Banana Bran Muffins

You know the story, you buy a bunch of bananas that still have a touch of green to their yellow jackets and you think they will last you through the week and will ripen delightfully in your fruit bowl, you get them home and two days later they mysteriously begin to turn black from the outside in but there is no sign of ripeness in the still firm flesh....it's frustrating because they are not very appetising to look at and when you open them there are mushy black spots dotted all over the otherwise hard flesh..... it's such a waste to dispose of them and if you wait for them to 'ripen' they will be beyond black!, so what to do? When life sends you yucky bananas then it's time to make MUFFINS!

So for these very tasty banana bran muffins you will need...........makes 16 - 18 muffins

340 g unsalted butter
160 g light soft brown sugar
2 medium eggs
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
2 tablespoons treacle
300 g self raising flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 level tablespoon mixed spice
50 g coarse wheat bran
2 - 3 medium bananas

Have all your ingredients especially the eggs, at room temperature, this will help prevent the mixture
curdling when adding the eggs.

It's not essential to add the bran so leave it out if you want to, just add another 50 g of self raising flour in its place.

How to:

• line two 12 slot patty tins with muffin cases
• heat your oven to 175oC
• sieve the flour, salt and spices then add the bran
• cream the butter and sugar until really soft, light and fluffy
• add the vanilla extract and treacle and beat really well
• steadily beat in the eggs
• add the flour continuing to mix on medium speed
• mash the bananas really well with a fork and add to the batter, mix on slow speed

The batter should be of a dropping consistency so if you think it seems too thick you can add a couple tablespoons of milk.

• scoop your batter into the paper cases, I like to use an ice cream scoop then all the muffins will be of equal size
• place in the oven and bake for approx 25 - 35 minutes but as always this depends on your own oven, if they look like they are done then test them with a wooden toothpick, if it's dry when you remove it and the muffins are browned then they are finished
• remove from the oven and cool in the tins for about ten minutes then lift them out and place on a wire cooling rack
• when cooled fully store these in a suitable cake tin or other container

If you want to really push the 'banana boat' out then you can top these with a vanilla frosting........find the recipe HERE! ...........I like to top them with the frosting then add those plain or yogurt coated banana chips you find in the snack sections of most shops or health food stores.

If you have a go at this recipe I would love to hear from you and see your pictures of success, you can follow me on twitter, facebook, Instagram and Pinterest.....happy baking!

Pssst.....just another thing.....you can use this recipe to make a banana bread loaf too!