I love Saturday mornings. My eyes open early without an alarm and my socked feet carry me out to the kitchen to put on a pot of water, grind the coffee, and take in the morning sunlight that streams through the kitchen windows. Before me stretches a free day full of promise, and I wonder, “What will I get to cook today?”
On a cold February morning such as this, I was inspired by a ripe banana and the desire for something to warm us inside and out. A hearty, barely sweet something with a tender crumb and an oat-y bite, packed with banana and carrot that make it taste at once healthy and indulgent.
It’s somehow not like banana bread or carrot cake but a thing all its own. Lovely alongside a freshly brewed cup of coffee – served warm, maybe with a bit of butter.
2 cups peeled and grated carrots
1 large ripe banana (heaping 1/2 cup)
1/2 cup brown sugar
2 tablespoons granulated sugar
1/3 cup grapeseed or other mild oil
1 egg
1 cup whole wheat pastry flour
3/4 cup rolled oats
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon baking powder
Notes: Melted coconut oil also works great in this recipe. It imparts a faintly detectable coconut flavor. The muffins are quite forgiving and work well with alternative flours. (They’re great with finely ground oats in place of the flour.)
A cup or so of walnuts (broken or roughly chopped) is also a great addition!
Preheat oven to 350 Fahrenheit. Grease a 12-cup muffin tin or line with muffin papers.
Combine carrots, banana, sugars, oil, and egg in the bowl of a food processor. Process to combine. (Or beat with a mixer, but I already had the food processor out for grating the carrots.)
In a separate bowl, stir together the remaining ingredients. Add dry ingredients to the carrot mixture and process or beat until just combined.
Divide batter evenly among the muffin cups and bake for approximately 20 minutes, until a toothpick comes out with just a few moist crumbs.
Serve warm – alone or with butter.
