You guys, this recipe is so incredibly special to me, and (like many of my recipes) there's a story behind it!
In a few days I will be embarking on a very long road trip up north with the kids. We're headed to my parents' summer home on Martha's Vineyard, which is a seriously long haul from Central Virginia. I'm dividing the trip up over two days, and fortunately my Aunt Barbara has offered to make the trip with me and the boys. Keith will be holding down the fort at home (and working) until he joins us later in the trip.
While spending 14+ hours in the car with 3 boys ages 7 and under is not exactly my idea of "fun," the ultimate destination is definitely worth the effort. I spent every summer of my childhood on the Vineyard, and I wouldn't want it any other way for my own kids.
There are just so many wonderful memories associated with those vacations, including mornings of blueberry picking in our back yard, afternoons splashing in the waves at the beach, and evenings licking ice cream cones by the dock. In short, Summertime Heaven!
With all of these fond snapshots tucked away in my brain, I set out to create a simple, wholesome, Vineyard-inspired recipe that we can easily pack for our travels. With many miles ahead of us, I need portable, kid-friendly options that travel well without refrigeration and that help us avoid too many interstate drive-thru's!
Since there's probably not a more quintessentially "Vineyard" locale than The Black Dog Bakery and Tavern, these muffins instantly came to mind. The Black Dog Bakery sits right next to the ferry dock in Vineyard Haven and is basically the only spot open on the island when we're waiting to board the 6:00 a.m. ferry. I grew up with these warm baked goods, and a ferry crossing just wouldn't be the same without them.
The Whole Wheat Banana Muffins With Blueberries are one of the The Black Dog's most popular recipes. Think of this treat as a perfect cross between banana bread and blueberry muffins. They're incredibly moist and rich from the banana in the batter, and they're bursting with pockets of juicy blueberries. I adapted The Black Dog's original recipe for this simple and delicious version that my kids can't get enough of!
My blueberry banana muffins are made with whole wheat flour, rolled oats, and Horizon Organic butter. They're sweetened only with fruit and maple syrup. No fake ingredients, nothing weird, and nothing that's hard to pronounce! Just wholesome, nourishing, and delicious -- proving that we can still treat our families without compromising quality.
These Whole Wheat Banana Muffins Make A Delicious Healthy Snack Or Breakfast
I like to pair the muffins with Horizon's organic milk boxes for an added protein punch. The vanilla flavor is Spencer's personal favorite, and the containers just happen travel well in coolers or lunch boxes for easy road trip food!
You know what else is going in our Road Trip Survival Kit? Horizon's new Good & Go packs, which are perfectly portioned snacks with just the right amount of carbs and protein for satisfaction and staying power. Again, they travel easily and they keep the kiddos happy!
I love the sweet-and-salty combo of the cheddar cheese, raisins, cashews, and cranberries!
With full bellies and happy travelers, I will feel a little bit more prepared for the journey that we're about to embark on.
And when the kids start whining, fussing, or fighting in the back seat, I'll just smile, sink my teeth into one of these muffins, and imagine the bakery, the beach, and the ferry that awaits me...
For more information about Horizon Organic products and for additional recipes and inspiration, be sure to sign up for the Horizon Newsletter and follow the brand on Twitter, on Facebook, on Pinterest, and on Instagram! Oh, and check out this super cute video from my friends at Horizon -- we are definitely #AllForWeird!
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Whole Wheat Banana Muffins With Blueberries
Ingredients
- 1 ¼ cups whole wheat flour
- ¾ cup rolled oats
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg
- ½ cup maple syrup
- ½ cup 1 stick Horizon organic butter, melted
- 3 mashed ripe bananas
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 1 cup fresh or frozen blueberries if using frozen blueberries, do not thaw them before adding to the batter
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350F/180C. Line a muffin tin with paper liners or spray with nonstick cooking spray. Set aside.
- In a large bowl, whisk together flour, oats, baking soda, salt, and nutmeg.
- In a separate bowl, stir together maple syrup, melted butter, mashed bananas, and vanilla extract.
- Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients and stir until just combined (be careful not to over-mix the batter). The batter will be slightly lumpy, which is fine!
- Gently fold blueberries into the batter. Divide batter evenly among prepared muffin cups. The muffins do not rise very high, so be sure to fill the muffin cups pretty full!
- Bake for about 30 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
- Tip: these muffins freeze very well, so wrap any extras tightly in plastic wrap and freeze for up to 3 months.
Notes
Nutrition
This is a sponsored conversation written by me on behalf of Horizon. The opinions and text are all mine.
It sounds like you will have a wonderful trip, Blair! That's so great that you get to spend some time with your family. These muffinslook like the perfect snack for the car ride. Love the banana and blueberry combo!
Thank you, Gayle! It's like banana bread with fresh blueberries in it. Definitely an awesome combo! 🙂
Thank you for this wonderful delicious recipe. My Dad and hubby really like them! I used half applesauce and half butter like you suggested. No maple syrup. Didn’t have any . My banana s were almost completely black! So I sprinkled a Little Chinese 5 spice on top of each one before popping the muffins in the oven. Wow soo good! It adds a lil sweet warmth . Thanks again,
JM
That's awesome, Jen! I'm so glad that they were a hit!
