June 4th, 2009
Banana Muffins
can't beat 'em
Now I’m no Martha Stewart, so when I made these fresh for breakfast the other morning, I made sure I warned my family not to get too comfortable with this routine. But I made the batter the night before (took about 10 minutes), filled the muffin tins, and just fired up the oven the morning of. No biggie.
These are light & fluffy, delicately sweet, & they have chunks of bananas in them alongside the mashed bananas. If you look closely at the picture, you can see it. And they are another Great Recession type special – use up your old bananas.
C’mon, be a good monkey. Eat a banana muffin!
Ingredients
1 1/2 c. all purpose gluten free flour (check the sidebar – I use Bob’s)
1/2 tsp. + 1/8 tsp. xanthan gum
1 1/2 tsp. baking powder
1/4 tsp. salt
2/3 c. granulated sugar
1/2 c. unsalted butter, melted & cooled
1 large egg, beaten
1/4 c. milk
2 medium-sized ripe bananas, 1 mashed & 1 diced
1. In medium sized bowl, combine flour, xanthan gum, baking powder & salt. Set aside.
2. In larger bowl, mix butter & sugar until light and fluffy. Add in egg & mix until well combined. Next, add in milk and mix again until incorporated as well. Do the same with the mashed bananas (reserve the diced). Mix well.
3. Add the dry ingredients to the wet ones and mix until just combined. Fold in the diced bananas. Be delicate. Like a little lady. Don’t mash the poor diced bananas.
4. Either grease or line 12 muffin cups. Fill each 3/4 full.
5. Bake at 350 degrees for 30-35 minutes or until a tester inserted into the center of the middle muffin comes out clean.
Enjoy. Who doesn’t love a tasty little banana muffin? See you next time, back at the Hall of Justice.
Warmly,
Nicole
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Posted By : Nicole
Posted on June 8th, 2009 at 7:42 pm
As Adam and I mentioned to you over the weekend, these little puppies were delicious! Just perfect…
Thank you so much for this blog!
Posted on June 9th, 2009 at 1:09 am
These muffins are amazing!! My husband said he would never have guessed they were gluten free.
Thank you!!
Posted on June 9th, 2009 at 1:20 am
Hi, Denise & Helene,
It is my distinct pleasure! Keep reading!
Warmly,
Nicole
Posted on October 2nd, 2009 at 7:13 pm
This recipe is one of my favorite staples nowdays!
I have been experimenting with it also…adding and/or substituting other things in it like blueberries, or half blueberry – half banana; It seems quite versitile as I used frozen (well rinsed and drained) blueberries – I was concerned about too much moisture from that, but it didn’t seem to affect it at all!
I always double the recipe and make half right away and save and refridge the other half(dough) and then bake it nearer to the end of the week (that way I always have fresh muffins for breakfasts!)
Another thing I have been doing is adding a smidge of cinnamon which is nice, and I always top any muffin I make with a combo mix of cinnamon and sugar – makes a lovely crusty top!
Posted on November 10th, 2009 at 11:14 pm
Do you think that these could be made with pumpkin instead? I’ve been trying to find a pumpkin breakfast treat to make…
Posted on November 11th, 2009 at 12:39 am
Hi, Sacha,
To be honest, it might since bananas have a lot of moisture and so does pumpkin puree, but I couldn’t be sure without trying. If you try it, let us know how it turns out! The batter should be thick, generally.
Warmly,
Nicole
Posted on November 12th, 2009 at 5:46 pm
Could you make this into bread instead of muffins? Any adjustments suggested?
Posted on November 12th, 2009 at 5:50 pm
Hi, Kirsten,
You could definitely make this into bread. I have the most success with gluten free breads when they are well-supported, since the dough is heavier than its conventional counterpart. So try a pan either on the small side, or just a relatively narrow one so more of the batter is in contact with the walls of the container (for support). And increase baking time. Just keep toothpick testing! And if it starts to brown too much before it’s cooked through, tent with foil.
Warmly,
Nicole
Posted on July 20th, 2010 at 5:34 pm
Thanks to Jessica for that note about cinnamon-sugar on top (I’d just put mine in the oven, and took them out quickly to add what did indeed turn into a nice crusty topping). I’d like to thank Nicole for yet another useful recipe. After a year of going gluten-free, I’ve been starting to get a bit sulky lately. (Who needs gluten? I do! It really does terrific things! How am I supposed to create my perfect sponge cake for my perfect tiramisu?! Pout, pout.) These muffins cheer a whole family right up!
My note: I made these in mini-muffin tins (made 34 muffins), and the baking time came to 20 minutes.
Ever since finding “Tom’s bread” recipe here last August (and making two loaves a week ever since), I have consulted your site regularly, and am so grateful it’s here!
Posted on August 3rd, 2010 at 2:33 am
Hi, Catherine,
I promise you can make sponge cake, tiramisu, and anything else you like, all gluten-free. The cookbook has a great recipe for gluten-free lady fingers, which are great alone or in tiramisu. Can you hold on until March 2011?! Thank you for the notes about mini-muffins. That’s always useful info. I’m so glad the blog has been helpful to you. That’s really nice to hear. Thank you for posting!
Warmly,
Nicole
Posted on August 7th, 2010 at 6:54 pm
March 2011, eh? I’m glad you have a date for your cookbook, Nicole! (But it’s a long time to wait for tiramisu!) Just can’t wait to buy your book. If there is justice in the world, it will make you rich.
In the meantime, may I selfishly ask if you know of any sponge cake recipes one can find online? I feel ungrateful asking for MORE, MORE, MORE… but I figure if someone knows of one, it would be you.
All best,
Catherine
Posted on August 11th, 2010 at 3:13 pm
Hi, Catherine,
I promise it is next on my kitchen to-do list.
I’m sorry about the wait for tiramisu! But if I post recipes that are in the cookbook, then I have to replace them in the cookbook with more, newer recipes, and then we go round and round and round (and I go even a bit more insane)! The book won’t make me rich, but I sincerely think (okay, hope) it’ll make gluten-free much more accessible and much less stressful. I don’t have a spongecake recipe in the book, so I will make it my next recipe formulation, just for you…
Warmly,
Nicole