Banana Wheat Germ Muffins

Before you even say it, yes, I'm posting another muffin recipe.  And there will likely be several more - I am on such a muffin kick these days!  I absolutely love having homemade muffins in my freezer at all times, but I need some variety so that we don't get bored.  Which is why even though I have some winners already (see bran muffins and granola muffins), I'm still trying out different recipes.

My most recent experiment came from my list of Weelicious recipes to try - banana muffins.  She promised this recipe was as good as traditional buttery, sugary banana bread, but it's incredibly healthy.  And you know what?  They're actually super tasty!  I happen to be surrounded by banana bread at the moment, so it's easy to compare, and the biggest difference is that these muffins are very light - they do not have the same moist density of traditional banana bread.  That being said, they are really sweet without having a lot of sugar, and they have the added benefit of wheat germ!  Wheat germ is packed with nutrients and fiber, so I'm always excited to find a new way to use it.

This recipe also uses agave syrup instead of regular sugar, as do many Weelicious recipes.  I've posted a few recipes with agave so far, so this is probably a good time to share my opinion that nutritionally, I think it's impossible to say that one is better than the other.  Some people argue that agave has a lower glycemic index so therefore it's better for us, and others argue that it's higher in fructose which makes it worse.  I think basically we don't know, and it really depends on what you're eating it with and in what quantities.  That being said, I think there are a couple of advantages to agave:  first, it's less refined which may make it better for the environment and add some nutritional value.  But more importantly, while it has the same calories per teaspoon as sugar (approx 16), it's much more sweet, so you can include less of it to achieve the same level of sweetness.

So overall, I highly recommend this recipe.  Not sure I'd use it for bread because I think you'd miss the dense texture, but it makes a really great, light, sweet muffin.

Banana Wheat Germ Muffins
adapted from Weelicious

1 Cup All Purpose Flour
1 Cup Wheat Germ
1 Tsp Baking Soda
1/2 Tsp Baking Powder
1 Tsp Salt
3 Medium Very Ripe Bananas
1/2 Cup Agave
3 Tbsp Vegetable Oil
1 Tbsp Vanilla
1 Large Egg

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray muffin tin with non-stick spray or line with cups. 

In a small bowl, whisk together flour, wheat germ, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.

In a large bowl, mash the 3 bananas with a fork.  Add agave, oil, vanilla, and egg and beat using a hand mixer (or standing mixer) until well combined and fairly smooth (small bits of banana are fine).  Add dry ingredients in 3 stages and gently mix on low until just combined.  Do not over-mix.

Fill prepared muffin cups 3/4 full with batter.  Bake 15 minutes for mini muffins or 20 minutes for regular muffins, or until a toothpick comes out clean.

Makes 24 mini or 12 standard muffins