Banana Muffins - Make them special with Chocolate and Orange
Peel and slice the orange peel; chop the walnuts; peel and mash the banana. Mix flour, baking powder and salt (dry mixture). Make the wet mixture with eggs, bananas, sugar, oil, orange peel, oat bran, walnuts and milk. Set aside to soak oat bran while preparing muffin pan and topping. Add wet mixture to the dry mixture, along with chcolate chips and a bit of saved banana. Fill the cups, spread the topping and bake at 400 F 14-17 min. Remove from oven, cool about 30 min and serve. Enjoy!
Equipment
- oven for baking muffins
- Muffin pan
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup All purpose flour also called Maida
- 1 1/4 tsp Baking powder
- 1/8 tsp Salt
- 6 tbsp Banana mashed -1 large or 2 medium : divided, 4 tbsp + 2 tbsp fully ripe -a little mushy; a few brown spots on the peel; peel and mash - leave a bit of texture
- 1 whole Egg (or egg-replacer) at room temperature; if using egg-replacer, use as directed for the particular substitute: I recommend Bob's Red Mill egg-replacer - follow package directions for 1 egg - see Recipe Notes for details
- 3 tbsp Sugar
- 2 tbsp Oat bran if not available, use 3 tbsp rolled oats, crushed gently to a coarse powder; if oats not available, see Recipe Notes for other options
- 1 1/2 tsp Orange peel: fresh, finely slivered if using dried peel, use 1 tsp
- 2 tbsp Oil: divided - 4 tsp for batter, 2 tsp for greasing the paper muffin liners I prefer peanut oil; any other mild-flavored oil is OK; or use 2 tbsp butter for the batter and 2 tsp for greasing the paper liners
- 3 tbsp Milk - divided: 2 tbsp for batter, save 1 tbsp for adding later, if needed. at room temperature; for dairy-free, use plant-based milk of your choice, or simply use plain water.
- 2 tbsp Walnuts: chopped finely chopped
- 2 tbsp Chocolate chips for vegan muffins, use dairy-free chocolate chips
Streusel-type Topping for muffins
- 1 tsp Walnuts-chopped finely chopped
- 1 pinch Salt
- 1 tsp Sugar
- 1/16 tsp Cinnamon - ground
- 1/2 tsp Butter for vegan muffins - use 1/4 tsp coconut oil
Instructions
- With a sharp paring knife thinly peel the top orange layer of an orange. Try not to get any of the white rind. Stack 3-4 pieces, then thinly slice into slivers. Repeat with the rest of the pieces.
- Set them aside while you prep everything else. As they air-dry, they start to curl up. See Recipe Notes for how to store any leftover slivered peel.
- Make the dry mixture: Add salt and baking powder to all-purpose flour in a medium mixing bowl (1 1/2 - 2 quart / liter). Mix well to distribute evenly and set aside while preparing the wet mixture.
- Peel a large extra-ripe banana; you may need 2 bananas if they are small.
- Mash the banana - leave a bit of texture. A large banana yields about 6 -7 tbsp mashed banana: divide this into 2 portions: 1/4 cup (4 tbsp) for adding to the batter at first, and the remaining 2-3 tbsp, set aside for stirring in at the end.
- Start making the wet mixture as follows:If using egg:In a separate 1 1/2 - 2 quart / liter mixing bowl, use a slotted spoon (or whisk) to mix egg, sugar and 1/4 cup mashed banana. Save the remaining 2-3 tbsp banana, covered, to be added later.If using egg-replacer: Prepare the egg-replacer according to package directions. See Recipe Notes for details.Add sugar and banana and mix well with a a slotted spoon (or whisk).
- Add thinly slivered orange peel and butter (or oil, as shown in pic here). Stir well.
- Add oat bran and stir.If oat bran is not available, see Recipe Notes for suggestions.
- Add chopped walnuts and milk. Ideally, the milk should be at room temperature; if you have just taken it out of the refrigerator, warm it in the microwave for 15-20 seconds. For vegan muffins, use your preferred plant-based milk.Stir and set aside to let the oat bran soak for 8-10 min. This is the wet mixture, which is to be added to the dry mixture.
- Meanwhile, prepare the muffin pan: place the paper liners and grease them with about 1/4 tsp oil in each liner. Use a pastry brush or your fingers to spread the oil and evenly coat the paper.
- Make the topping in a small bowl: mix walnuts, sugar, cinnamon, salt and butter.
- Topping for muffins becomes a bit gooey; if you want more "dry" topping, use less butter.
- Preheat oven: set to 400F (about 255C).Add the wet mixture to the bowl containing the dry mixture; add in remaining mashed banana and chocolate chips.
- Stir gently with slotted spoon. Do NOT over-stir - Muffins become tough if too much gluten develops through stirring.
- If the batter looks a bit too dry - add up to 1 tbsp more milk.Work quickly from this point on to get maximum leavening from the baking powder, which will yield fluffy muffins. Ideally, the muffin pan should go into the oven within 5 min after the batter is ready.
- Quickly transfer the batter to prepared muffin pan. Distribute the topping evenly on top of the batter.
- Place the filled pan on the center rack in oven: bake 14-15 min at 400F. After 15 min, check quickly by opening the oven door just a crack - if muffins are not done, continue to bake for an additional 2-4 min till tops are golden brown (total baking time - no more than 17-19 min.)If the tops are still not browned, turn on the broiler - broil for 1-2 min on low. Watch carefully while broiling: the muffins will top-brown very fast when under the broiler, in about a minute. So, if you're not watchful, you will end up with burnt muffins!
- After turning the oven off, open the door of the oven and leave it partially open to let heat escape slowly. Leave the muffin pan in the oven for 5 min.
- Remove the muffin pan from oven after 5 min.
- After 2-3 min, transfer the muffins to a cooling rack.
- Serve and enjoy with a cup of tea/coffee. Perfect for breakfast, snack or dessert.
Notes
Left-over Orange Peels:
Store dried leftover peels to use in other recipes, or to make another batch of muffins in a few days.Oat Bran substitutes: Use one of these, if oat bran is not available.
- Use rolled oats, crushed coarsely between your fingers.
- Dry roast 1 tbsp fine bulgur (cracked wheat) - this will take about 2-3 min); then use like oat bran in the recipe.
- Dry roast 2 tbsp whole buckwheat on a heavy bottomed cast iron / stainless steel pan, stirring constantly till it begins to pop (will take about 3-4 min), then cool and crush
- in a mortar and pestle, or
- place in a sealed plastic bag, and roll firmly with a rolling pin.
- Use 2 tbsp crushed roasted buckwheat instead of 2 tbsp oat bran.
Using Egg-Replacer:
I like Bob's Red Mill brand Egg-Replacer: it is gluten-free and vegan- Combine 1 tbsp egg-replacer with 2 tbsp water. Mix well and set aside for 1 min to thicken.
Storing Left-over Muffins
- Muffins are OK on the counter-top for about a day.
- Refrigerate for longer storage; to serve, microwave for 10-15 seconds on hi.
- Serve warm, with butter.
- Freeze, if you like, for up to 3-4 weeks, possibly longer. To thaw, simply place on counter for about 30 min, then microwave for 15 seconds on hi.
- Serve warm, with butter.
Nutrition
Calories: 176kcalCarbohydrates: 23gProtein: 3gFat: 10gSaturated Fat: 2gTrans Fat: 1gCholesterol: 2mgSodium: 150mgPotassium: 128mgFiber: 2gSugar: 9gVitamin A: 34IUVitamin C: 1mgCalcium: 69mgIron: 1mg
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