Banana-Berry Muffins

Oh how I love strawberry season!  Aside from using strawberries in some delicious new jam  for my shop, I've been eating them with everything.  Yogurt for breakfast?  Top it with strawberries!  Plain whole wheat toast?  Top it with strawberries!  Raw kale salad?  Top it with strawberries!  Ok, I think you get the idea here.  Since the strawberry farmer at my market told me that next weekend will be the last they will have strawberries, I've been enjoying them in every conceivable way.  I'm not too terribly sad about their fleeting season because dewberries are already ripening on the vine!

In an ode to strawberries, I made some banana-berry muffins this past weekend after returning from the farmer's market.  The muffin itself is a simple vegan/wheat free banana base with fresh strawberries and blueberries tossed in and topped with an oat-y/streusel topping.  Since the berries hold a lot of moisture, these muffins are best enjoyed the day they are made, or the next day.  After that, it's best to put them in the fridge or freezer.

Banana Berry Muffins 
This recipe will make 6 to 8 muffins, depending on the size of your pan.  I didn't add any spices this time, but cinnamon or nutmeg would be particularly delicious in these. 

muffins
1 cup spelt flour
1/4 cup coconut sugar
1 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp fine grain sea salt
1 cup mashed ripe banana (about 2 medium bananas)
1/4 cup plus 2 tbsp coconut milk (or other milk of your choice)
2 tbsp coconut oil, liquified
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
about 1/4 cup fresh blueberries
about 1/3 cup of diced fresh strawberries

topping
1/4 cup whole oats
1 tbsp almond meal
1/2 tbsp coconut sugar
1 tbsp room temp/solid coconut oil

Preheat your oven to 350F and line a muffin tin with liners or parchment.  Whisk together the dry ingredients for the muffins and set aside.  In a separate bowl, whisk together the wet ingredients until smooth and set aside.  In a small bowl, combine the berries with about a tbsp of the flour mixture from your dry ingredients.  Toss to coat all of the berries.  Add your wet ingredients to your dry and mix until the batter just comes together, then add the fruit and mix until the berries are evenly distributed.  The batter will be quite thick.  To make the topping, combine all of the ingredients in a bowl and mash with a fork.  It should look similar to a streusel type topping.  Put the batter in the muffin cups, filling them about 2/3 or so of the way (I used a 1/4 cup measure for each and they came out perfect).  Next, sprinkle the topping on each muffin, gently patting it down so it will stick.  Bake the muffins in the upper 1/3 of the oven for 25-30 minutes or until the tops spring back when touched and a tester inserted in the middle comes out clean.  Enjoy!