Banana Pumpkin Whole Wheat Muffins (No Sugar Added)

I love desserts! ...but I don't use any refined sugar or flour. So I invented this while looking for a sugarless pumpkin muffin recipe. This recipe includes bananas and applesauce to sweeten, as well as agave nectar and stevia. These are two great natural sweeteners. Blue Agave nectar is low glycemic and tastes like honey. Stevia is a herb that is up to 300 times sweeter that sugar, has zero calories and is 0 on the glycemic index. The protein powder I like to use is whey protein. It has cocoa and stevia in it. This might affect the sweetness of the muffins. If the protein powder you use is sweet enough to drink in plain water, it should work just fine. You can use vanilla or chocolate flavored if you wish. These muffins are sweet, moist, and satisfying. Packed with vitamin A, protein, fiber, omega 3 and taste!

• Ready In: 35 mins
• Serves: 18-24
• Yields: 18-24 muffins

Ingredients

• 2  cups whole wheat flour
• 1⁄3 cup  protein powder
• 2  teaspoons baking powder
• 1  teaspoon baking soda
• 1⁄8 teaspoon salt
• 2  tablespoons wheat germ
• 1  tablespoon pumpkin pie spice
• 1  teaspoon cinnamon
• 1  tablespoon ground flax seeds (optional)
• 2  eggs, beaten slightly
• 3  tablespoons half-and-half or 3  tablespoons milk
• 1⁄4 cup coconut oil or 1⁄4 cup butter
• 1  cup pumpkin
• 2  mashed bananas
• 1  cup applesauce
• 1⁄8 teaspoon  stevia plus (mixed in applesauce)
• 1  tablespoon  agave nectar or 1  tablespoon honey
• 1 1⁄2 teaspoons vanilla
• 1  cup  unsweetened carob chips or 1  cup chocolate chips
• 1  tablespoon half-and-half (use if adding milled flax seed) or 1  tablespoon milk (use if adding milled flax seed)

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350.
2. Mix all dry ingredients throughly. (First nine ingredients listed, flour, whey protein, baking powder, baking soda, salt, wheat germ, spices, and flax seed.).
3. In a separate bowl combine apple sauce and stevia powder throughly. I use Stevia Plus brand, which is stevia extract mixed with F.O.S. Each brand varies in amount of sweetness. Start with 1/8 and possibly work up to 1/4 t if needed. Too much will cause a bitter taste, so be careful!
4. Add the beaten eggs, oil, half and half, pumpkin, mashed bananas, honey, and vanilla to the apple sauce and blend with a mixer, until smooth and even consistency is reached.
5. Add dry ingredients to the pumpkin mixture and mix just until blended. Mix in carob or chocolate chips. Do not over mix or muffins will be dry.
6. Place in 18-24 greased muffin cups (I use olive oil spray.) Amount of muffins vary depending on the size of muffins you want. Bake at 350 for 15-20 minutes. All ovens vary. Use a tooth pick to test. If the toothpick comes out clean they are done. Do not over cook!
7. Cool and enjoy! (I eat them hot out of the oven, just don't burn yourself!).