Butternut Squash Banana Muffins (Print version)
Moist muffins combining ripe bananas and roasted butternut squash for natural sweetness. Ideal breakfast or wholesome snack.
# What you'll need:
→ Produce
01 - 1 cup butternut squash, peeled, seeded and cubed
02 - 2 large ripe bananas, mashed
→ Wet Ingredients
03 - 2 large eggs
04 - 1/3 cup vegetable oil or melted coconut oil
05 - 1/3 cup maple syrup or honey
06 - 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
→ Dry Ingredients
07 - 1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour (half whole wheat flour may be substituted)
08 - 1 teaspoon baking soda
09 - 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
10 - 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
11 - 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
12 - 1/4 teaspoon salt
→ Optional Add-ins
13 - 1/2 cup chopped walnuts or pecans
14 - 1/3 cup chocolate chips or raisins
# How to make it:
01 - Preheat oven to 350°F. Line a standard 12-cup muffin tin with paper liners and set aside.
02 - Steam or roast the cubed butternut squash until fork-tender, approximately 15 minutes if steaming or 25 minutes if roasting. Allow to cool completely, then mash until smooth to yield 1 cup of purée.
03 - In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the eggs, oil, maple syrup, mashed bananas, butternut squash purée, and vanilla extract until the mixture is smooth and well blended.
04 - In a separate bowl, sift together the flour, baking soda, baking powder, cinnamon, nutmeg, and salt until evenly distributed.
05 - Add the dry ingredient mixture to the wet ingredients. Stir gently with a spatula until just combined, being careful not to overmix.
06 - Gently fold in chopped nuts, chocolate chips, or raisins if desired, distributing evenly throughout the batter.
07 - Divide the batter evenly among the prepared muffin cups, filling each approximately three-quarters full.
08 - Bake on the center rack for 22 to 25 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center of a muffin comes out clean.
09 - Allow the muffins to cool in the pan for 5 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely before serving.
# Expert suggestions:
01 -
- These muffins use maple syrup instead of refined sugar, so you can eat two without that heavy guilt settling in.
- The squash and banana combo creates a tenderness that stays moist for days, which almost never happens with homemade muffins.
02 -
- Overmixing the batter is the fastest way to turn tender muffins into rubbery hockey pucks, so treat folding like a gentle conversation.
- Measuring the squash puree after mashing rather than before cooking guarantees you have the right moisture balance.
03 -
- Letting the wet ingredients come to room temperature before mixing prevents the coconut oil from seizing into clumps.
- Double the batch and freeze half because these muffins disappear faster than you expect.