Gluten Free Banana Muffins

Who doesn't love a good banana muffin/bread recipe?? How about if I said it is gluten free?? Does that help? Well if it does this should make you smile. These muffins are moist and have plenty of flavor with the spices used (I use the higher amount because I love good flavorful banana muffin). While you can use chocolate chips in this recipe I do recommend, per everyone that has had them with those, that leaving them out has been far more popular. These make a great addition to any party or brunch that you may be hosting also!! :)

• Gluten Free Banana Muffins
• 1/2 cup + 1 Tablespoon coconut flour, I use Bob's Red Mill
• 1 tsp. aluminum free baking powder, again I use Bob's Red Mill
• 3/4 tsp. baking soda
• pinch of sea salt
• 1/2 tsp. ground cinnamon (good quality matters)
• 1/4 tsp. nutmeg, allspice, cloves (put all three or use 1/4 - 1/2 tsp. Pumpkin Pie spice)
• 3 ripe organic bananas, peeled
• 1 cup Greek yogurt (I used 'The Greek God's honey vanilla once and strawberry honey another time both turned out awesome)
• 1/2 stick of cultured or grassfed butter 
• 1/4 cup honey
• 1 tsp. pure vanilla extract
• 6 pasteurized eggs
• Otional - 1 cup organic fair trade chocolate (soy free), chopped, Enjoy Life Chocolate Chips, (chocolate chips were found to take away from the taste of the muffins, family prefers this without) OR 1 cup crispy walnuts (my favorite!! I do grind mine fairly fine to hide them from my kiddos that don't like nuts in their muffins. :))

Instructions:

1. In a large bowl, combine the flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt, cinnamon and nutmeg. Whisk well with a wire whisk to combine and set aside.
2. Break the bananas into thirds and place the in the bowl of your food processor, pulse until chopped. Add 1 cup of sour cream to the bananas and process until combined and smooth. Reserve. (Alternately, you could mash bananas with a fork and whisk in the sour cream by hand.)
3. Using an standing electric mixer, cream the butter and sugar together until light and fluffy. Add the vanilla and beat to combine. Add the eggs, one at a time, and beat well until light and fluffy.
4. Add the flour mixture by half, alternating with the banana mixture, beating only until blended, until all of the dry and wet ingredients have been added.
5. Using a mini muffin tin, place a liner in each muffin tin and fill each cup with batter. Then place a few pieces of the chocolate into the center of each muffin if you chose to it in chocolate chips.
6. Bake in the middle of a pre-heated 350 degree F oven for 22-25 minutes, or until lightly browned and cooked throughout. Baking time will vary depending on your oven. The muffins are cooked when a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Cool in the pan for 10 minutes, remove muffins and let cool completely on a wire rack before consuming.

Variations;

1. Oat Flour variation; Prepare as above, except switch to using 1 1/3 cups of gluten free oat flour (or sprouted oat flour), 1/4 cup coconut flour, 1/2 tsp. baking powder and 4 pastured eggs, all other ingredients remain the same.
2. Pumpkin variation; Prepare as above, except switch the banana out for 1 cup of organic pumpkin puree (I usually make my own, know that it may add extra liquid if you don't reduce it enough and get all the liquid out) and use the full amount of sugar allotted (if you chose) plus 1 Tbsp. organic maple syrup. Cook for 25-30.