Better-for-You Banana Streusel Muffins

A soft and fluffy, perfectly spiced banana muffin with a buttery and sweet streusel crumble on top. They're even better than a bakery muffin, and plus - they have extra protein, fiber and lower sugar.

I'm a huge muffin and breakfast pastry gal. So, I almost always would rather have a muffin or donut over a plate of scrambled eggs when given the chance. 

However, breakfast pastries are usually full of sugar and not much protein. Whenever I make a batch of muffins for breakfast, I try to pack as much nutrition into them as I can. For these muffins, I've added collagen, sprouted spelt flour (whole wheat can also be used, along with all purpose or even your favorite gluten free flour blend), and swapped half of the brown sugar for coconut sugar.

As you can see from the recipes I've posted in the past, I really love muffins and breakfast pastries (like coffee cake.) However, I know I can't eat them solely for breakfast, especially before work. I need some protein and fiber to keep me satiated and full. So, whenever I make muffins, I try to sneak as much protein in there as I can. These muffins are no exception.

These Better-for-You Banana Streusel Muffins are the perfect breakfast for you, your kids, and whole family. They have collagen powder for protein, greek yogurt or sour cream for even more protein, eggs for even-even more protein, less refined sugar, olive oil for healthy fats, and sprouted spelt flour for fiber and some added nutrition. However, whole wheat flour works great, too. They're so tender and fluffy, perfectly sweet, and so tasty that you'll have no idea they're better for you! That's my kind of food swap.

This recipe is inspired by and adapted from The Palatable Life - thanks, Mal, for your genius ideas!

Ingredients for Healthier Banana Streusel Muffins

- flour:  I love making these muffins with Sprouted Spelt Flour. However, you can make them with whole wheat flour, all purpose flour, a combination of both, or even gluten free flour.

- collagen powder, optional: I love adding collagen to a lot of my muffin recipes for added protein and amino acids. My favorite brands are Great Lakes Wellness and Vital Proteins and both are available at most grocery stores and on Amazon.

- ground cinnamon

- ground cardamom

- baking powder & baking soda

- salt

- olive oil

- sour cream or plain greek yogurt: I use lactose free sour cream.

- brown sugar

- coconut sugar: you can use all brown sugar or all coconut sugar. I love the taste of brown sugar, so I swapped half for coconut sugar to cut down the amount of refined sugar.

-  eggs, room temperature

- vanilla extract

- 3 medium sized bananas, peeled and mashed

for the streusel:

- brown sugar or coconut sugar

- rolled oats, quick or old fashioned

- flour (whole wheat, sprouted spelt, all purpose, or gluten free)

- ground cinnamon

- pinch of salt

- unsalted butter, cold and cubed

How to Make Healthy-Ish Bakery-Style Banana Streusel Muffins

1. Preheat the oven to 425°F. Line a muffin tin with baking cups or spray liberally with nonstick cooking spray. Set aside.

2. To make the muffins: Combine the dry ingredients in a medium sized bowl: the flour, collagen powder, cinnamon, cardamom, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Stir until combined then set aside.

3. In a large bowl, add the olive oil, sour cream/greek yogurt, brown sugar, coconut sugar, eggs, and vanilla. Whisk to combine and add the mashed bananas. Stir to incorporate. Add the dry ingredients and mix until just combined, or until there are streaks of flour remaining. Set aside.

4. To make the streusel: In a separate bowl, add the brown sugar, rolled oats, flour, cinnamon, and salt and mix to combine. Add the cold, cubed butter to the bowl. Use your fingers to break up each piece of butter, pressing it into the flour, until the butter has been broken down into small bits. The streusel should stick together if you squeeze it in your hand, but should crumble when you run your fingers through it.

5. Scoop about ⅓ cup of batter into each cavity on the prepared muffin tin (filling about ⅔ full) and top with a handful of streusel. Transfer to the oven and bake at 425°F for 5 minutes. Without opening the oven, lower the temperature to 375°F and bake for another 13-15 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out clean when inserted. Remove the muffins from the oven, let cool 5 minutes, and enjoy. Serve with butter, almond butter, or just as is.

     

Tools for Making Bakery-Style Muffins

- a rubber spatula: here's my very favorite one. I have it in many colors, and I've never found a better spatula.

- my favorite whisks

- muffin tin

- large muffin tin : for when you want the large, bakery sized muffins

- cupcake liners

- large muffin liners : for those bakery sized muffins

- scoop for portioning muffin batter

- favorite collagen peptides powder

- coconut sugar

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