Gluten-free, moist and delicious banana nut bread muffins are kicked up a notch with the sweetness of maple syrup and the crunch of pecans. These Paleo-friendly Maple Pecan Banana Bread Muffins are the perfect on-the-go breakfast, after school snack and refined sugar-free dessert.
If you're new around here -Hi! I'm Krista, a recipe developer and food blogger that does not take pride in being a good baker. That being said, recipes for baked goods are published on this site far and few between. When they are, there's a solid change the recipe was a lucky accident. Case in point, these Maple Pecan Banana Bread Muffins.
Okay, maybe I'm not giving myself enough credit. My ability to bake with intuition has improved over the years. From following a handful of tried and true recipes developed by fellow bloggers, I've picked up a few valuable pieces of baking wisdom. For what it's worth, I applied all of that wisdom (and a spoonful of luck) to a bunch of decaying bananas AND for the first time in my career, I nailed a baking recipe on the first time!
But enough about me and my baking highs and lows -let's get down to what you're really here for. Here's the details on my recipe for gluten-free and Paleo-friendly Maple Pecan Banana Bread Muffins!
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Ingredients for Gluten-Free Maple Pecan Banana Bread Muffins
- 4 Bananas; but not just any bananas. The bananas should be well past their prime, so the riper the better. I used four small bananas. If your bananas are a bit larger, you may want to use only three.
- 3 Room Temperature Eggs
- ¼ cup Melted Coconut Oil
- ¼ cup Pure Maple Syrup
- ¼ cup Nut Butter; your favorite nut butter will do just fine in this recipe (pecan, almond, peanut, etc.). I tested this recipe with almond butter and peanut butter and both variations turned out fantastic. Keep in mind that peanuts are not considered Paleo, so you'll want to opt for a grain-free nut butter to keep these muffins Paleo-friendly.
- 1 ½ teaspoons Pure Vanilla Extract
- ½ cup Coconut Flour
- 1 tablespoon Baking Powder
- 1 teaspoon Cinnamon
- ½ teaspoon Nutmeg
- ¼ teaspoon Salt
- ⅓ cup Chopped Pecans; plus more for garnish (optional).
Are these Muffins Paleo?
Not exactly, but they certainly put the ISH in PaleoISH. With a fairly simple ingredient swap they can be totes Paleo.
To make these banana nut muffins Paleo, make sure to use a Paleo-friendly nut butter (so basically anything but peanut butter).
Also, be sure to use a Paleo baking powder. Conventional baking powders are usually made with corn starch, but a grain-free variation is simple to assemble. Check out this tried and true recipe for Grain-Free Paleo Baking Powder. You'll only need a tablespoon of it for this recipe, but you can store the rest for later use.
How to Make Gluten-Free Maple Pecan Banana Bread Muffins
These muffins come together in no time. If I can do it, so can you!
First things first, preheat your oven to 350 degrees. Next, fill a cupcake tin with baking liners or lightly grease silicone baking cups placed on a baking sheet. You'll need enough cups for about 12 muffins.
We're going to be working with the wet ingredients first. In a large bowl, add the ripe bananas and give them a good mashing. The back of a fork works well for that.
Moving along, add the eggs, coconut oil, nut butter, maple syrup and vanilla extract. Using a wire whisk, blend until smooth and well combined.
Now it's time to add in the dry ingredients. To the bowl with the wet mixture, add in the coconut flour, baking powder, cinnamon, nutmeg and salt. Continue whisking until the dry and wet ingredients are mixed together thoroughly. To the batter, gently fold in the chopped pecans.
Fill each cup with about three heaping tablespoons of batter.
For garnish, I pressed a pecan half into each muffin before baking. In hindsight, adding more chopped pecans to the top of each muffin would have been more aesthetically pleasing but that's just a matter of preference. You do you!
Bake on the middle rack in your preheated oven for 25 minutes or until they pass the toothpick test (a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean).
Be sure to let the muffins cool for at least 5 minutes before popping them out of the tin or silicone cups.
Storing
Before storing, make sure the muffins have cooled to room temperature and then store in a freezer-safe resealable bag or air-tight container.
If stored properly, these muffins will last up to 3 days at room temperature, up to a week in the fridge and up to 3 months in the freezer.
Additional Tips for Making Maple Pecan Banana Bread Muffins
- To quickly bring the eggs to room temperature, submerge them in a bowl of warm water for 2 to 3 minutes.
- To quickly melt the coconut oil, microwave it for 20 seconds.
- Try these muffins served warm smeared with butter or ghee!
Tried this recipe? Don't hesitate to boast all about it on social media and mention me in your post @paleoishkrista with #paleoishkristaeats!
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If you're a fan of this recipe, you won't want to miss the ones linked below!
- Healthy Dark Chocolate Avocado Truffles
- No Bake Dark Chocolate Truffles
- Paleo Dark Chocolate Almond Coconut Bites
- Dark Chocolate Avocado Fudge Brownies
📖 Recipe
Maple Pecan Banana Bread Muffins
Ingredients
- 4 bananas very ripe
- 3 eggs room temperature
- ¼ cup coconut oil melted
- ¼ cup maple syrup
- ¼ cup nut butter pecan, almond, cashew, peanut, etc.
- 1 ½ teaspoons pure vanilla extract
- ½ cup coconut flour
- 1 tablespoon baking powder see notes for Paleo option
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- ½ teaspoon nutmeg
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- ⅓ cup pecans choppped (plus 12 halves for garnish; optional)
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°. Line a muffin (or cupcake) tin with liners (or lightly grease 12 silicone baking cups positioned on a baking sheet). Set aside.
- In a large mixing bowl, add peeled bananas and mash with the back of a fork until smooth. To the bowl, add eggs, coconut oil, nut butter, maple syrup and vanilla extract. Whisk until smooth and well combined.
- To the same bowl, add coconut flour, baking powder, cinnamon, nutmeg and salt. Continue to whisk until the dry ingredients are mixed thoroughly with the wet mixture.
- Gently fold the chopped pecans into the mixture.
- Fill each muffin cup with batter (about 3 heaping tablespoons per muffin). If using, gently place a pecan half on the top of each cup of batter.
- Bake the muffins on the center rack for 25 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Let stand on a wire cooling rack for at least 5 minutes before removing from muffin tin or silicone cups.
Notes
- To quickly bring eggs to room temperature, submerge them in a bowl of warm water for 2 to 3 minutes.
- To quickly melt coconut oil, microwave for 20 seconds.
- For Paleo-compliant baking powder, mix ½ cup cream of tartar, ¼ cup baking soda and ¼ cup arrowroot powder. Set aside 1 tablespoon of the mixture for this recipe and store the remainder for another use.
Nutrition
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