Banana bran muffins

Having fruit that is a little past its prime seems like an endless reoccurrence in our house, especially when it comes to bananas.  I’m not sure if I buy too many or whether neither of us eat enough but there always seems to be some left by the end of the week.

My upbringing was that of a typical country girl where I always ate everything on my plate because the family had worked hard to put it there and it was a case of ‘waste not want not’.  So when it came to cooking, those who inspired me always found a way to use up ingredients and only threw things out when it was absolutely necessary.  I think that has rubbed off on me because G is always teasing me about making a dish or creating something new because ‘something had to be used up’.  A good example of this throughout my blog are the recipes for yoghurt banana cake, zucchini slice, meringue stack and choc chip banana bread just to name a few.  I have even made up categories called ‘Need to use’ because I find I am always wanting to finish off different things without wasting them.

So once again I find I have some bananas to try and find a home for but because G & I are trying to eat a little healthier at the moment and I didn’t want to repeat any of my recipes I had to put my thinking cap on.  I remembered a recipe for banana bran muffins that a friend had given me years ago and I used to make all the time, so often in fact I used to remember it off by heart.  Unfortunately that was not the case anymore and while I thought I could put my hand on it within a few minutes my search turning into more like an hour and to no avail.  So onto the trusty internet I went to try and find something similar. 

I hope you enjoy this healthy snack as much as we did. 🙂

banana bran muffins (original recipe adapted by Fiona from Food 4 Thought) 
makes 12 muffins

Ingredients
A.
1 cup bran breakfast cereal (eg All bran)
1 cup low-fat milk
2 medium, very ripe bananas, mashed
B.
1 egg, lightly beaten
50g butter, softened
2 – 3 tablespoons brown sugar (depending on how sweet you like them)
C.
1 1/4 cup self-raising flour
1/2 cup (60g) roughly chopped walnuts
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
 
Preparation
Preheat the oven to 180°C (350°F).  Grease a 12 hole (1 cup) muffin tray with light spray.

In a bowl of jug, combine the ingredients in group A.  Stir well and set aside for 5 minutes.

In a separate bowl, combine all the ingredients in group B and whisk to combine slightly.  Add this to the first mixture (A) and stir to incorporate.

In a large bowl, place all the ingredients in group C and stir to combine.  Add the combined banana and egg mixture and mix until mixture is smooth.  Divide equally between muffin holes. 

Bake for 20 minutes or until golden brown.  Once cooked remove from oven and allow to stand for a couple of minutes before removing the muffins from the tray and cooling on a wire rack.

Store in a small airtight container for up to a week.

My tips/alterations:  *The original recipe didn’t have nuts, the walnuts are my addition.  You could also use pecans or slivered almonds.  *Don’t over mix the batter as it will make the muffins tough.  Just mix it until the ingredients are combined.     

ease: 10/10. The hardest part about making this recipe is washing the dishes.  
prep time: 15mins
cooking time: 20mins.
total: 35mins.

taste: 10/10.  You would never know these were a low-fat, healthy snack.  They are moist, but firm and have that little bit of crunch from the nuts.  I like to serve them slightly warm. 

They will keep in an airtight container for up to a week but are best eaten in the first few days.  Alternatively you can freeze them and take one out when you want a healthy snack.

would I make it again: Yes – Healthy and delicious, you can’t beat that.