Vanilla Fruit Muffins Recipe

Feeding a two-year-old is chaos. One day it’s endless snacks, the next it’s just blueberries. My fix? Vanilla Fruit Muffins: sugar and lactose-free, naturally sweet with bananas and packed with berries. Easy, healthy, and toddler-approved.

Chanel Martin

Created

06 Oct 2025

If you’ve ever lived with a two-year-old, you already know that “picky eating” is practically a sport. Some days my son eats like a competitive bodybuilder, other days he survives on approximately ten blueberries and a bag of Mini Cheddars stretched over 72 hours. A part of me envies his metabolism; the larger, slightly frazzled part worries about nutrition...and wonders if I should keep the midnight buffet stocked for yet another snack request. My secret weapon? Muffins. The kid is obsessed. Of course, muffins aren’t exactly top of the health food pyramid, so I started tinkering: maple syrup (too pricey), honey (off the table because his “underage” nine-month-old sister can’t join in), oat flour (too dense), plain flour (too empty). After much trial, error, and more blueberries than I care to admit, I landed on this winning combo:

Vanilla Fruit Muffins (sugar + lactose free)

Yields 12 muffins

Ingredients

• 2 1⁄2 medium ripe bananas, mashed (about 1 1⁄4 cups)

• 2 large eggs

• 1 tsp pure vanilla extract

• 1⁄4 cup neutral oil (sunflower, canola, or melted coconut oil)

• 1 1⁄2 cups plain flour (swap half for oat flour if you like — HOT TIP: don’t buy oat flour, just

blitz oats in the Nutribullet and you’re golden)

• 1 tsp baking powder

• 1⁄2 tsp baking soda

• 1⁄2 tsp cinnamon (optional)

• Pinch of salt

• 1⁄2 cup chopped strawberries

• 1⁄2 cup blueberries (fresh or frozen — no need to thaw if frozen)

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Method

1. Heat oven to 180°C and prep a 12-hole muffin tray (liners or a little grease both work).

2. Mash bananas until smooth — toddler help optional, mess guaranteed.

3. Whisk in eggs, vanilla, and oil.

4. In another bowl, mix flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, and salt.

5. Combine wet and dry ingredients gently — lumps are fine, overmixing is not.

6. Fold in strawberries and blueberries.

7. Scoop into muffin cups and bake 18–22 minutes, until golden and a toothpick poked in

the middle comes out clean.

8. Cool in the tray for 5 minutes, then move to a rack before eager little hands grab them.

These muffins are soft, lightly sweet, and packed with fruit — basically the snack-time peace

treaty every parent needs.

Final Result!

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