Whole Wheat Banana Muffins with Cream Cheese Filling

I’ve been gawking… foodgawking that is! One thing I’ve really been gawking are all of those cutesy desserts covered in sprinkles galore. I’ve always loved sprinkles because they are cute, colorful, and well, they can make ugly things look pretty. However, once I grew up and realized what sprinkles actually were we kind of had a falling out. How could they have been lying to me this whole time? Pretending to be cute when in reality they are chemical bombs covered in artificial colorings! We’ve been broken up for quite some time now, and every time I see a sprinkle my heart sinks a little more. Until now!

I have no idea why it took me so long to realize that there ARE naturally dyed sprinkles out there, and they were right in front of my sprinkle-less little eyes this whole time. I’ve passed by them time and time again, never looking twice at their vegetable dyed awesomeness. One day when my kids weren’t screaming for Annie’s crackers (yes I do fall victim to those stupid bunnies sometimes too) I had a moment of clarity in the grocery store for the first time in over 7 years. All of a sudden there they were… the sprinkles I have been longing for all this time, so I scooped them up for $1.99 and was on my merry way home to think of reasons to use them.

Naturally I thought I’d be using the sprinkles for cupcakes but when I made these banana muffins I thought they needed a bit of a sprinkle face lift. My husband said “Don’t waste sprinkles on muffins” but seriously, he’s no food stylist so I started sprinkling, and how cute are these!?!? Muffins are no longer the “ugly cupcake” or the “stepchild of cupcakes” or the “duff” (totally not explaining that one if your not familiar with that term 😉 ), but they are now holding their own on the cuteness scale. These muffins are worthy of being a healthy classroom treat, or the lunchbox item all the kids are secretly longing for. We’ve re-invented muffins here people and I’m  loving these!

What I love most about these muffins is they aren’t just cute muffins… they are healthy muffins! I don’t play the “whole wheat” game that is actually half whole wheat and half refined flour. What is the point of that again? Not only are these muffins whole wheat, they are also naturally sweetened which is almost always my goal when baking. On top of that they have a rich and creamy center with just enough cream cheese to make you feel like your eating something dreamy and decadent. Even better then all of that, they are so easy to make. Simply mix wet, mix dry, and combine just until mixed and bake.

Muffin Tip: I always fill my muffins to the top of the liner because nobody likes a muffin without tops!

*If you are looking for naturally dyed sprinkles here are the ones I used. It is a bulk pack but if you love sprinkles as much as I do it might be worth it!

Whole Wheat Banana Muffins with Cream Cheese Filling

By Dana Published: August 20, 2014

• Yield: 12 muffins (12 Servings)
• Prep: 10 mins
• Cook: 18 mins
• Ready In: 28 mins

I've been gawking... foodgawking that is! One thing I've really been gawking are all of those cutesy desserts covered in …

Ingredients

• 2 cups whole wheat white flour I used King Arthur
• 1 1/2 tsp baking powder
• 1 1/2 tsp baking soda
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1 1/2 tsp cinnamon
• 4 over-ripe bananas
• 2 eggs
• 1/4 cup sour cream
• 1/4 cup raw honey or regular if prefered
• 2 tsp pure vanilla extract
• 1-2 tsp orange zest optional
• 4 Tbsp butter softened
• 4 ounces cream cheese for filling
• 2 Tbsp butter for filling
• pinch cinnamon for filling
• 1-2 Tbsp pure maple syrup for filling
• naturally dyed sprinkles optional topping

Instructions

1. For muffins mix dry ingredients in large bowl and set aside. Mix wet ingredients in a separate bowl then pour into dry ingredients and mix just until combined. Batter will be thick. Line 12 muffin tins and fill liners to top with batter. Bake at 350 degrees for about 18 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean. Allow muffins to cool before finishing.
   
2. While muffins are baking mix softened cream cheese, softened butter, cinnamon, and maple syrup in a stand mixer with the whip attachment. I only used 1 Tbsp of maple syrup but if you like a sweeter filling you may want to add 2. Whip until very smooth.
   
3. When muffins are cool hollow out a hole in the center using a melon baller or bottom of a pastry tip. Using a plastic baggie, pipe cream cheese filling into hole in muffin. Top with sprinkles and smile at how cute they are 🙂