I didn’t plan to bake today. But sometimes, inspiration just strikes and the mixing bowls have to come out. Of course, knowing your baking triggers can be helpful when it comes to acceptance. Here are mine:
-Rain or snow
-The remnants of rain or snow (snow-covered trees, clouds of fog, etc.)
-Waking up early without an alarm
-A clean kitchen
Today, waking up at 7 to a light dusting of very pretty snow and realizing that I had the morning free set my internal baking clock to “Go.” And why fight that? Especially when it resulted in these surprisingly healthy (you wouldn’t know it from the taste) banana spice muffins that happen to be gluten-free, dairy-free, and refined-sugar free. Yum!
These muffins were so light and airy straight out of the oven that I actually liked them even more once they’d cooled to room temperature. They were just a bit heartier and more “muffiny” that way. Aside from their great texture, the flavor is also to die for – probably because of the garam masala, an Indian spice mix that perfectly compliments the sweetness of the maple syrup and banana in this recipe. In Indian cooking, garam masala is often used in potato/vegetable dishes, tomato-based curries, and rice dishes. There are, of course, many different varieties, but mine (Frontier-brand) consists of cardamom, cinnamon, cloves, cumin, black pepper, and coriander, with an emphasis on the sweeter spices. I absolutely loved it in these muffins!
A couple notes about the recipe:
-I used a silicone muffin tray placed directly on my oven rack to bake these. I may have completely fabricated this, but I have it in my head that doing so made these muffins lighter and airier then if the silicone was first placed on a sheet tray. Because… steam?? Again, this was not a scientific, or even pseudo-scientific conclusion: it’s my own personal bias and may or may not be valid. I’m planning to make these again on a sheet tray and do an actual comparison.
-As noted above, I used Frontier brand garam masala for this recipe. Feel free to try (and report back) with whatever brand you’d like, or make your own. If you do make your own, choose a version that emphasizes the sweeter spices like cinnamon, cardamom, and clove.
-FODMAP friends: Everything is safe here except for the ripe bananas, which Monash now lists in 1/3 banana serving sizes. 3/4 cup mashed banana is about 3 bananas, which means you can eat 1/9 of the total yield and not exceed the recommendations. In muffin terms, that basically means stick to one muffin per serving (okay, to be really literal, you could eat 1/3 of a second one too) if you don’t want to exceed the ripe banana guidelines. Note: Many people are fine with bananas, and they actually used to be listed as safe until recently!
Banana Spice Muffins
Dry Ingredients:
- ⅓ cup blanched almond flour
- ⅓ cup sorghum flour
- ⅓ cup millet flour
- ¼ cup arrowroot starch
- pinch of salt
- 1 tablespoon flaxseed meal
- 1 ¾ teaspoons baking powder
- ½ teaspoon garam masala spice mix (see note above)
Wet Ingredients:
- 2 large eggs
- 3/4 cup mashed banana
- 1/3 cup maple syrup
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- ¼ cup neutrally-flavored vegetable oil of your choosing (grapeseed, sunflower, etc.)
- 1/4 teaspoon apple cider vinegar
Directions:
Line a silicone muffin tray with liners and preheat the oven to 350°F. Combine the dry ingredients in one bowl and the wet ingredients in a separate bowl. Pour wet into dry and mix until combined. Spoon into prepared tin, filling each liner about ¾ of the way. Bake for 18-20 minutes, until tops are firm. Enjoy!
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