The stereotype is that vegans eat lots of bananas. Go on any vegan Facebook or instagram page and you can see people oohing and ahhing over great deals they found on bananas. Confession: you won’t find me there. I just don’t particularly like eating bananas, not on their own. I know they’re good and healthy – full of potassium – but sitting down and chowing on a banana? Nah.
However, bananas are awesome in things. Strawberry banana smoothie? Great! But still a little “healthy” for me. Banana bread? Now you’re talking. It’s a little known fact that bananas are actually a fairly good egg substitute in baking! They do, of course, impart the taste of bananas, but in general you can sub one mashed banana for one egg when making cakes! So, banana bread? You don’t need eggs for that.
I decided to go a bit further and make my banana bread into muffins. Chocolate chip ones, to be precise. With a chocolate crumb on top. That maybe got away a bit from the whole “eating a banana to be healthy” thing but – it’s fruit, right? One of my five a day.
These are so very good when they are all warm and melty from the oven. With melty chocolate chips and a lovely banana-chocolate flavour….mmm.
Chocolate Crumbed Banana Muffins
Ingredients
- for the muffins:
- 225g plain flour
- 1 tsp salt
- 1 tsp baking powder
- 1/2 tsp bicarbonate of soda
- 55g white sugar
- 55g brown sugar
- 75ml sunflower oil
- 4 ripe bananas – about 275g peeled weight
- 50ml milk of choice (I used oat milk)
- 1 tsp cider vinegar (or use lemon juice)
- 100g chocolate chips
- 35g vegan butter, melted
- 25g plain flour
- 20g cocoa powder
- 40g granulated sugar
for the crumb:
Directions
- Preheat the oven to 175C/350F/Gas Mark 4, and line a muffin tray with cases
- First, mash the bananas. Mash them well until there are no large lumps.
- Into the bananas, stir the oil, milk, and cider vinegar, and whisk.
- Add the sugars and whisk until combined.
- Sift together the flour, salt, baking powder and bicarb in a separate bowl.
- Fold the dry ingredients into the wet carefully – do not overmix!
- Once mixed, carefully fold through the chocolate chips, until just mixed.
- Spoon the mixture into the prepared muffin tins.
- Next, make the crumb. Mix the dry ingredients together, and pour over the melted butter. Using your fingers, rub together until you get a “sandy” crumb texture.
- Sprinkle the crumb evenly over the muffins.
- Bake the muffins in the preheated oven for 18-20 minutes, until a knife inserted comes out clean.
- Leave to cool in the tin for 5 minutes before removing (and eating!)
Walks, Talks & Eats 