Organic Banana, Lemon & Poppyseed Spelt Muffins
A Springtime sun bake! Little muffins full to the brim of Easter's natural sweetness ~ a simple way to mix up smiles all round. Using all organic ingredients, all you need for these buns are leftover nanas & lemons & a cupboard stocked with essentials.
Lemon is the taste of sunshine ~ lightly sweet & so refreshing. Instead of adding extra coconut oil or applesauce for texture, I've smashed in nanas to make a sweet but healthily squidgy muffin! I love baking with browning bananas, their texture is a fab egg replacer when paired with flaxseed & they always taste so comforting. They also meant I only had to mix in a few tablespoons of added sugar! A perfect for brekkie muffin or mid-afternoon ~ energy lifting chomp!
Though they may be teeny tiny, poppyseeds are jam packed with wonderful nutritional benefits. They're probably most known for making you fail a drugs test if you breakfast on a bagel ... but poppyseeds are full of fibre so really relax your gut & soothe your metabolism ~ along with the wholemeal spelt flour. I like sprinkling the seeds into my evening salads to also relax my mind & aid insomnia (I've heard poppyseed oil has the same effect!). Low magnesium levels often leads to disturbed sleeping patterns so poppyseeds really support deep zzzs with about 340mg in every 100g.
This recipe leaves a squidgier, more moist but fluffy muffin than the classic crumbly & airy lemon & poppyseed cake. But the very delicate wholemeal spelt & fine organic coconut sugar really lightens the bake & adds such an earthy taste! I always feel so comforted & nourished using natural fats & sugars alongside ancient grains ... healthful little treats everybody can enjoy this Springtime! For extra sun & yellow-ness ... I had a small brainwave & mixed in a pinch of turmeric ~ I love yellow!
Banana, Lemon & Poppyseed Spelt Muffins
Serves: a baker's dozen
Prep time: 10-15 mins
Cook time: 25 mins
Total time: 35-45 mins
Ingredients:
2 cups wholemeal spelt flour (I like Doves Farm!)
2tbsp ground almonds
1tsp baking powder
pinch salt
pinch turmeric
4tbsp organic coconut sugar
2tbsp applesauce
200ml unsweetened almond milk
4 heaped tbsp organic extra virgin coconut oil, melted
1tsp vanilla
2 bananas, mashed
1 large lemon, zest & juice
2tsp ground flaxseed
6tbsp warm water
4tbsp poppyseeds
Drizzle:
1 cup icing sugar
1 lemon, zest & juice
sprinkle poppyseeds
Method:
Preheat the oven to 175'C & lightly grease a muffin tray with coconut oil.
In a small bowl, mix the flax & warm water & leave to swell (around 5 mins).
Mash the bananas in another bowl then add the almond milk, vanilla, applesauce, lemon juice & swelled flax. Stir until combined ~ the consistency should be quite runny.
Now in a large bowl, very slightly mix the dry ingredients (spelt flour, ground almonds, baking powder, salt, poppyseeds, turmeric, sugar) only until just combined.
Slowly stir the melted oil into the banana mixture with the lemon zest. Pour into the large bowl & very carefully stir to combine ~ spelt is very delicate & overmixing will leave a crumbly but stodgy bake so only mix until there are no flour clumps left!
Fill the tray moulds half full & bake for around 25 mins until golden & when prodded, a stick comes out clean.
Allow to cool in the tray before moving to a rack to cool completely.
& for the drizzle, mix the icing sugar & lemon juice until the texture is smooth. Lightly trickle the sugar over the muffins & sprinkle with poppyseeds & the lemon zest.
