The first recipe of 2016! Whoop, whoop!
I really didn’t want, or necessarily intended, for the first recipe to be classed as ‘healthy’. I mean, right now, there are approximately 2 billion, 35 million, 400 thousand, 772 blog posts about detoxes or healthy eating or how to get back into a better eating routine after Christmas blow-outs on the internet. Who needs another one?
Not me.
However I genuinely want to cut down on the amount of sugar that I eat. Really. Over the whole year, not just January.
And also, realistically, chocolate can no longer be eaten from breakfast otherwise by 11am I am so hungry I can’t concentrate.
However, that said, you don’t just have to eat these muffins for breakfast – they are good at any time of the day, Whenever you need a little sweet something that won’t send your blood sugar levels sky high.
The sweetness comes from the carrots, the banana, a little bit of honey and a few raisins. I also added some organic raw banana powder – which is completely optional, but does add a little bit more sweetness without having to reach for the sugar pot. It was new to me too until I tried it from Indigo Herbs. It is quite versatile and can be used in smoothies or added to yoghurt etc.
There are also no grains to be found in these muffins either – just organic buckwheat and coconut flours.
The fat content comes from organic coconut oil – one of my go to fats to use as it stays stable when heated, rather than breaking down into things you don’t really want to eat. If you don’t have coconut oil or don’t want to use it, good old regular butter is a good substitute.
The only thing with using coconut oil is that when cold the muffins have a very dense texture. However a quick re-heat (either in the oven or the microwave, instructions for both below with the recipe) will bring back their lovely light, springy texture!
They can also be frozen, so you can make a batch and then squirrel them away for days when thinking about breakfast is just too much.
Carrot & Banana Muffins
Ingredients:
- 2 small ripe bananas
- zest and juice of 1 lemon, unwaxed
- 2 large eggs
- 150ml coconut oil (or unsalted butter if preferred)
- 50g honey
- 150g buckwheat flour
- 50g coconut flour
- 1/2 tsp baking soda
- 2 tsp baking powder
- 1 tsp ground cinnamon
- 1/4 tsp ground mixed spice
- good grating of fresh nutmeg
- 1 tsp organic raw banana powder (optional)
- 60g raisins
- 250g carrot, peeled and grated
- 2 tsp poppy seeds (optional)
Method:
- Pre-heat the oven to 200 Celsius / 180 fan / 390 Fahrenheit. Line a 12-hole muffin pan with muffin cases.
- In a small bowl mash together the banana, lemon zest and juice. Add the eggs and beat until incorporated. Set aside.
- In a separate bowl melt together the coconut oil and the honey. Set aside.
- In a large bowl whisk together the flours, baking soda, baking powder, spices and banana powder.
- Add the coconut oil/honey mix and stir in.
- Add the carrot and raisins and mix before adding the banana/lemon/egg mix and quickly beating in. The mixture will puff up a bit as the lemon juice reacts with the baking soda so work a little quickly. However don’t panic if the door bell goes or the phone rings. The mixture will stiffen up as it sits, but it will not spoil.
- Place large spoonfuls of the mixture into each muffin case, almost filling them. The batter doesn’t rise much. Scatter over the poppy seeds.
- Bake to 15 – 20 minutes, until a cocktail stick inserted into the middle comes out clean.
- Leave to cool in the tin for 5 minutes and then transfer to a wire rack.
- Store in an air-tight container for up to 5 days.
- The muffins are best eaten warm – reheat in the microwave (full power for approx. 20 seconds) or in the oven (150 Celsius / 130 fan / 300 Fahrenheit for 5-7 minutes.
- To freeze the muffins – once completely cold wrap each one in foil or cling-film and place in a suitable freezer container. It may be best to remove the paper cases first. Defrost and then reheat as above.
© The Pink Rose Bakery 2016
The Pink Rose Bakery 
I’m loving that expression “…chocolate can no longer be eaten from breakfast…”. Please explain? as they say down here. It’s one of the major food groups, isn’t it? These do look very nice!
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Ha! Me thinks you have stumbled upon a typo! I should have written “be eaten for breakfast”, however, I think that “from breakfast” also works – only it implies that chocolate can only be eaten for breakfast and after that . . . nada on the chocolate front for the rest of the day!
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The way I read it, chocolate can be eaten From breakfast Onwards….
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Reblogged this on Chef Ceaser.
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