Bananas and chocolate chips come together in this irresistible recipe for vegan Chunky Monkey Mini Muffins. Kids and adults will find it hard to keep their hands off these healthy, plant-based muffins. Using dried dates instead of refined sugar, this a treat you can feel good about baking.
How to use Dates to Replace Refined Sugar
One reason these muffins are healthy is because they ditch the refined sugar. Instead, dried pitted dates and bananas add natural sweetness. These whole food, plant-based ingredients do more than sweeten: they also are full of fiber, potassium, and other key nutrients to help you stay satisfied.
While you can’t just swap sugar for dates in traditional baking recipes, there are plenty of recipes out there that use dried dates…just search for “date-sweetened”. I use dates instead of sugar in tons of baking recipes. Some of my favorites are: Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies, Black Forest Brownies with Cherries and Coconut, Peach, Plum, Wild Blueberry Summer Oat Crisp, and Unbelievably Delicious Vegan Chocolate Avocado Pudding.
How to Replace Eggs with Vegan Flax Meal
It’s incredibly easy to replace eggs in baking recipes with flax meal vegan “eggs”. The ground flax meal acts like a binder, providing structure to the baked good. You can use ground flax meal in recipes for muffins, cakes, cookies, and even pancakes.
Why You’ll Feel Great About these Healthy Chunky Monkey Mini Muffins!
These Chunky Monkey Mini Muffins are way healthier than any store-bought muffin. By sneaking in healthy nutrition with bananas, flax, and whole wheat flour, you can satisfying that sweet tooth without any guilt. You’ll feel great because these are:
- Kid-Friendly
- Healthy and Delicious
- Satisfy that Sweet Tooth!
- Freezer-Friendly
- Ready in just 35 minutes
Chef Katie’s Plant-Based Baking Tips
Oil-Free Baking: Parchment paper liners and silicon baking pans are the trick for baking that doesn’t require you to spray the pan. Even just a light coating of cooking spray adds empty calories and greasy fat.
No Refined Sugar or Syrup? I’m on a mission to get rid of empty calories. These muffins don’t use any refined sugar, maple syrup, or other refined sweetener. Dried dates and ripe bananas provide sweetness, along with healthy fiber and essential nutrients.
Chocolate-Free: Substitute grain-sweetened carob chips, dried currants or dried blueberries for the chocolate chips.
Weigh Your Ingredients: For precise measuring and consistent results, always weigh your ingredients. A small kitchen scale makes this easy to do. This will save you time and give you more delicious muffins and breads.
Chunky Monkey Banana Chocolate Chip Vegan Mini Muffins
Ingredients
- ½ cup dried pitted dates 100 g
- 3 oz unsweetened plain almond milk
- ¾ cups mashed bananas 160g
- 1 tablespoons ground flax meal 7g
- ½ cup All-Purpose Flour 60g
- ¼ cup Whole Wheat Pastry Flour 30g
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon baking powder
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- ½ cup Vegan Mini Chocolate Chips 60g
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 250F.
- Use 18 mini muffin cups with parchment mini muffin liners, or use a silicon mini-muffin baking mold.
- To puree the wet mixture: In a blender, combine the dates, almond milk, banana, and flax. Puree until smooth, scraping down the sides of the bowl as needed.
- To make the dry mixture: In a large bowl, combine the AP and whole wheat flours, baking soda, baking powder, cinnamon, and salt. Use a whisk to sift the ingredients together.
- Pour the wet mixture into the bowl with the dry ingredients. Stir until combined. Add the vegan mini chocolate chips. Stir just until combined.
- Portion the batter into the muffin cups.
- Bake at 350F for 15-20 minutes, until golden brown on top and a toothpick can cleanly be inserted and removed.
- Remove from the oven and let cool 10 minutes. Remove from muffin tin and cool completely before store. Store in an air-tight container in the refrigerator. Freeze for longer.
- Go bananas!
Nutrition Facts
Amount Per Serving (1/9 recipe, 2 mini muffins)
| Nutrition Facts | |
|---|---|
| Servings 9.0 | |
| Amount Per Serving | |
| calories 142 | |
| % Daily Value * | |
| Total Fat 3 g | 5 % |
| Saturated Fat 2 g | 9 % |
| Monounsaturated Fat 1 g | |
| Polyunsaturated Fat 0 g | |
| Trans Fat 0 g | |
| Cholesterol 0 mg | 0 % |
| Sodium 170 mg | 7 % |
| Potassium 172 mg | 5 % |
| Total Carbohydrate 27 g | 9 % |
| Dietary Fiber 3 g | 11 % |
| Sugars 13 g | |
| Protein 2 g | 4 % |
| Vitamin A | 1 % |
| Vitamin C | 3 % |
| Calcium | 4 % |
| Iron | 9 % |
| * The Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet, so your values may change depending on your calorie needs. The values here may not be 100% accurate because the recipes have not been professionally evaluated nor have they been evaluated by the U.S. FDA. | |
Shopping and Gear List
- Spectrum Essentials Organic Ground Flaxseed, 24 Ounce
- Terrasoul Superfoods Organic Deglet Noor Dates (Pitted), 2 Pounds
- Enjoy Life Baking Chocolate, Soy free, Nut free, Gluten free, Dairy free, Non GMO, Vegan, Paleo, Semi Sweet Mini Chips, 10 Ounce Bag
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