One of my friends was eating an amazing looking but sadly non-vegan strawberry and white chocolate cake this week, and it got my thinking about these fantastic (non-vegan) raspberry and white chocolate muffins I used to make. In fact, it got me thinking about muffins in general – then, at 11.30 last night, I decided that I wanted some for breakfast and I threw together whatever ingredients I had.

Amazingly, they turned out PERFECTLY.

This recipe uses agave nectar, dates and bananas instead of sugar, so it’s beautifully sweet without being overly so. They’re also deliciously moist and are relatively mild in the banana flavour, so it doesn’t knock your head off. Basically they are an amazing breakfast choice, as they feel decadent but aren’t bad for you and taste great without being too much to handle in the morning.

They’re also easy to make!

You’ll need:
(Makes 8)
1 cup wholewheat flour
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 cup almond milk
1 tsp apple cider vinegar
1/4 cup coconut oil, room temperature
1/4 cup agave nectar
1 tsp vanilla essence
2 bananas – 1 blended and 1 lightly mashed
1/2 cup dates, chopped

Method:
Pre-heat the oven to 180 degrees Celsius and line a cupcake pan with cupcake cases
Place the almond milk and vinegar together in a bowl and set aside for 5 minutes
Sift together the flour and baking soda
Mix the coconut oil, agave nectar, vanilla essence and bananas into the milk mixture, then add it to the flour mixture and stir until just combined
Stir in the chopped dates
Divide the mixture between the 8 cupcake cases
Bake for 20-25 minutes, until a toothpick comes out clean

If you’re having any problems keeping “regular”, these will actually help, as the dates are great for solving that particular problem and there’s a nice dose of dietary fibre too.

Of course, coconut oil is pretty amazing for you, as outlined by our nutritionist David in this great article for Panama Wellness Group. So you can enjoy these without any guilt, and feel great afterwards!