Whole grain, naturally sweetened muffins or bread with all the flavor of apples and bananas plus crunch from almonds and walnuts.

Although Fall brings thoughts of apple and pumpkin picking, apples are in stores year round to help you enjoy these tasty treats during any season.

You can pour this batter into muffins tins or loaf pans but why decide…do what I do: I use the recipe below to fill 24 mini-muffins or 12 full sized muffins plus one loaf pan.

In our house, the muffins make an awesome Sunday morning breakfast paired with cottage or ricotta cheese and, when cooled down after the baking, the loaf goes into the freezer for when I need a cake for unexpected company.

ABC (Apple Banana Crunch) Bread or Muffins

Ingredients:

2 cups whole wheat pastry flour

1 1/3 cups all-purpose flour

2 tablespoons chia seeds

1 Tablespoon baking powder

2 teaspoons baking soda

1 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

3/4 cup granulated sugar

4 egg whites

½ cup extra light olive oil or avocado oil

½ cup plain Greek yogurt

2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract

2 large eggs

2/3 cup water

4 small or 3 large ripe bananas, mashed well

1 large apple – peeled, cored, and cut into small pieces

a few drops of lemon juice (to sprinkle over apple)

3/4 cup chopped walnuts

3/4 cup dark chocolate chips

1/3 cup slivered almonds

Cooking spray

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350◦F

Drizzle a touch of lemon juice over apple after it’s chopped to prevent browning. Set aside.

Spoon flours into dry measuring cups and level with a knife.

Whisk together with the next 5 ingredients (through cinnamon) in a large bowl.

Combine sugar, egg whites, oil, vanilla extract, Greek yogurt and eggs in a large bowl and beat with a hand mixer until blended.

Add water and mashed bananas, beating at a low speed until blended together.

Add flour mixture to above wet mixture and beat at a low speed just until combined (don’t over mix.)

Coat 2 loaf pans (9 X 5 inch each) or 2 muffin tins (24 muffins) or one loaf pan and one muffin tin (24) with cooking spray.

Spoon batter into pans and fill half-way. Sprinkle almonds and several apple pieces evenly over batter. 

Bake breads (in loaf pans) for 1 hour or until a wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean, or bake muffins (in muffin tins) for 15-20 minutes and check as above. Cool in pans for 10 minutes and then remove from pans and cool on wire rack.

Yield is either 2 loaves or 24 full-sized muffins or 48 mini-muffins.