Blueberry Banana Muffins

I have a healthy blueberry muffin recipe to share today.  It's a simple dessert, a quick breakfast, or even a healthy treat with a cup of tea.  What makes these muffins healthy?  These muffins are made with brown rice flour and grapeseed oil, and the sweetness comes from maple syrup and the fruit.

This was my first time baking with grapeseed oil.  Grapeseed oil has a light, clean taste.  If coconut oil is too strong for you, give grapeseed oil a try because it is much more neutral in flavor.  Grapeseed oil is a healthy choice because it contains a high amount of omega 6, which helps the body burn fat and increase energy.  It also contains omega 9, omega 3, beta carotene, vitamin E, and vitamin C.  Brown rice flour is high in fiber and rich in niacin, so it's good for helping to lower cholesterol.

I love banana bread, but the blueberries were a good way to change up the banana bread.  The plump, juice blueberries add a nice tartness.  Baking blueberries really brings out their tartness.  The ripe bananas and maple syrup sweetness balance out the tartness.  Because there is no traditional sugar in these muffins, these muffins aren't as sweet as the traditional banana bread, but the natural sweetness from the fruits and maple syrup makes it a mellow sweet treat.  These muffins are a perfect balance of tart and sweet.

I added a dollop of almond butter on top as healthy faux frosting.  Isn't everything better with frosting?

Blueberry Banana Muffins
Yields 12 muffins

Ingredients:
1 cup brown rice flour
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. sea salt
1/4 tsp. baking powder
1/4 tsp. ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp. ground nutmeg
1/2 cup grapeseed oil
1/4 cup pure maple syrup
2 large eggs, at room temperature
2 tsp. pure vanilla extract
1 cup mashed overripe bananas, about 3 small bananas
1 cup fresh blueberries

Directions:
Preheat oven to 324ºF.  Line a cupcake pan with paper lines.

In a medium sized bowl, whisk the rice flour, baking soda, salt, baking powder, cinnamon, and nutmeg, and set aside.

In a large bowl, or in the bowl of a stand mixer, whisk the grape seed oil, maple syrup, eggs, and vanilla.  Stir in the bananas and blueberries.  Then, add the flour mixture and stir until combined.

Spoon the batter into the muffin liners.  Bake for about 25 to 30 minutes, until a toothpick inserted into the center of the muffins comes out clean.  After the muffins finish, carefully remove them from the pan and allow them to cool on a wire rack for at least an hour before serving.

Source: Giada De Laurentiis' Giada's Feel Good Food