Whole Wheat Banana - Currant Millet Muffins

Breakfast might be the most important meal of the day but to me, it's also the hardest. Lately, I've been feeling like I'm in a breakfast rut, relying too heavily on cereals and yogurt that only temporarily fill me up or on the other extreme, an egg and cheese sandwich can be too filling. Instead, I wanted to find something nutritious and portable, should a busy morning keep me from sitting down to enjoy breakfast. A muffin seemed like a natural candidate for the job, but I didn't like any of the recipes I found. Too much butter, oil or just plain old boring, nothing seemed to be what I was looking for so I took to my kitchen to create my own breakfast muffin recipe.

These muffins are whole wheat and they get their sweetness from maple syrup, mashed bananas and dried currants, rather than sugar, which is a nice change of pace. They're so easy to make, I'm already planning to make them weekly, they were exactly what I was looking for. Heartier than most muffins but still light and airy, the millet (a round seed-like grain) adds such a welcome texture to the muffin, providing a healthy, and delightful crunch with each bite. My favorite aspect of this recipe is that even though there are such strong flavors, it doesn't necessarily taste of one in particular. Instead, they all mingle together to create a harmonious balance. 

Maybe it was the creativity I got to exercise by creating my own muffin recipe, but they turned out to be the answer to my breakfast quandary and I've already got plenty of ideas for my next muffin recipe creation. Until then, give this one a shot, I think it'll be just what you need to start your day!

Whole Wheat Banana - Currant Millet Muffins

Yields 12 muffins

- 1 cup whole wheat flour

- 1/2 cup All-purpose flour

- 1/4 cup millet

- 3 tsp Baking Powder

- 1 tsp Baking Soda

- 1/2 tsp Salt

- 1/4 cup dried currants

- 2 tsp cinnamon

- 1/2 tsp ground ginger 

- 1/4 cup maple syrup

- 3 ripe bananas, mashed

- 1 egg

- 1/2 cup buttermilk

- 1 tsp vanilla extract

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees and butter and flour muffin tins. In a medium size bowl, combine the dry ingredients: flours, millet, baking powder, baking soda, salt, currants, cinnamon and ginger. In a separate bowl, combine the wet ingredients: banana, maple syrup, egg, buttermilk and vanilla. Fold the wet ingredients into the dry and only mix until just combined. Pour into muffin tins and bake until a toothpick entered into the center of the muffin comes out clean (about 30 minutes). Store in an airtight container.