Hey, lovely.

How is your guys’ January going? If it’s anything like mine, it’s been intense. On New Year’s Eve, Aaron and I joined a local spiritual group and experienced rape medicine for the first time. (Read more here). Ever since then, life has been moving — fast.

Days later, we decided to move out of our Las Vegas, NV, apartment by the end of the month. For anyone who has moved knows, that’s a lot of work to do in just one month. So, yeah, we’re a bit exhausted.

Right now, we’re in South Dakota visiting friends and family. Aaron and I also had a meeting with our independent contracting manager about a potential build we will do in Colorado. Exciting stuff! But, that means a lot of work is ahead of us…

Fortunately, there’s always time (well, sometimes) to create delectable goodies in the kitchen. The latest are these light and fluffy banana-nut muffins. The recipe is from Minimalist Baker but was slightly adapted. Find the original version here.

Nom nom nom…

In my personal opinion, the recipe is great because it contains few ingredients and is easy to make. The simpler meals are, in my opinion, the better!

So, without further ado, enjoy these light and fluffy banana-nut muffins. They’re vegan and gluten-free!

Light & Fluffy Banana-Nut Muffins [Vegan, GF]

Preparation Time: 15 minutes

Serving Size: 12 muffins

Ingredients:

Banana muffins

1 flax egg (1 Tbsp flaxseed meal + 2 1/2 Tbsp water)
3 medium ripe bananas
1 Tbsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp pure vanilla extract
3 Tbsp coconut oil
1/4 cup coconut sugar
1/4 cup packed organic brown sugar
2 1/2 Tbsp maple syrup, agave nectar, or honey (if not vegan)
3/4 tsp sea salt
1/2 tsp cinnamon
3/4 cup unsweetened plain almond milk
1 1/4 cup almond meal
1 1/4 cup gluten-free flour blend
1 1/4 cup gluten-free oats

Candied nuts

1 1/2 cups roughly chopped walnuts or almonds
1/4 cup sugar
1 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp nutmeg
1/4 tsp cloves
1/4 tsp vanilla powder optional)

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F (190 C) and line a standard muffin try with paper baking cups.
In a medium-sized mixing bowl, prepare the flax egg by mixing water and the flaxseed meal together. Allow to sit for 5 minutes.
Meanwhile, combine the ingredients for the spiced nuts in a medium-sized bowl. Line a pan with parchment paper, spread the mixture out, and bake for 8-10 minutes (or until golden brown). Remove and allow to cool.
Once the flax egg has thickened, add banana (mashed), baking powder, and baking soda. Combine until only small chunks remains. Add vanilla, coconut oil, sugar, maple syrup (or alternative), sea salt, and cinnamon. Whisk vigorously until combined. Add almond milk and stir once more.
Add almond meal, gluten-free oats, and gluten-free flour blend and stir until just combined. Next, divide batter between the muffin tins until three-quarters way full. There should be 12 muffins.
Top the muffins with the candied nuts (that is, if you haven’t eaten them all by this step).
Bake for 28-35 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center of a muffin comes out clean and the edges are dark golden brown. Remove the muffin tray from the oven and allow to cool for 5 minutes. Next, remove the tin and let to cool completely on a cooling rack. (Optional: sprinkle cane sugar on top for decor) The muffin texture is best when completely cooled.
Store leftovers in an air-tight container. They will keep up to 7 days in the fridge, or up to one month in the freezer.