Banana-Yogurt-Granola Muffins
24If you’ve read my blog at all, you know that I am gaga for Greek yogurt. I’ve been eating it my whole life and cannot sing its praises highly enough. Even the fat free variety tastes indulgent. It’s nice and thick and almost custardy. As my husband joked, I use it as a substitute in pretty much anything.
When I got an email from Stonyfield asking if I wanted to sample some of their Greek yogurt, Oikos, of course I said yes! As much as I LOVE Stonyfield yogurts (I’m a big fan of things that don’t have 20 unpronounceable ingredients), I’d actually never tried their Greek yogurt. Regular grocery stores near me have only recently started selling Greek yogurt and different brands are trickling in. I hadn’t seen Oikos until semi-recently.
Of course, I got a few different yogurts, including vanilla and honey to try (delicious!) but ultimately decided to make something with the plain yogurt because it’s such a versatile ingredient and it tends to be easier to find, too. Oikos is a mighty fine yogurt. Nice and creamy, a little tangy. Not to mention incredibly healthy – something like 80 calories per cup for the plain (and they are big cups) and lots of protein and calcium.
I saw this great idea for a Greek yogurt “frosting” of sorts on my friend Peter’s blog, and I kept it in the back of my mind. It came in handy when I was debating recipes for using this yogurt. So, what goes well for breakfast with yogurt? Granola of course! I decided to make yogurt-granola muffins. Originally I was going to do just that (just a basic vanilla-y muffin) but before I started making them I realized my husband had overbought bananas (I’ve told him many times, just because they are in a bunch of 9, it doesn’t mean you have to buy all 9…) and they were turning nice and black on the counter. So, these ended up turning into banana-yogurt-granola muffins. Yes, a mouthful.
I didn’t sweeten my topping much at all because I like plain yogurt (I actually probably used less than the Tbsp. I noted below). But feel free to add more sugar to make a thicker topping, or even just to use a vanilla (or other flavored) Greek yogurt. These were nice and moist (especially for being a lighter muffin) and had a nice textural contrast. If you don’t plan on eating these really soon, though, you may not want to add the topping all at once (or if you do, just be prepared for a not-as-crunchy granola topping).
I used the recipe I always use for granola (because it’s so easy, I always have the ingredients, and it’s SO good) but feel free to use a store-bought one, or even a crunchy cereal you like.
Banana-Yogurt-Granola Muffins
Makes 10 regular or 12 smaller muffins
Printer Friendly Recipe
Muffins
1 cup whole wheat flour or whole wheat pastry flour
1/2 cup AP flour
2 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. cinnamon
1/8 tsp. nutmeg
1/8 tsp. allspice
1/2 cup sugar
1 egg
1 small (5.3 oz.) container Oikos plain Greek yogurt
1 tsp. vanilla extract
2 Tbsp. canola oil
2 medium very ripe bananas, mashed
1/2 cup granola – homemade or store-bought
Topping
1 small (5.3 oz.) container Oikos plain Greek yogurt
1 Tbsp. powdered sugar
1/4 tsp. vanilla
1/2 cup granola – homemade or store-bought
Preheat the oven to 375 and grease a muffin tin.
Sift together the flours, baking powder, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg, and allspice.
In another bowl, beat the egg and the sugar until well combined. Then mix in the yogurt, vanilla, canola oil and bananas. Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients in 2 or 3 additions. Fold in the granola.
Spoon the batter into the prepared muffin tin and bake for about 16-20 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted comes out clean. Let muffins cool in pan for 5 minutes before transferring to a rack to cool completely.
To make the topping, mix together the yogurt, sugar, and vanilla until well combined (add more sugar/vanilla/whatever you want to taste). Spoon the yogurt onto the muffins and then top with the remaining 1/2 cup granola.
I love Oikos!
Lordhavemercy. These look wonderful!
Hi Elly, your muffins look delicious! Instead of granola (which I cannot find in Greece) what can I use as a substitute?
Elizabeth, are there oats there so you can make your own (I linked to the recipe I use for homemade granola). If not, you don’t really need it in the muffin batter (you can just add some chopped walnuts if you want) and then you can use something like a crunch cereal on top.
Oh, these look wonderful! I love how you used the yogurt!
Wow, these muffins look fantastic…even nicer with the yogurt topping…I like you love to use yogurt…yummie!
Mmmm! These look so so good. Perfect hearty breakfast. I’ve actually never had Greek yogurt, but I’ve been thinking about it for a long time. You’ve convinced me! 🙂
My coffee would taste a whole lot better with these babies next to it!!! Love the yogurt topping!!!
I still have not tried Greek yogurt (they don’t have it here) but this is a BRILLIANT idea!
Elly, I’m glad you liked the idea of using yogurt as your topping on the muffins…I absolutely adore it. Thanks for the shout out!
mmm those look sooo good! and my daughter will love them – can’t wait to make these!
mmm those look sooo good! and my daughter will love them – can’t wait to make these!
What a great-looking breakfast treat!
What a great-looking breakfast treat!
This reminds me of what I had for breakfast which would be simulated Greek yogurt, granola and walnuts…so much better with a muffin underneath Elly:D
This reminds me of what I had for breakfast which would be simulated Greek yogurt, granola and walnuts…so much better with a muffin underneath Elly:D
Wow, your muffins look delicious! Such a great idea to top them with yogurt and granola! My hubby also tends to buy too many bananans (but I think he does it on purpose so he gets banana bread!).
These seriously look amazing! Maybe the best muffins I’ve seen to date. I’m going ot have to try these soon.
Ha Ha! I am like you! I use it as a substitute as much as possible! I love Greek yogurt – it is so versatile!
It took me a long time to convince my husband that it’s ok to break apart the bunches of bananas. (ok, just asked him, and he says he’s still not ok with it… or with breaking off a piece of fresh ginger to buy) Guys are dorks like that. I have about 4 or 5 bananas in my freezer right now, waiting to be used in muffins. Maybe this is the recipe they’ve been waiting for! I do love me some Greek yogurt! 🙂
Oh boy. Can muffins get any better than this? I’ll have to give these a try! Thanks for sharing!
Yummy and healthy! Looks great!
Ooh, I love the yogurt “frosting” idea, Elly! I’ll have to try that!
When I found out how healthy Greek yoghurt was, I decided to have it EVERYDAY for breakfast – if you didn’t know, Greek Yoghurt is high in protein and therefore keeps you fuller for longer. But then, I found it a bit too creamy – even low fat versions and switched to Turkish yoghurt – Heaven on earth….nice recipe