Blueberry Banana Muffins with a Golden Flaxseed Twist

These muffins are loaded with just about equal parts deliciousness and nutritiousness, with deliciousness winning ever so slightly. Although both qualities are of an impressive amount, deliciousness did beat out nutritiousness due to the amazing flavor combinations that my blueberry and banana loving mouth subjectively found heavenly.

As for the nutritiousness component, well there is no denying that these muffins are likely one of the most nutritious muffins you could prepare {and preparing them is easy ~ this recipe should take you no more than 30 minutes tops!}. Blueberries have been shown to prevent mental decline in later years and also reverse abnormal brain activity. They contain huge helpings of tannins, which are linked to the reversal and prevention of age-related mental decline. There is no question that our brains are our sexiest body part! Our wits may be our most memorable asset, but only if we use them wisely and keep them in tip-top shape. And this means keeping mental stimulation and eating the right foods. Researchers have found that eating blueberries is not simply a preventive measure for optimal cognitive functioning later in life. There are tangible benefits to consuming blueberries for optimal brain health in our youth, too. Think an increase in cerebral blood flow and acute improvements in cognitive functioning that lead to increased mental clarity and improvements in spatial working memory. Now that is what I like to call delicious information!

We can thank the stellar antioxidant content of blueberries for nimbly crossing our blood-brain barriers and exerting measurable improvements in existing neural pathways, cellular communi- cation, and neuronal regeneration and strengthening.

These muffins are undeniably appropriate for consuming at breakfast, lunch, dinner or dessert. I am not sure many other muffin recipes can be granted such highly esteemed any-meal-of-the-day status. This status should only be granted to muffins that contain so many nutritious ingredients that you cannot help but approve them for breakfast consumption. Scratch that. To me, consumption is not a word that sounds mouth-watering enough for these bananay beauties. Let’s go with luxuriation. There we go…breakfast luxuriation.

Ingredients (makes about 8 muffins):

½ cup water 2 tablespoons ground flaxseeds 1 teaspoon baking powder 1 teaspoon baking soda 1 cup fresh blueberries (preferably organic) 2 medium-sized ripe bananas 2 tablespoons Earth Balance or another vegan margarine 10 medjool dates, pitted 1 teaspoon Stevia powder (optional, to make them a bit sweeter) ½ cup almond flour 1 cup whole-wheat pastry flour or oat flour for gluten-free version 1 teaspoon vanilla extract or 1 ground vanilla bean ½ tablespoon cinnamon ⅓ cup raw sunflower seeds (optional)

Directions:

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F and line a muffin tin with 8 paper liners or lightly grease. Mix water, baking powder, baking soda and ground flaxseeds in a small mixing bowl or cup and let sit for a few minutes. Set aside.

In a food processor, combine water-flaxseed mixture, bananas, Earth balance (or other vegan margarine) dates, Stevia (if using), almond flour and whole wheat pastry flour. Process until a nice evenly mixed dough forms. Pour the dough into a large mixing bowl.

Add the sunflower seeds  to the large bowl containing the dough and mix in well. Add in blueberries at this time and mix them in too. Divide the batter evenly between muffin tins (they should be about ¾ of the way full). Optional: Sprinkle the tops of each muffin with a bit more blueberries.

Bake for 20 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean and the edges are golden brown. Let them cool for at least 10 minutes in the pan, then gently remove and let them cool completely on a cooling rack. Don’t try to remove the muffin paper before they are completely cooled because they will stick to the paper. Enjoy!

Blueberry scientific reference for you:

L. T. Butler, D. Vauzour, C. M. Williams, et al., “Blueberry-Induced Changes in Spatial Working Memory Correlate with Changes in Hippocampal CREB Phosphorylation and Brain-Derived Neurotrophic Factor (BDNF) Levels,” Elsevier 45, no. 3 (2008): 295–305.