Hoppo Bumpo (n): A children's game. Played by folding one's arms and hopping on one leg. Aim is to bump opponents, so that they lose their balance. Last person standing wins.


August 30, 2008

Stand-back-and-throw muffins

Today's stand-back-and-throw meal: muffins.

I concede, not a meal in the strictest sense of the word. Unless your little ones have been ill; rejecting the nourishing soups, casseroles and sandwiches presented to them. And you have been resorting to pink marshmallows.

Before anyone judges me, I challenge you to show me the man in the street who ate 8 marshmallows for dinner as a child. Impossible, right? (What do you mean teeth? What teeth? Oh yes I see ... good point.)

So here's a phrase you don't hear often: muffins, the healthy dinner alternative.

Banana muffins seemed the obvious choice, after discovering that some kind of seismic event had taken place in the fruit bowl. Why do bananas do this? They just don't make skins like they used to.

Muffins

This is a great recipe. Forgiving where you don't measure properly or sift the dry ingredients. Or want to bung in some kind of flavour at the end. Quite fault-tolerant - unlike the banana skins. The muffins also freeze very well.

This is what you'll need:

  • 2 1/4 cups self-raising flour
    Make it wholemeal if you want to keep up the pretence of being healthy

  • 1 rounded teaspoon baking powder
    Optional, if you want a bit of extra ooomph ... a good idea if you're using wholemeal flour

  • 1/2 cup sugar
    Use brown for a richer tasting muffin

  • 100g butter
    Melted and cooled a little

  • 2 teaspoons vanilla
    Also optional, depending on any other flavourings you're adding

  • 2 eggs
    I use 2 heaped teaspoons Orgran No Egg, combined with 2 tablespoons water

  • 2/3 cup milk
    Combine it with 1 tablespoon lemon juice, if you are using baking powder - it benefits from an acidic activator

Preheat the oven to 200 oC.

Throw the flour, sugar and baking powder in a bowl. Poke it a bit with a spoon to combine. Hurl in the butter, vanilla, egg (replacer) and milk.

Don't worry about all that twaddle about making wells and stuff. An unnecessary amount of work, I tell you. Now, double check that you put the butter in ... trust me, the muffins will be like rocks if you forget it.

Mix it until you can't see the flour as a separate entity. The mixture should look sloppy. Dollop it into muffin tins or silicone moulds (about 2/3 full) until you run out of mixture.

This probably makes about 12, unless you add something else. I mashed up two bananas with a really big glug of maple syrup and added it after combining the dry and wet ingredients. Try a cup of chocolate chips or fruit. Or put half a pink marshmallow in between 2 layers of batter.

Bake for about 20 minutes, until golden brown.

Cool on a rack and serve for dinner.

14 comments:

  1. this sounds like my kind of muffin recipe! Thanks for sharing xox

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  2. Isn't marshmallows part of the five food groups, Marshmallows, lamingtons, spagetti bol, nuggets and bread. They wouldn't give them baby teeth if you weren't meant to use them. I think I will give the muffins a work out though.

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  3. Muffins with bananas and maple syrup, oh yum yum yum!

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  4. ooooh yum! That's another one printed for the recipe folder!

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  5. Yum muffins! I like that with muffins it seems the more slap dash you are with them, the better they turn out.
    Yours sound divine.

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  6. It sounds sooooo gooooood! Thanks!
    (also thanks for your wish - it wasn't my birthday, i've already made anaddendum...)

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  7. Maybe for breakfast tomorrow. Thanks.

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  8. Nigella likes to call "sloppy" a "shaggy mess". I think I like her term for it!

    And yes, they don't make bananas like in the old days, do they!

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  9. Love your idea of putting half a marshmallow in the mixture (I have put Rolo's in the centre before) - yummmmm.

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  10. Oooh I am going to try these. I made banana muffins last Sunday - and they were a bit dud. This recipe sounds ace.

    I agree - what is with that split?? Maybe they are keen to become a banana split. Sorry - that was a bit of a dad joke, wasn't it?? BOOM! BOOM!

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  11. I'm not eating any muffins that have banana in them. So there.

    I'm sticking you with an award, though. Now YOU have to make a list of seven blogs you love!! Muahaha...

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  12. yummy, yummy, yummy
    I became obsessed by banana bread whilst staying in Australia, do you know a good old fashioned Aussie reciepe? I have tried so many off the internet & am always disappointed. Thanks for stopping my blog and the link above about the fabric designer its beautiful
    Mandy

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  13. Yum - banana muffins for dinner? Count me in...

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  14. Ummm looks like there is a banana theme happening in blog land (grin)

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