Muffins never last long in our house. Twelve muffins come out of the oven, ten make it to the plate, eight survive to the next day, and only a couple are left for day three. This is especially true when maple bacon banana muffins are involved. Of course, we could change our habits, but muffins are delicious, so to reduce the guilt, I set out to make a healthier version.

Now maple syrup is my favourite sweetener. It has a rich, distinct flavour that goes well with the sweet (bananas) and savoury (bacon) ingredients in this recipe. It is also a good source of manganese, riboflavin, zinc, and other minerals, which gives it a higher nutritional value than honey and sugar (source). I would strongly advise you to get pure maple syrup, not the maple-flavoured stuff, which is basically liquid table sugar and just not as good (believe me, I’m Canadian).

No butter is used in this recipe; instead, it is replaced with non-fat Greek yogurt, which reduces overall fat and keeps the muffins tender. It is also an excellent source of calcium, potassium, zinc, and protein (source).

I used whole wheat flour in place of half of the all-purpose flour since whole wheat is less processed, retaining more nutrients and fibre.

The salty, smoky flavour and crunchiness of the bacon goes so well with the soft, sweet muffin. It is a maple bacon banana muffin after all.

Hope you enjoy the recipe!

Mise en place {see Ingredients for amounts}. Whisk together the flours, baking soda, and salt. Set aside.

In medium bowl, combine bananas, brown sugar, 3 tbsp maple syrup, yogurt, and milk.

Add the wet ingredients to dry ingredients until just combined. Fold in half of the bacon.

Scoop into a muffin pan. Drizzle the remaining maple syrup and bacon bits over top of each muffin.

Bake for 18-20 minutes, until a wooden skewer comes out clean. Let it cool for 5 minutes in the pan.

Enjoy!

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