Crunchy Banana Muffins

I love banana muffins and the crunch in these muffins really makes you want to eat more than one in the morning.  These muffins use only 1 tablespoon of brown sugar in the topping and are sweetened with a date paste.  The crunch comes from cashews, pecans, and unsweetened coconut.  Yum!

Recipe adapted from Food Network

Ingredients:

1 ½ cups whole wheat flour

1 ½ cups coconut flour

1 scoop vanilla protein powder

2 teaspoons baking powder

1 teaspoons baking soda

½ teaspoon salt

2/3 cup vanilla nonfat Greek yogurt

2/3 cup nonfat milk

2 eggs

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

1 cup diced cashews and pecans

1 cup unsweetened coconut

1 tablespoon light brown sugar

4 bananas (3 mashed, 1 diced)

1 cup large, pitted dates

Directions:

1. Soak dates in ½ cup boiling water.  Let sit.
2. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Spray muffin tins with nonstick spray.  I made 18 muffins.
3. Add 3 bananas to a stand mixer.  Beat on medium.
4. Add eggs, yogurt, vanilla extract, and milk and mix to combine.
5. Whisk flours, protein powder, baking soda, baking powder, and salt in a medium bowl. 
6. Drain water from dates.  Add dates to a food processor and pulse to make a paste. Add the paste to the banana mixture and mix on medium to combine.
7. Gradually add the dry ingredients to the banana mixture.
8. Add coconut, pecans, and cashews to a food processor and pulse a few times to chop.  Add brown sugar and mix in.  Reserve ½ cup for topping the muffins.
9. Add the nut and coconut mixture to the mixer and just mix in.
10. Use a spatula to fold in the diced bananas.
11. Use a large cookie scooper to fill muffin tins.
12. Add ½ tablespoon nut coconut mixture to the top of each muffin.
13. Bake 30 minutes.
14. Let cool in tins for at least 10 minutes before removing.
15. Store in an airtight container. 
16. Enjoy!