For those who receive share boxes from our Food Rescue Organization, having a few go-to recipes that use the foods commonly included is a timesaver and helps avoid wasting the food. In our home, if we have an abundance of a certain fruit, then I always make our favorite muffin recipe. This recipe started and has evolved over the years out of needing to use what I had on hand.
A not so fun fact according to the Food and Agriculture Organization is that 60% of all fruit yearly is wasted. Bananas alone consume 22% of that number. I am not sure about your family, but mine loves it when I turn old bananas into banana chocolate chip muffins!
The best thing about this recipe is that any fruit works: strawberries, rhubarb, raspberries, or blueberries, just to name a few. On top of that, any oil works too! So I frequently use what I have available. The maple syrup can easily be replaced by molasses or another sugar. You can leave out the almonds or include them – I have even used cashews.
Ingredients
- 1 cup rolled oats
- 1 cup almond flour
- ½ cup arrowroot
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- ¾ teaspoon sea salt
- 3 large eggs
- ½ cup maple syrup
- ¼ cup oil of your choice liquified
- 1 cup raspberries or any fruit you have on hand
- handful sliced almonds for a nice crunch on top, OR a handful of chocolate chips if it pairs well with the fruit
While cooking and baking are fun, I don’t always have a ton of time and I love minimizing cleanup, so I combine all dry ingredients in a food processor and blend well. Then I add all the wet ingredients and turn that thing back on. I find the best results include tossing the fruit in last and pulsing it a few times.
In the oven 350 degrees for 15 minutes and Bam! Done! You have now done your part in saving fruit from waste.
