I’ve been obsessed with these little Jam Jam muffins!
Some of my favorite recipes come from a necessity to “use up” a food.
For instance, sweet potatoes in the fridge, cooked rice needing to be used, or, in this case… one we all have often… too many ripe bananas.
And, I didn’t want to make banana bread again. And I really wanted to add some jam. I was thinking of thumbprint cookies.
So, I got to mashing bananas. Then, I eyed the insanely delicious SPIN concentrate on my counter (which you don’t have to use, more on that soon). So I added a drizzle of that. Then oats, oat flour, some baking powder, pinch of salt.
Boom! Batter done. I still had the idea of thumbprint cookies in my head (btw, if you have the bonus ebook for Dreena’s Kind Kitchen, I do have a thumbprint cookie in that ebook)!
Back to the story… so, with those cookies in mind, I began filling mini-muffin pans with mini parchment liners (parchment liners are essential for oil-free baking). I decided to add about a tablespoon, then top with jam, then with more batter.
And, I baked ’em up! After pulling them out of the oven, they were scarfed down. Hope, our youngest, said “mom these are so yummy, can you make them again?”…
…of course, I didn’t measure a thing when I made these. That happens often! I tend to bake and cook intuitively now. When you’ve made as many batches of muffins and pots of soup as I have, you get a sense of proportions. Sometimes there’s a miss, but most often it works out well. Actually, because you feel inspired, most times it works out beautifully!
So then I had to recreate them. 🙄 Thankfully, I remembered what I put into them, and just needed to nail down the measures. Which wasn’t too hard.
I decided to try regular-size muffins, and mini. They are both delicious, but there is something special about the mini ones!
Whichever you choose, do use parchment liners. They make for easy clean of the pans – especially with sticky jam. The jam will bubble and spread with baking, so these may get a little sticky/messy. But they are fun!
Now, about the nut butter I mentioned: actually, it’s an almond milk concentrate. I haven’t even used it to make almond milk because it’s so darn delicious on its own. It’s not required in this recipe. But, if you do pick some up, you won’t regret it. And use Wilderness Poets coupon code DREENA10 for 10% off!
The flavor is pure – natural – beautiful. Like the flavor of raw almonds blissfully churned into a milky, silky drizzable (yes I made that up) nut butter.
They have the original flavor (just organic almonds) and a vanilla flavor (with their irresistible vanilla bean powder and a little sweetener). AND, I just noticed they now have concentrates made from cashew and macadamia. Yep, I’ll be getting on that! Wilderness Poets is an exceptional company with quality products. Their miso nooch is also fabulous, I did a video on it here. If not using the Spin nut butter, use a loose nut butter (like a raw almond butter).
Now, why didn’t I call them just Jam muffins? Or thumbprint muffins? I’m a little nostalgic, and couldn’t resist my fond memories of this goodie from my Newfoundland upbringing. (Not vegan, and might hurt your teeth for how sweet they are)!
I hope you enjoy these Jam Jam muffins. Please share what jam you used – or maybe if you used pumpkin or apple butter. Enjoy! x Dreena
Jam Jam Muffins
Ingredients
- 2 1/2 cups sliced ripe bananas
- 3-4 tbsp pure maple syrup
- 2 tbsp wilderness poets almond milk concentrate can sub a loose nut butter, like macadamia or raw almond butter, or tahini
- 1 1/2 tsp pure vanilla extract
- 1/4 tsp sea salt
- 1 cup rolled oats (use certified gluten-free for that option)
- 1 cup oat flour (use certified gluten-free for that option)
- 2 tsp baking powder
- Jam filling: roughly 1/2 cup jam apple or pumpkin butter
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350, and fill either a 12-cup muffin pan or 24-cup mini muffin pan with parchment liners. In your mixing bowl, mash bananas with maple syrup, nut butter, vanilla, and sea salt. Once mashed (doesn’t have to be uniform), add the oats, oat flour, baking powder, and fold through. If using a mini-muffin pan, scoop about 1 tbsp in each liner, spreading over bottom of liner. If using a 12-cup pan, add about 2 tbsp in each linter, and spread over bottom. Add the jam to each, using about 1 tsp for mini-muffins and about 2 tsp for 12-cup muffins. No need to be exact! Just have fun with it, they turn out great even if not even. Top muffin cups with remaining batter (using a little less than was used for the bottom – again, it doesn’t have to be exact). Bake for 24-25 minutes if using 12-cup pan, or 17 minutes if using a 24-cup pan. Once golden and set to the touch, remove and let cool enough in the pan to then transfer to a cooling rack. Enjoy, and refrigerate remaining muffins.
Michelle says
Wow! These were so good! I was a half cup short of banana so I added 1/2c applesauce and it worked great. I also used almond butter and low sugar raspberry jam since that’s my favorite. They came out so moist. I love the mini muffin size.
Sarah says
These are fantastic! I used butternut squash and soymilk instead of water and then baked as mini-muffins for 18 mins. Sooo good!!! This is a keeper for sure 🙂
Sarah says
Ooos. I just realized I was commenting on the wrong page! I made the chocolate sweet potato cake and came to this page for mini muffin bake time. Sorry! I don’t know how to delete my previous comment but feel free to do so if you can on your end!
April Williams says
These gems are darn tasty. Made a batch with blackberry jam for Thanksgiving dinner. They are a hit!
Dreena Burton says
Thank you April, how lovely to know they are part of your Thanksgiving spread!
Jenn says
These are a new family favorite. My husband requested them for a weekend treat. I made half of this batch with homemade blueberry chia jam and half with strawberry chia jam. They were delicious and it was a great way to use up the remaining berries from this week. So easy and so delicious. The hard part is keeping everyone’s hands off them until they cool. Thank you for another fabulous recipe, dear Dreena.
Dreena Burton says
Oh that’s a treat to read, thank you Jenn!
Jennifer says
Quick and so easy. I will definitely have to make double batches, because they’re sooooo good, they will go fast in our house. Thank you!!!
Dreena Burton says
Oh super! Love to hear the great feedback, thanks so much for the note Jennifer.
Mandy says
Made these today so good I has some cashew butter and chia rasp jam used that
Delicious
Will make again so many times
Dreena Burton says
Just wonderful! Thanks for the feedback, Mandy, and great review.
Mandy says
I think next time I will try almond extract my husband says it reminds him of Christmas thumb print cookies
Dreena Burton says
I love a touch of almond extract with a berry jam – delicious! Thanks for the lovely rating and note.
Carrie says
When I saw the name Jam-Jam, I instantly thought of the cookies! A few years ago, I found some at a local grocery store in their “Maritime” section and ate one and a half rows on the way home! LOL! I was instantly transported back to my childhood. Thank you for the “secret” recipe. I’m going to let some bananas get black and start baking. 🙂
Dreena Burton says
Haha, Carrie, that’s so cool you had that connection as well! Hope you enjoy them.
Debra says
Thank you for sharing your recipe! They look so delicious, will try soon as I have lots of frozen bananas
Dreena Burton says
Super, thanks Debra… and even though there are a lot of bananas in these, I don’t find them super “banana-y”… the jam is everything!
Trish says
They sound delicious! I look forward to trying them. Thank you, Dreena!
Dreena Burton says
Wonderful! Thanks, Trish