I came across some toddler muffins online and was inspired to make some. I didn’t have enough of the ingredients for that recipe, so I decided to invent my own. I used this Food Network Banana Muffin recipe as my base.
I love the concept of a toddler muffin. Obviously they can be eaten by anyone of any age, but you can make them in mini muffin tins, which makes them the perfect size for little hands. Also, making them in mini muffin tins gives them enough crust on all sides that they crumble less than large muffins. And the batch is large enough that you can bake them, keep half out for eating, and freeze the rest. And guess what? The frozen muffins make great chew toys for a teething toddler. And if they’re not teething, they freeze and defrost great.
What you’ll need:
1 ½ cups flour (I used my gluten free baking mix for these)
1 cup quick cooking oats
½ tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
½ tsp cinnamon
½ cup brown sugar
4 -4 oz. jars of bananas (this is equal to 2 cups of mashed bananas, or 4-6 ripe mashed bananas)
½ cup yogurt (I used a vanilla coconut flavor which complimented the recipe nicely. Greek yogurt can be used for additional protein)
½ cup milk
2 eggs
½ tsp vanilla
Preheat your oven to 400 degrees
Start off with 2 bowls, a larger mixing bowl and a smaller mixing bowl. In your small mixing bowl, stir together your flour, oats, sugar, baking soda, salt, and cinnamon. Set aside.
In your large mixing bowl, gently beat together 2 eggs. Add in the mashed bananas, yogurt, milk, and vanilla, and mix until well combined.
Gently stir in the dry ingredients. Be sure not to over mix it! It will be a little lumpy, and you may see small bits of flour here and there, but that’s good! It will absorb into the mixture quickly.
Divide evenly into well oiled muffin tins. I used a ¾ ounce scoop for my mini muffin tins.
Bake at 400 degrees for 15-20 minutes, or until the tops are a light golden color. (Baking time will vary according to each oven and how large your muffins are.) Remove from the oven and let cool.
The recipe above is a pretty basic recipe. You should have most of the ingredients in your cupboard/fridge, but if you don’t, you can always substitute! Google search any of the missing ingredients and you should be able to find a substitute that suits your needs.
Here are some substitutes I found:
Flour: Whole wheat flour, gluten free flour
Eggs: Applesauce, canned pumpkin (1 egg is 1.5 oz., or 3 Tbsp for reference)
Sugar: Honey
Yogurt: Applesauce
Milk: Almond, soy, or coconut milk
And this recipe is great for add ons. You can add nuts, diced apples, shredded carrot, raisins or other dried fruits, or anything else you can think of. Whatever add ons you prefer, add them last and gently mix them in; and remember, don’t over mix! Whichever way you choose to put it together, these muffins are ultra healthy for your little ones. They’re packed full of fiber and protein.
This recipe makes roughly 48 mini muffins (or 24 regular sized muffins).
