Versatile Banana Muffins - My Other Favourite

My original favourite banana muffin is cornflake banana muffins, but VGF cornflakes are a treat at USD $7.99 a 26.4 ounce bag.  The below muffins I used to make all the time for my student job folks in a myriad of variations, including using apple butter, more or less banana, various types of nuts and dried fruit, in bars or in muffins.





This recipe I originally made from the cookbook Vegetarian Times Everything Vegan (for which my second cousin Mary Ann was the literary agent--small world!).



I may have made these only a few times since going gluten-free in 2011.  Shame, since they seem involved but are about as simple as traditional banana bread.  By Vitamixing the shite out of the wet ingredients and increasing the baking powder slightly, I finally made domed muffins.  The only spice is cinnamon, but nutmeg and cloves go well in these, too.  The original title, "Chimp Cakes," rubs me the wrong way, so these are Banana Applesauce Muffins/Muffbars.



Banana Applesauce Muffins/Muffbars

Modified from Vegetarian Times

• 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon


• dash salt


• 1 teaspoon baking powder


• 1 teaspoon baking soda


• 1/2 teaspoon xanthan gum


• OPTIONAL 1/4 cup tapioca starch for high altitude


• 1 cup GF oat flour


• 1 cup sorghum flour


• 3/4 cup coconut sugar, blitzed (I didn't have any, so I used 1/2 cup organic sugar + 3 tablespoons coconut flour)


• 3 medium-sized ripe bananas (about 1 cup)


• 3/4 cup unsweetened applesauce


• 1/2 cup canola oil


• 1 teaspoon vanilla


• 1/4 cup unsweetened nondairy milk


• 1 cup of chunks of your choice (nuts, raisins, chocolate chips, or a combination)

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.


2. Line a 12-well muffin tin with papers, or grease the wells, and set aside.


3. In the bowl of a stand mixer or in a regular ol' large bowl, sift then whisk together flours, xanthan gum, leavening, and spices.


4. In a blender, combine sugar, applesauce, oil, vanilla, nondairy milk, and bananas, and blitz until uniformly combined, but not until foamy.


5. Stir wet ingredients into dry and mix until combined.


6. Stir in the chunks.


7. Transfer batter to the prepared tin.


8. Bake for 25-30 minutes or until muffins spring back to the touch and pass the toothpick test.


9. Cool muffins in the tin for 5 minutes before removing to a rack to cool completely.

Bunnable and Sheepish say, "Thank you, Ownie!"



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