Avocado Banana Muffins

These moist bananas are sweet, moist and magical. Have you noticed that they're slightly green? That's avocado! I used the creamy fruit to replace all the fat in the recipe!

I'm not joking. I replaced 100% of the fat (typically butter or oil) with one mashed avocado.
The "single-seeded berry" makes an excellent substitution - it's creamy and rich, and gives these muffins the buttery quality we all crave. And that buttery quality is in mouthfeel and taste only - the fat in avocados is monounsaturated, the heart-healthy kind.

Want dairy-free muffins too? No problem, simply sub non-dairy milk for regular - almond milk and soy milk both work great.

By the way, I like to make these muffins in a food processor. Call me a tad lazy if you want, but I like to puree the bananas and avo together - rather than mashing them separately  (and dirtying more bowls). If you don't have a food processor, you can make these muffins in a large bowl. Simply combine the wet ingredients first (mashed banana, mashed avocado, milk, egg, and vanilla). Once the wet ingredients are well blended, whisk in the dry ingredients (flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt). That's it! You're ready to spoon the batter into the muffin pan(s) and bake.

Avocado Banana Muffins

Cooking spray
2 cups all-purpose flour
3/4 cup granulated sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 1/4 cups mashed banana (about 3 bananas)
1/2 cup mashed ripe avocado, (1 large or 2 small avocados)
1/3 cup milk (1% or 2%)
1 large egg
2 teaspoons vanilla extract

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Coat 48 cups of mini muffin pans with cooking spray.
In a medium bowl, combine the flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Mix with a fork to combine. Set aside.
Combine the bananas and avocado in a food processor and process until mashed and blended. Add the milk, egg and vanilla and process until blended. Add the flour mixture and pulse on and off until just blended (don’t over-mix; it's OK if there are little lumps).
Spoon the batter into the prepared muffin cups, filling each cup about 2/3 full.
Bake for 10 to 12 minutes, until a wooden pick inserted into a center muffin comes out clean or with little moist bits clinging to it. Cool the muffins on wire racks. Store leftovers in airtight containers at room temperature or in the refrigerator.

Makes 48 mini muffins.