I have always preferred baking over cooking. For starters, it smells better and that always puts me in a good mood. Also, I get to eat something sweet in the end, so it is a win-win for me. We ran out of eggs yesterday. There are no home deliveries in our neighborhood during the lockdown. I did not want to make an unnecessary grocery run just for eggs, so I attempted a batch of eggless Chocolate Banana Nut Muffins. Though these muffins won’t win any awards for their looks, believe me when I say they taste so good. In fact, I would even go as far as to say they are delicious! They are also gluten-free, refined sugar-free and can be made vegan if you substitute the yogurt with a dairy-free option.

Recipe

One Bowl Chocolate Banana Nut Muffins

(Makes 12 medium-sized muffins)

Ingredients

Wet Ingredients
3 large, very ripe bananas, mashed
1/3 cup olive oil
2 tbsp plain yogurt
2 tsp apple cider vinegar
1/2 cup coconut/brown sugar
1 tsp pure vanilla extract
Pinch of salt

Dry Ingredients
1/2 cup buckwheat flour
1/2 cup blanched almond flour
1/3 cup oat flour (made by pulsing rolled oats in a blender)
2 tbsp dark cocoa powder
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
1/4 tsp grated nutmeg

Optional Add-ins
3 tbsp coarsely crushed walnuts, divided
2 tbsp semi-sweet chocolate chips

Method

Preheat your oven to 180°C. Line a 12-cavity muffin tray with paper muffin liners.

In a large mixing bowl, combine the mashed bananas, olive oil, yogurt, apple cider vinegar, vanilla extract, coconut sugar and salt. Whisk the ingredients until the sugar dissolves fully.

Sift the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients and use a rubber spatula to combine them well.

Stir in the nuts and chocolate chips if using and ladle the batter into the muffin liners until 2/3rds full.

Bake the muffins for 20-25 minutes (rotating the tray midway through baking) or until a skewer inserted into the middle of the muffins comes clean.

Remove from the oven and transfer the muffins on to a wire rack to cool completely. The muffins will be very soft when they are warm, but will firm up upon cooling.

Store the muffins in an airtight container for 2-3 days. They will last longer if refrigerated.