Banana, Date & Oat Mini Muffins

they pack & freeze beautifully. PLUS what to do with dates.

I’m in love with dates. Specifically the “Pitted Medjool Dates” from Trader Joe’s. They are $1 more than the ones with pits and very much worth the $1. I tell my son (who loves raisins) that they are just giant raisins, so he will eat them. If they are not on your usual shopping list (they should be!) here are a few ways I use them to inspire you:

1. A date dipped in really good almond butter as dessert. Mind blowing.

2. Chopped up in salads. I make a chili broccoli salad with them that I should post again soon.

3. Popped into my morning smoothie if my bananas aren’t that ripe & sweet.

4. Stuffed with blue cheese, wrapped in a thin slice of bacon, secured with a toothpick and baked. OMG.

Those grapes are the “Cotton Candy” variety that are popping up in stores right now. If you’ve never tried them, give them a go… you’ll be shocked!!

Banana Date & Oat Muffins

You may have been one of the many people who found my newsletter via my Mini Zuchinni Muffin recipe. Those were very popular for good reasons: mini, freezable and wholesome ingredients hidden in a muffin. These are the same deal. There is minimal sugar, the freeze beautifully, great for packing lunch and you can make them mini or in a standard sized muffin tray.

The recipe is below and is visible to paid subscribers. A paid subscription gives you access to not only THIS recipe, but all paid recipes in the future AND of the past. I love that last feature.

OXO Cookie Scoop in Medium

You may have noticed on Instagram or here that I’m very into using my cookie scoop. Muffin batter, cookie dough and meatballs are all made easier (in my opinion) by a perfectly sized cookie scoop. The OXO medium cookie scoop is the perfect sized for all of those things plus more that I haven’t thought of. It hold 1.5 tablespoons by volume. It is the ideal portion for my Weeknight Meatballs and for these mini muffins. And if you like to bake cookies, it’s the perfect cookie size - not tiny, but not oversized. It fits about 8 balls to a standard sized sheet pan. I use this thing ALL THE TIME - it’s got real estate in the “used often” drawer. You can click the link below to check it out on Amazon.

These are a very kind thing to pack up and give to someone. I left these on the doorstep of a mom friend who was just landing from a trip. who wouldn’t love to come home to breakfast already sorted for the next morning??

Makes about 32 mini muffins

Butter: this could be almost any kind of oil- butter, coconut oil, olive oil, avocado oil or vegetable oil. I used a combination of unsalted butter and melted coconut oil to get to my 8 tablespoons.

Oats: I used old fashioned rolled oats. Instant oats work fine too, just don’t use steel cut oats, as they are too coarse and wont soften. If you are serving these muffins to a baby, I might recommend pulsing the oats a few times in a blender or food processor to break them down into small bits. It’s less to chew.