Nigella's Chocolate and Banana Muffins (with additions!)
At times of crisis, we find that Nigella can always be relied upon to come to the rescue.
We have been buying a lot of bananas recently, mainly for breakfast, but there comes a time when you find yourself left with a rapidly browning fruit that looks less than tempting. During the summer months, a loaf of banana and chocolate bread was one solution, but the time came for a change.
These delicious muffins have become something of a staple in our creative meetings for the book we are creating, and we are not sure if we could survive without them any more! My daughter Lucie has been clamouring for the recipe for some time, so this is for her…and you, of course!
Nigella’s Chocolate and Banana muffins with a Casa Higueras variation
Nigella’s recipe for Chocolate and Banana Muffins is so simple and the end results are quite delicious. I have made a few adaptations, simply because I had ingredients to hand.
Makes 12 Muffins
You will need:
Muffin tins, lined with paper muffin cases.
Pre-heat the oven to 180 degrees fan.
Ingredients
3 very ripe bananas. The riper they are, the sweeter they tend to be
125 ml Extra Virgin Olive Oil
2 large eggs
100 g brown sugar (or a little less if the bananas are very, very ripe)
225 g plain flour
3 tbsp sifted cocoa powder
1 tsp bicarbonate of soda
2 tbsp greek yoghurt
50 g dark chocolate, chopped into small chunks (optional)
50 g walnut pieces, chopped (optional)
When I first made this recipe, I had some leftover fruit smoothie that I had made for breakfast. Our smoothie contained greek yoghurt, mango, kiwi, banana, honey and oats and, as it was to hand, I added a couple of tablespoons of this mix to my muffin mix, and the end result was rather lovely. I don’t suggest that you all make smoothies just to add to a muffin mix, and plain yoghurt does work just as well.
Method
In a bowl, mash the bananas well and then add the oil, the 2 eggs and the sugar and beat well to combine. Stir in the 2 tablespoons of yoghurt.
In a separate bowl, mix the flour, sifted coca powder and the bicarbonate of soda, and then gently mix this into the banana mix.
Once all these ingredients have been well combined, stir in the chocolate chunks and/or walnut pieces, if you are adding these. They are optional, but add a little extra flavour, bite and richness.
Spoon the mix into the muffin cases (a generous 2 tablespoons per case), and then place the muffin tray(s) in the oven for between 15 - 20 minutes. The muffins will be well-risen and spongey to the touch.
The muffins keep well for a couple of days if kept in an airtight container.
