Recipe: Banana Nut Muffins (vegan)

Many thanks to Stephanie Miller for this recipe for banana nut muffins. Stephanie and her husband owned a vegan bakery in San Diego, where both the muffins and her pumpkin bread (see recipe here) were very popular with customers.

Makes 17

Dry ingredients:
3 1/4 cups (400g) + 2 tablespoons Scotland The Bread wholemeal flour (or substitute 200g for plain white flour if preferred)
1 tablespoon baking powder
1 1/8 teaspoons bicarbonate of soda
½ cup (100g) coconut sugar
½ cup (100g) caster sugar
½ cup (67g) walnuts, chopped, optional. If using, save 2-3 tablespoons to sprinkle on top of muffins
3/4 teaspoon sea salt
1 teaspoon cinnamon
½ teaspoon nutmeg, freshly grated

In a large bowl, mix all the above ingredients together, gently, with a whisk, to combine. Do not sift. Set aside.
Oil muffin tins.

Wet ingredients:
2/3 cup (160ml) light oil (sunflower, rapeseed)
¾ cup (175ml) + 2 tablespoons soy or other plant-based milk
2 ¼ teaspoons apple cider vinegar
2 egg equivalent of egg replacer, e.g. Bob’s Red Mill, flax eggs or a home-made egg replacement like this one.
1 ¾ cups (280g) + 2 tablespoons ripe banana

Preheat the oven to 180C / gas mark 4.

Add vinegar to milk and set aside for at least 5-10 minutes, or until milk is curdled.

In a bowl, mash bananas. Texture is best smooth, with only a few small bits of banana remaining.

Add oil, then curdled milk to bananas and stir gently.

Add egg replacer and fold into mixture. Then add wet ingredients to dry and fold or stir. Do not over mix, or muffins will be tough and not properly risen.

Drop 1/4 cup of batter into each oiled muffin cup. Sprinkle with chopped walnuts.

Bake for 20-25 minutes, or until muffins are slightly golden and toothpick comes out clean when inserted into centre of muffin.

Place tins on wire racks and cool for 12 minutes. Then remove muffins from tins and allow to completely cool on wire racks.

Muffins may be frozen.