SHF #15 Chipper Banana Muffins

The concept for Sugar High Friday #15 is to make something sweet without using sugar.  I admit that my entry does have a bit of white sugar, and, oh, some chocolate chips.  But I think it still qualifies as low on the sugar scale.

These "Chipper Banana Muffins" from the Weight Watchers cookbook Simply the Best include bananas, unsweetened applesauce, and skim buttermilk.  You could omit the chocolate chips to make them less sweet, but who would willingly omit chocolate?!

I have made these muffins many times to use up overripe bananas.  They freeze well and are great heated slightly for breakfast or a mid-morning snack.

As for the chocolate chips, I've used Ghirardelli's double chocolate chips, and also a combination of milk, white, and semisweet chocolate.  You can use whatever is in the pantry at the moment.

My question for all of you is this: besides making pancakes, what do you do with lots of leftover buttermilk?  That's always my dilemma when I buy it for a recipe.  One time I made buttermilk corn bread since it called for a lot of it, but I didn't love that version of corn bread enough to make it every time there's a nearly full carton of buttermilk in the fridge.  Any ideas?

Chipper Banana Muffins
From Weight Watchers Simply the Best
Recipe by Marsha M. Williams, Boise, Idaho

2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/2 teaspoons double-acting baking powder
1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup unsweetened applesauce
2 eggs
1/3 cup canola oil
2 very ripe bananas, mashed
1/2 cup skim buttermilk
1/4 cup semisweet chocolate chips

1. Preheat the oven to 350 F.  Line eighteen 2 3/4 inch muffin cups with paper liners.
2. In a medium bowl, combine the flour, baking powder, and baking soda.
3. In a large bowl, with an electric mixer at medium speed, beat the sugar, applesauce, eggs and oil until frothy.  With the mixer at low speed, alternately add the bananas and buttermilk with the flour mixture; stir until just combined (do not overmix).  Fold in the chocolate chips.
4. Spoon the batter into the cups, filling each about two-thirds full.  Bake until golden and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean, 20-25 minutes.  Remove from the cups and cool completely on a rack.

Comments

[Ivonne]

They look delicious! I love banana and chocolate. (And I don't mind that they have a bit of sugar ... )

:o)

[sam]

I have made these many times the last time I was weight watchers 3 years ago and I can attest that they are absolutely delicious. Maybe the recipe I used was slightly different, i will have to try and dig it out - it had yoghurt in it as I can recall.

Thanks for joining in SHF!

Sam

[mary g]

Isn't buttermilk something you can substitute for yogurt in recipes and vice-versa?
I also make a recipe something like these, invented to use up some bananas going bad--it's a winner.

[BNA]

omg! I love bananas and chocolate together, and since I happen to be (more or less) working on WW right now...fabulous timing!

[Jenny]

Hi Paige,

Love the recipe. Looks good and light, unlike my banana chocolate chip bread that requires a bit of a makeover.

Regarding buttermilk: I make mango lassi with mine. My daughter loves it. You take about 3 ripe mangoes (or tinned mango puree that I find at the Indian grocers here in and around Vancouver) diced up, add about 1-2 cups of buttermilk, 3 ice cubes and whiz it all up in a blender. You can add sugar, if desired, but usually the mangoes are sweet enough, especially if they are ripe. It's really yummy, healthy and refreshing.

[Paige]

Ivonne, thanks for understanding about the sugar!

Sam, thanks for hosting SHF! I hope you get to try this version of the muffins.

Mary g, I'll have to try the buttermilk-yogurt switch in a recipe.

BNA, these muffins are so easy. Do try them if you're looking for WW ideas.

Jenny, banana chocolate chip bread sounds delicious. Thanks for the buttermilk idea!