Making any kind of baked good for someone with type 2 diabetes presents the distinct challenge of creating something that’s as sweet and delicious as it is health-conscious. Since the amount of carbohydrates a diabetic consumes — rather than the source of the carbohydrate — is what effects blood sugar levels, knowing the nutritional profile of a sweet treat can help a diabetic stay on track after indulging. By replacing sugar with artificial sweetener, these banana coconut muffins contain fewer carbohydrates. One muffin provides 219 calories, 10 g of fat, 26 g of carbohydrates, 7 g of protein, 2 g of dietary fiber and 8 g of sugar.
Step 1
Preheat the oven to 425 degrees Fahrenheit. Place a paper liner in each cup of the muffin tin.
Step 2
Combine the flour, toasted wheat germ, Splenda brown sugar blend, baking powder, salt and nutmeg together in a large bowl. Whisk until thoroughly blended.
Step 3
Mash the bananas in a separate bowl with a fork or potato masher until very few chunks remain.
Step 4
Pour the milk into a third bowl. Beat the eggs into the milk with a clean whisk until combined. Add the canola oil, mashed banana and shredded coconut, beating the mixture until it’s smooth.
Step 5
Fold the banana mixture and the chopped walnuts gently into the flour mixture with a wooden spoon, just until the dry ingredients are moistened.
Step 6
Spoon the batter into the paper liners, filling each one 3/4 full. Bake for 18 to 20 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center of a muffin comes out with a few moist crumbs attached.
Step 7
Let the muffins cool in the tin for about 10 minutes before transferring them to a wire cooling rack. Recipe yields a dozen muffins.
Tips and Warnings
- Resist the urge to use an electric mixer when making muffins, because it stiffens the flour’s gluten, resulting in dense, rather than airy, muffins. Over-combining the dry ingredients with the wet ingredients also results in dense muffins — once the dry ingredients are moistened, leave the lumps.
Things You'll Need
- 12-cup muffin tin
- Paper liners
- Mixing bowls
- 1-½ cups all-purpose flour
- 1 cup toasted wheat germ
- ¼ cup Splenda brown sugar blend
- 1 tbsp. baking powder
- 1 tsp. salt
- ¾ tsp. ground nutmeg
- Whisk
- 3 large ripe bananas
- Potato masher (optional)
- 2 eggs, beaten
- ½ cup skim milk
- ¼ cup canola oil
- ¾ cup unsweetened shredded coconut
- ½ cup walnuts, chopped
- Wooden spoon
- Toothpick
- Cooling rack
References
- “The Big Book of Diabetic Desserts”; Jackie Mills, M.S., R.D.; 2007
- “Fix-It and Enjoy-It Diabetic Cookbook"; Phyllis Pellman Good; 2007
- “Desserts for Diabetics”; Mabel Cavaiani, R.D., et al.; 2002
