Applesauce Banana Oat Muffins

At our house we love muffins. But I just can't justify the cost or the amount of fat in store bought muffins. So we make our own. Ever few months, I make several batches of different kinds and then freeze them. My husband takes out one or two each night for breakfast the next morning. Because he gets up at about 5:30 to swim, he eats as soon as he gets to work, so things that travel well, reheat well, and that have some variation, but are also semi-healthy are important.

This is a variation that I tried today on the previous banana bread recipe. I tried to make it a little healthier, although removing most of the shortening would have helped a lot too.

1 C shortening
2 C sugar
4 eggs
1 1/2 C bananas (blended)
1 1/2 C sugar free applesauce
1 t vanilla
2 C white flour
1 C whole wheat flour
1 C rolled oats
2 t soda
1/2 t baking powder
1 t salt

Cream together shortening, sugar, eggs, bananas, applesauce, and vanilla. Add dry ingredients just until moistened. Scoop into sprayed or lined muffin cups or small loaf pans. Cook at 300 degrees for 30 minutes or longer if needed.


I love these small bread loaves that I got from my mother-in-law. They are about the size of 2 muffins.
For this recipe, I blended the 3 bananas that I had and then just added enough of my homemade applesauce (that I bottled last fall) to make 3 C total. This recipe also calls for 4 C flour, so I combined flour and oats to make 4 C. Any combination of these to equal 4 C will work, but I suggest more flour than oats.

Remove finished muffins to a cooling rack.

ENJOY!

Banana Bread

This is an old family recipe that came to us from my uncle's mother, Helen Jones. It is likely an old pioneer recipe, although I really don't know where she got it from. It has always been a family favorite. My mom swears that the older and browner the bananas the better. With three kids at home, my bananas don't usually last that long.

1 C shortening
2 C sugar
4 eggs
3 C bananas (about 5 bananas)
1 t vanilla
4 C flour
2 t soda
1/2 t baking powder
1 t salt
1 C walnuts (optional)

Cream together the shortening, sugar, eggs, bananas, and vanilla. Add dry ingredients until just mixed. Spoon into 2 paper lined (or spray with no-stick spray) loaf pans. Cook at 300 degrees for 1 hour or longer if necessary.

ENJOY!