Thursday, April 12, 2007

Banana Walnut Muffins



Last night, I was preparing to attend a MOPS function today, knowing that there was going to be lots of good food there - none of which I would be able to eat - I decided to make myself a treat. I was going to make a Marbled Cinnamon Swirl Bread, but I noticed the 3 overripe bananas hiding on the counter. They've been mocking me for days now. Sitting there on the counter, turning darker brown each day. I bet they were thinking I wouldn't notice them there. Ahh, but they were wrong. "Muffins", I thought. "If I make a banana bread as muffins, it won't take as long to bake."

The recipe for these muffins, started out as a banana bread recipe that is originally from a bag of Acme Walnuts. Acme on the east coast - Albertson's on the west. When we lived in Phoenix, the same recipe was on the bag of Albertson's Walnuts. :D I actually still have the original bag somewhere where I've cut it out. I've made this bread for 12 1/2 years following the recipe as a gluten glutton. After going gluten free on January 1st, I tried making with just white rice flour. While it tasted okay, and it was eaten; it lacked the depth that the gluten containing bread had. It also took so long to bake, that the edges were almost burnt. Not good. Since I have a boatload of flours to choose from, I decided to mix them up a bit and see what would happen. The results are delicious.

I'll tell ya, they are good. Lightly banana flavored, lightly sweet, crunchy tops, and moist insides. That sounds like a Banana Walnut muffin to me. How about you?


Banana Walnut Muffins

1/2 Cup Sorghum Flour
1/2 Cup White Rice Flour
1/2 Cup Brown Rice Flour
1/2 Cup Corn Starch
2 tsp Xantham Gum
1 tsp baking soda

1/2 Cup Butter
1 Cup Sugar
2 Eggs
3 Ripe Bananas
3 Tbs Milk
1 Cup chopped Walnuts


In a medium bowl, mix dry ingredients. Whisk well to aerate the flours as they mix.

In a separate bowl, cream butter and sugar together. Add the eggs and bananas. Mix until bananas are well mashed. Add milk and flour. Mix until combined.

Fold in Walnuts.

Fill muffin pan with liners. Fill liners to 2/3rds full (for me, this made 16 muffins). For a decorative touch, I put a shelled walnut half on top of the batter before baking.

Bake in a preheated 350 degree oven for 30 minutes.

12 comments:

Mrs. G.F. said...

Looks good!

I like doing that; putting a bread recipe in muffin tins...easier to freeze single servings for later.

:)

Anne Coleman said...

Psst! Congratulations on your placing!

KFarmer said...

Congrats! :)

kbabe1968 said...

THANKS! I can't believe I came in third! Cool. :D

Klutzmom said...

Congratulations!
I first saw your blog on the voting page for the awards.
I'm gluten intolerant so I'm excited to try your recipes, especially this one as I usually have black bananas staring at me, too.
Thanks.

Karen said...

This looks great- I can't wait to try it!

Anonymous said...

Thanks so much for this recipe!!
I was searching the net for muffin recipes and came across this.
I have been throwing out most of gluten free muffins I have made-so I already had all the flours-they are hard and heavy-these are moist even without refrigeration the next day...this one is a winner.So glad you have shared this!
Some changes I made:
I used rice milk instead of regular
I added 1 tsp of vanilla
I used 1/2 brown sugar and 1/2 "just like sugar" (whole foods-natural non calorie sugar substitute(we have blood sugar issues)
My daughter didn't think they were sweet enough so nect time I will make them a bit sweeter.
I am enjoying one now at I sip my tea by my computer!
Do you have a good bread recipe? I have tried so many and they are all heavy (except Toms but my daughter doesn't like chick pea flour..I bought a bread machine and it doesn't have a one rise cycle (can't return it cause my hubby threw out the box) and most of them only are good the day they are made.


Thanks!

Anonymous said...

By the way, I sprayed 12 tins with Pam and they did not stick.
I prefer muffins without the paper.
I got 12 really nice sized muffins. I was determined to not have to make another batch to make 16 (as you did)!!
I think I will have me another muffin!

"Going Without" has a great crepe recipe I use alot-I think it was the May issue-green cover-
Also a good pita bread recipe

Ang said...

Hi ... I'm new to this gluten free thing. Where do you find these flours? I'm pretty sure I've never seen them at my store. ugh.

Anonymous said...

Angie,
I have these flours that I use for various recipes:
Tapioca starch/flour-whole foods or Oriental market
Corn starch-local market
Sorghum flour-Whole foods
Rice flour- Oriental Market
Glutenous rice flour-Oriental market
Brown rice flour-Whole foods
Potatoe starch-Oriental market
Xantham gun-Whole foods (expensive at 10.00 a bag but lasts since you only use a few tsp's in breads, etc
Chick pea flour (also called Gram)-only can get it at Pakistan or middle eastern stores.
Some of the flours you have to refrigerate(brown rice) and others you can keep at room temp.

BTW, Whole foods is a big health food market in Florida.
You can go to Amazon.coma nd buy some of the flours in bulk. It gets annoying with so many flours when you run out of one!

But you can substitute then once you get to know them!

Anonymous said...

PS Angie,

Don't buy Goya rice four in the supermarket-it is grainy. The rice flour int he Oriental market is so fine. SOme have told me they can't trust Oriental flours because they may get contaminated by other flours in the manufacturing, but I have had no problem. I prefer organic but I have not found a good organic white rice flour, or even organic corn starch or tapioca starch.
Sicne this recipe does not have tapioca, I am kind of concluding after trying about 15 different bread recipes that all contained varying degress of tapioca, that this may be what makes the bread hard and heavy.

Also you can get Bette Hagmans cookbooks in the library- I have had one out and keep renewing it-also "Gkuten free for dummies" is helpful. I have been at this almost a year.

There is an AMAZING pasta that even my husband and son don't know is gluten free-it is a little pricey at 4.00 but it is the most similar to regular pasta-you have to boil it exactly 6 min's after the water returns to a boil--called "Bionaturae" made with potatoe rice and soy.
Sorry to hijack this blog!!!
It has been a real journey being gluten free--

Sarah said...

Great muffins! I've tried another recipe and they were okay, but thse are much better. I used rice milk instead of milk, and sucanat instead of sugar, and they aren't super sweet (I'd prefer sweeter) but my children gobbled them up, and that's all that matters!