Protein Banana Cottage Cheese Muffins
These gluten-free banana cottage cheese muffins combine the wholesome goodness of almond and cassava flour with the protein power of cottage cheese, eggs, and protein powder. Studded with chocolate chips and chopped nuts, they bake up perfectly fluffy in just 25 minutes for a nutritious and satisfying treat.
Equipment
- 1 Muffin Tin
- 1 Food Processor
- Measuring Cups + Spoons
Ingredients
- 3 very ripe bananas, mashed about 1 to ¼ cups
- ½ cup cottage cheese whipped smooth
- 2 large eggs
- 1 tablespoon vanilla
- 3 tablespoons coconut sugar
- ¼ cup avocado oil or neutral oil of choice
- 1 ½ cups almond flour
- ½ cup cassava flour
- 1 scoop (about ¼ cup) banana protein powder or vanilla protein powder (optional)
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 2 teaspoons cinnamon
- ⅓ cup chopped nuts of choice , I recommend pecans or walnuts
- ¼ cup chocolate chips
Instructions
- Prep. Preheat oven to 350 F. Line a muffin tin with parchment muffin liners and set aside until the batter is ready.
- Peel & Mash Banana. Peel three very ripe bananas and add them to a large mixing bowl. Mash thoroughly with a fork until no large chunks remain and the bananas are mostly smooth. Set aside.
- Whip Cottage Cheese. Put the cottage cheese in the food processor and blend until smooth and fluffy, about 1-2 minutes. Leave in the food processor until you are ready for it.
- Mix Wet Ingredients. Add the eggs, vanilla, whipped cottage cheese, and coconut sugar to the bowl with the mashed bananas and whisk until fully incorporated. Whisk in the avocado oil until everything is combined.
- Add Dry Ingredients. Add the almond flour, cassava flour, protein powder, baking soda, baking powder, salt and cinnamon to the same mixing bowl and fold together using a silicone spatula until fully combined. Make sure there are no clumps or flour or protein powder.
- Fold in Nuts & Chocolate Chips. Fold in the chopped nuts and chocolate chips until evenly distributed throughout the batter.
- Pour Batter in Muffin Tin. Using a ¼ cup measuring cup, scoop the batter into the muffin tin until each cup is just about full. Don’t worry, since this is gluten free it won’t spill over when baking!
- Bake. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes until a toothpick comes out clean when poked in the center of the muffin.
Notes
- Don't over-mix the batter. Once the dry ingredients go into the wet ingredients, fold gently with a silicone spatula just until combined. Over-mixing leads to a tougher crumb.
- Whip the cottage cheese thoroughly. Run your food processor until no visible curds remain. A smooth consistency blends seamlessly into the wet ingredients.
- Use brown bananas: Bananas with heavy brown spots are naturally sweet and add a lot of moisture, reducing the need for refined sugars.
- Fill the muffin cups fully: Because this batter does not spill over drastically, scoop it until each cup is almost completely filled for full-sized muffins.
- Toast the nuts before folding into the batter: Giving your pecans or walnuts a brief five-minute toast in a dry skillet or in the oven deepens their nutty flavor inside the batter and takes the gluten free banana muffin batter to a whole new level.
- How to store these banana cottage cheese muffins. Store these muffins in an airtight container or ziplock bag with air removed, in the refrigerator for about 3-5 days. Because of the cottage cheese, I recommend keeping them refrigerated rather than leaving them out at room temperature after the first day. To freeze let the muffins cool completely, then wrap the individual cooled muffins in plastic wrap or store them together in a freezer-safe bag for up to 3 months. Thaw the muffins at room temperature or warm briefly in the microwave for 30 to 60 seconds.
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