I’m sorry I’m not used to writing comments so I SAY 5 STARS ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️⭐️⭐️+ because of taste, healthy, no sugar
You're amazing! Thanks, Jen!!
These Whole Wheat Banana Blueberry Muffins look amazing. I feel hungry now, great pictures, nice recipe.
These sound so delicious! Pinning to make later!
Any way to lower sugar and saturated fat content?
Hi, Jacquie! Yes! I would cut the maple syrup down (just use as much as you like to taste) and then substitute applesauce for half of the butter. That should work fine! 🙂
So if I replace half the butter with applesauce, is it the same amounts, like I would need to use 1/4 cup applesauce? Thank you!
Hi, Cynthia! Replacing fat with applesauce in baked goods will work, but it will change the texture and the taste of the muffins (less fat = a more "gummy" texture).
If you'd like to try the swap, you would use 1/4 cup of applesauce and 1/4 cup of melted butter.
Enjoy!
I'm just some guy from a faraway land looking for a recipe for whole-wheat banana and blueberry muffins as a nutritious on-the-go snack alternative to store-bought sugary stuff and so I came just for the recipe but got taken in by your heartwarming story behind it. I enjoyed it very, made me smile, can't wait to try the recipe. And your kids are simply adorable!
Hi, Hugh! Thanks so much for your kind note and for reading the blog post. 🙂 I hope you enjoy the muffins!
These sound delicious I don't really really like whole rolled oats in my baked goods. Could I process them a little so they're not as chunky and, if so, do you think I'd need to use more or less or bake them for a longer or shorter amount of time?
Hi, Kayleigh! Yes, you can process the oats a bit so that they're smaller (although you don't notice big chunky oats in these muffins once they're baked). 🙂 I would use the same amount of oats and bake for the same amount of time. Just keep your eye on the muffins as they cook, since I haven't tried those changes myself for this recipe. Enjoy!
You could leave the oats out altogether and use another 3/4 cup whole wheat flour instead.
Sounds like such a fun trip and I'm now dying to make these muffins and try them for myself!
They're the best!!! Thanks, Emily!
I made this today and they were amazing. Thank you so much for the recipe!
Awesome! Thanks, Sama!
These are our go-to muffins. I make a batch on Sunday and my children and eat them for breakfast all week. I add a 1/4 teaspoon almond extract. Recently, there was a sale on frozen strawberries, so I've been making the strawberry banana muffins. They are equally delicious this way! Thank you for the excellent recipe 🙂
Thanks, Amanda! The strawberry version sounds amazing, too! 🙂 So glad that you all enjoy them!
These are great! I subbed out an eighth cup of the flour (I used white whole wheat) for flaxseed meal and added a tablespoon of chia seeds and a half cup of chopped pecans. Turned out wonderful! Perfect level of sweetness and I love the slightly crispy edges. Definitely saving this recipe, thank you!
Wonderful! Thanks, Amanda!
Blair, these are such wonderful, delicious muffins! Made them yesterday as we had some bananas at the perfect stage of being really ripe and we are also very overloaded in blueberries from our bushes now (otherwise I would have tried your banana bread), that this recipe seemed perfect. I like to use Einkorn flour and I wasn't sure how it would work out since you mentioned these are not high risers anyway, but they rose plenty and looked perfect, just like yours. (Einkorn is lower in gluten, hence my concern.) I love the texture and moisture level and the sweetness is spot on--not too sweet like some muffins can be, but sweet enough. With all the grains and fiber these muffins are really satisfying and keep hunger at bay for a long time. Thanks for another great recipe!
Norma
Wonderful, Norma! I'm so glad to hear that they worked with the Einkorn flour. I've never used that flour at all, so thanks for experimenting for other readers as well. 🙂 You've reminded me about these muffins and now I want to make a batch. It's definitely blueberry season around here! Have a great weekend!
Forgot to mention that I used Einkorn All Purpose flour in this recipe rather than grinding the whole berries myself (was in a hurry). This type of flour removes only about 20% of the bran and germ so most of the health benefits of nutrition and fiber are still there--very different from regular AP flour.
Wow, looking at these photos one can see how your boys have grown! Time goes by quickly!
I just made these and my boys loved it and so did hubby and me. We have already munched away more than Hal of it. I skipped rolled oats, since I did not have any. Still they turned out great. Thank you so much for sharing this wonderful recipe.
Perfect! That's great that you've found a recipe that the whole family agrees on! 🙂
I subbed half the butter for 2% Fage Greek yogurt. Definitely saving this recipe. Perfect blend of healthy-ish ingredients and great taste
Thanks, Lauren! That sounds delicious! Now I want to try them with the Greek yogurt, too. Great idea!
Delicious! I replaced half of the butter with yogurt and only used 1/4 cup of maple syrup. Sweeteness was perfect! Everyone loved them!
Thanks, Francesca! I'm so glad that your tweaks worked. Sound delicious!