but I couldn't find any here in Japan. I highly recommend it if you've got it in your pantry, but the muffins are still super delicious without it!
Shikha Mittal
can we use honey instead of dates, and how much to use in the recipe ?
Caitlin Self, MS, CNS, LDN
Hi Shikha! I have not used honey instead of dates here so I'm not sure if it would work or how much to use! I found this online: "The ratio is 2/3 cup of date paste for every 1/2 cup of syrup or honey." - https://www.cottercrunch.com/how-to-make-date-paste/ Let us know if you try it!
Lyn
Yum maple cream cheese frosting! I love the healthiness of these muffins with whole wheat flour and dates instead of sugar. Sounds delicious!
Heather Mason @NuttyNutrition
yummy, these look delicious! I need to try baking with dates more!
Caitlin
Thanks Heather! Dates are awesome!