Banana Bliss

Of all the fruits, if I was made to choose my favourite, it would be the banana.  Or maybe the apple. 

But basically I am trying to convey my love of the banana and its versatility.  Eat it by itself - yum.  Put it on muesli, yogurt, porridge, in smoothies, fry it as a side for eggs & bacon, my list goes on.

Recently, I found a recipe for a banana bread using almond meal in place of regular flour.  In place of sugar, it uses a natural sweetener, Stevia.  I am always intrigued to see how more healthful alternatives stand up to the old classic recipes in the deliciousness stakes.  

This one did pretty well.  Pretty well indeed.

                                     

I've adapted it a slightly.  Namely, I just added a little more stevia.  Instead of a loaf, this time I made muffins, adding berries & chocolate to the mix.

So for this batch of battery goodness, you will need:

2 cups almond meal/flour

1/2 tsp baking powder

1 tsp bicarb soda

1/2 tsp salt (I use Celtic or Himalayan Pink)

1 tsp ground cinnamon

1 pinch of nutmeg, grated

1/2 tsp vanilla extract

3 eggs

1/2 cup coconut oil or melted butter

1/4 cup milk of your choosing

3 mashed bananas

1/2 cup coarsely chopped walnuts

10-12 drops liquid stevia

1 cup mixed berries

Some chocolate shavings

Righty-oh.  Time to pre-heat.  Fix the oven at 170 degrees Celsius and off you go!

In a bowl mix almond flour, baking powder, bi-carb soda, salt, cinnamon & nutmeg.

Grab a large bowl and whisk eggs, coconut oil/butter, milk, stevia & vanilla together.

Then, all-in-together-this-fine-weather for dry & wet ingredients.

When nicely combined, gently fold in the mashed banana and your chopped walnuts.

Quality control the batter for sweetness and add one or two more drop of stevia if your sweet tooth is not yet satisfied.

Have some patty pans ready to go in a muffin tray and spoon in batter until each is roughly 3/4 full.

Then adorn each however you like.

Pop them in the oven for about 20-25 minutes.  I would check them at 20 as being more petite they require less cooking time.

When good and golden, take out your tray and allow muffins to cool on a wire rack.  They will likely continue to firm up as they're cooling.

If going the way of the loaf, cook for 30-40 minutes.  

As I like my banana bread a little under done and gooey in the middle so I opt for less cooking time.

Whatever form it takes, this recipe is pure bliss!

Enjoy with a cuppa or a good ol' glass of milk.