There are many different types of muffins from flat, toasted English muffins, to healthy bran and fibre varieties you may pick up from a coffee shop. They are actually quite different to make than generic “Buns” or “Cup Cakes” as the recipes follow different processes and ingredients, they are , in fact, a world apart. It is traditional when making muffins to mix a bowl of dry ingredients and a bowl of wet ingredients and then fold the two mixtures together. This is to allow air into the mixture which with help the muffins rise and stop them being heavy and stodgy. However, you must not over-mix the ingredients here, as this will make the muffins come out with a rubbery texture, instead of a nice crunchy crust on top, and when its bitten into, the soft, moist muffin will melt in your mouth.
My Banana and Almond Muffins are a great way to use up old ingredients, because quite often i find i have half a leftover packet of almonds left, or some old bananas slowly composting in the fruit bowl. By the way, old bananas are best for this recipe and they have had time to go nice and mushy and this releases more flavour. They are also a great filler and are packed full of fibre and vitamins. For instance, bananas are a great source of potassium which is good for your heart and almonds, like most nuts are high in fat, but also very high in nutritious protein.
Ingredients-
- 120g Unsalted Butter, melted
- 3 Old, Large Bananas, mashed
- 2 Beaten Eggs
- 1tsp Vanilla Extract
- 120g Flaked Almonds, unsalted
- 240g Self Raising Flour, sifted
- 175g Caster Sugar
- 2tsp Baking Powder
- 1tsp Ground Cinnamon
- Pinch of Ground Nutmeg
First, preheat an oven to 180’c/Gas 4, and lay out paper muffin cases in a muffin tray. In a bowl, mix the melted butter, mashed bananas, beaten eggs and vanilla extract. Stir thoroughly to avoid lumps and it should form a light, yellow liquid. In a separate bowl, mix the flaked almonds, self raising flour, caster sugar, baking powder, cinnamon and nutmeg. Now, fold the wet mixture into the dry mixture, but only just enough for the dry mixture to be absorbed by the wet, for me, this generally takes around 20-25 folds. If you over-mix the mixture here, the muffins will be rubbery and wont rise as well. It should fold into an airy, spongy mixture. When the mixtures have been folded together, fill each muffin case to about half way with the mix and spoon any leftover batter evenly between the cases. Bake for around 20-25 minutes until the muffins are risen well over the paper rims and the top have gone golden and crispy.
