Banana and Pecan Muffins
April 15, 2012 |
| Banana and Pecan muffins |
This recipe made 10 large muffins
75g melted butter
250g self raising flour
1/2 tsp bicarb
pinch of salt
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp nutmeg
115g caster sugar
seeds of 1 vanilla pod scraped out
3 large bananas
2 medium eggs
150ml milk
pecan nuts to garnish, about 3 per muffin
a tsp of honey per muffin, approx 10
a few sprinkles of golden caster sugar
This is a great recipe to make use of banana that are looking a little bit sad and unloved in the fruit bowl. A few basic baking ingredients can turn them into the yummiest breakfast treat or a fab afternoon snack... Charlie loved coming home to warm banana and pecan muffins after a long cycle around the Gower on Sunday afternoon!
Put the oven on to 190c, my oven is a basic fan oven from Ikea but the fan is pretty effective so non fan ovens might need to be a bit hotter.
Pop the butter into a saucepan over a really low heat and let it melt, by putting it on a very low heat it makes it easy to just ignore it and crack on with other stuff. Turn it off after a minute or so and just let it continue to melt in the residual heat of the pan, then cool a little but not harden.
Sift the flour, bicarb, salt, cinnamon and nutmeg into a bowl then stir in the caster sugar.
In a second bowl, this is the bowl the combined mixture will end up in so use your larger (or prettier!) bowl for this bit, mash two of the bananas. Add the cooled liquid butter, vanilla seeds and milk then stir together or use an electric hand whisk. The hand whisk will give you a lighter batter but it wont be a chunky... your call!
Fork whisk the eggs in a mug, a) to give them a bit air and b) to make sure they are off! its unlikely to happen but very annoying to drop an out of date egg into to a batch of gorgeous muffin mix. Pour the eggs into the banana and milk mush and give it all a nice stir.
Add in the dry ingredients bit by bit until they are fully incorporated, the batter should be like a ....batter! not as think as a sponge mix but not as thin as crepe batter.
I used greaseproof paper cases for my muffins but any cases will work, if they are going to be for a breakfast, though, I'd recommended going larger!
The greaseproof cases are made by cutting a square of greaseproof or baking paper, laying it over the muffin hole in the baking sheet and pushing down in the centre. when the edged crinkle up smooth down the folds so that the batter can't run into too many creases and will stay muffin shaped.
I found it easier to put the batter into a jug to pour it into the cases, though i realise now i should have used a bowl with a spout to reduce washing up... we live and learn.
When the batter is divided between the cases, place on top slices of the left over banana. make the slices about 1/2cm thick and on an angle, they look nicer that way and won't dry out because they are too thin. Use about 3 pieces of banana per muffin then pop on some pecans, again about three per muffin.
Bake for about 20-25 mins or until golden and springy to the touch.
When they are baked take then out of the oven and drizzle a tsp of honey over each muffin. Put back in the turned off oven for a few minutes for the honey to melt into the muffins. After two or three minutes take them out and sprinkle a little golden caster sugar over each muffin, as the muffin cools this will add a little sweet crunch which will compliment the sticky honey sweetness and the lovely chewy texture of the pecan and roasted- melted banana slices.
I like eating them with a glass of ice cold milk... yum!
1 comments
SO yummy! Everyone at the office says thank you very much...and most of them are demanding you make more!
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