Maple Cashew Butter Stuffed Banana Muffins [vegan + gluten free]

Hey friends!

Shall we start the week off on a yummy note?

More specifically, let’s chat about these maple cashew butter stuffed banana muffins – which are all decked out for the holidays because I simply couldn’t help myself from nabbing candy cane muffin decor. Between having a very Christmas-y weekend watching both Home Alone and Elf, plus going ice skating (more on that later this week!), along with lighting up my living room with my Christmas tree and fireplace decorations every night and playing nonstop Christmas music as of late, I’m full blown in holiday mode. I can’t get enough of it!

But back to food. For this recipe, I played around with coconut sugar for the first time with muffins. I was pleased with the result, and will be experimenting with coconut sugar more often moving forward! The muffins are stuffed with a maple syrup & cashew butter blend that is a delicious combo of sweet + salty. I also pumped up the cashew flavor by using Almond Breeze‘s new Almondmilk Cashewmilk Blend in the batter. I love anything cashew!

Not only are these muffins tasty, they’re also gluten free and vegan. At 170 calories a pop, they make for a perfectly portioned little snack.

Note that different nut butters have different levels of creaminess, and for this recipe, you’ll want to use a cashew butter that’s on the creamy side. My go-to cashew butter is Trader Joe’s brand because it’s super creamy and easy to spread around a lot on fruit, and for this recipe, its creaminess makes for a great muffin filling. What you wind up with is some warm, salty, sweet ooey gooiness in the center of the muffin. Yum!

Maple Cashew Butter Stuffed Banana Muffins [vegan + gluten free]

Foodie Loves Fitness

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Prep Time 10 minutes mins

Cook Time 20 minutes mins

Total Time 30 minutes mins

Servings 12

Calories 170 kcal

Ingredients

  

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• 2 cups rolled oats ensure they're gluten free if necessary
• 2 1/2 bananas
• 1/2 cup Almond Breeze Almondmilk Cashewmilk Blend
• 1 TBSP safflower oil vegetable oil will work too
• 1/2 cup coconut sugar
• 1/4 cup maple syrup
• 1/4 cup creamy cashew butter
• 3/4 TSP cinnamon divided into 1/2 TSP and 1/4 TSP
• 2 1/2 TSP vanilla extract divided into 2 TSP and 1/2 TSP
• 1/2 TSP salt
• 1 TSP baking powder
• 1/2 TSP baking soda

Instructions

 

• Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Line a 12-cup muffin tin with muffin cups.
• In a food processor, combine oats, banana, almond milk, safflower oil, coconut sugar, 1/2 TSP cinnamon, 2 TSP vanilla, salt, baking powder and baking soda. Pulse until well combine and mostly smooth. Set aside.
• In a small pot, combine cashew butter, maple syrup, and remaining vanilla and cinnamon over medium low heat. Allow mixture to warm until it lightly bubbles, stirring often. Remove from heat.
• Fill the muffin cups to about 1/3 of the way full. Next, evenly spoon the cashew butter mixture into the cups. Lastly, distribute the rest of the batter into the muffin cups.
• Bake for 17 minutes, or until the muffins come out clean when a toothpick is inserted into the center.

Nutrition

Serving: 1gCalories: 170kcalCarbohydrates: 28gProtein: 3gFat: 5gFiber: 3gSugar: 16g

Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!

Tell me… Are you a cashew fan? Have you caught the holiday spirit bug, or are you being more of a Grinch?? 🙂 

PS – Enter my Nektar Naturals giveaway to win a bottle of their easy pour honey crystals! The giveaway ends on Wednesday.

Disclaimer: This post is sponsored by Almond Breeze Almondmilk. Enter for a chance to win the Ultimate Kitchen Prize Pack, get great savings and ideas for delicious Blendabilities at AlmondBreezeBlendabilities.com.