Warm, rich, and subtly spiced, these muffins are therapy in a baking tin. Ripe bananas and apple sauce give them loads of flavor while keeping fat to a minimum.

This recipe uses applesauce in place of some of the butter or oil to make these muffins a healthier treat. For the richest flavor, use overripe bananas.
Servings: Serves 6
Ingredients
  • 1 cup whole wheat or all-purpose flour
  • 1/2 tsp. baking soda
  • 1/2 tsp. ground cardamom
  • 1/2 tsp. ground cinnamon
  • 1/2 tsp. ground nutmeg
  • 1/4 tsp. salt
  • 1/2 cup light brown sugar
  • 1/4 cup (1/2 stick) softened butter or vegetable oil
  • 1 cup (2 to 3 whole) very ripe mashed bananas
  • 1/4 cup unsweetened applesauce
  • 1/2 tsp. orange zest
  • 1/2 tsp. vanilla extract
  • 1 egg
  • 1/4 cup coarsely chopped walnuts
    • Directions
    Preheat oven to 350°. Line a standard 6-muffin tin with paper liners or grease well; set aside.

    Put flour, baking soda, cardamom, cinnamon, nutmeg, and salt into a large bowl; set aside. Put sugar and butter or oil into a second large bowl and beat with an electric mixer until well combined. Add bananas, applesauce, zest, vanilla, and egg to the sugar-butter mixture, and beat again until combined. Add flour mixture to banana mixture in three parts, stirring well after each addition; fold in walnuts.

    Spoon batter into prepared tin; bake until a toothpick inserted in the center of a muffin comes out clean, about 25 minutes. Serve warm or at room temperature.

    Recipe adapted from The Tassajara Bread Book , by Edward Espe Brown, copyright © 1995 (with permission from Shambhala Publications, Inc.)

    From the July 2009 issue of O, The Oprah Magazine

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