Honey and Banana Muffins

Breakfast is the most important meal of the day – a healthy meal first thing in the morning gives you enough energy to get through to lunch time and leads to healthier choices during the rest of your day.

These muffins are perfect if you're craving something sweet early in the morning! This recipe uses honey and banana as natural sweeteners and cuts down on the calories by avoiding sugar all together!

Ingredients
  1/3 cup extra-virgin olive oil
  1/2 cup honey
  2 eggs
  1 cup packed, mashed ripe bananas (about 4 bananas)
  1/4 cup milk
  1 teaspoon baking soda
  1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  ½ tsp salt
  ½ tsp cinnamon (plus more for sprinkling on top)
  1¾ cups all-purpose flour
  1/3 cup old-fashioned oats (plus more for sprinkling on top)

Method
1. Pre-heat oven to 325°F/170°C
2. Grease a 12-cup muffin pan generously with non-stick cooking spray or oil or line with paper muffin liners.
3. In a large bowl, combine the olive oil and honey and beat together with a whisk. 
4. Add the eggs and beat well.
5. Mix in the mashed bananas and milk, followed by the baking soda, vanilla extract, salt and cinnamon. Continue to whisk until the mixture is light fluffy.
6. Add the flour and oats and mix well with a large spatula, just until combined. If the mixture begins to clump, use the whisk to beat lightly. Add the flour gradually and fold it in with the spatula in order to make a smooth mixture and mix the oats in similarly.
7. Divide the batter evenly between each cavity of the muffin pan, till they are about 2/3 full. Sprinkle the top of each muffin with about 1 tablespoon of oats and a pinch of cinnamon (or sugar).
8. Bake for about 20 to 25 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into a muffin comes out clean. The batter will rise as it cooks.

Once the muffins are ready, place them under a fan to cool and remove about 10-15 minutes and place on a tray or plate until they have cooled.
If kept in a refrigerated in an air-tight container, these muffins will stay good for about a week. Grab them as a snack to satisfy your sweet-tooth or eat them for breakfast to ensure that your day starts on a happy note!

Preparation and cooking requires effort, but it is well worth it because not only do you have a quick breakfast to grab the next day, they are also delicious. If you have kids that are fussy about breakfast, muffins are perfect because they're usually the little ones' favourite!