Banana muffins with bananas and honey

uffins are easy to make, and best eaten fresh and still just warm from the oven. The trick is to very lightly mix the wet and the dry ingredients - you will feel the need to keep stirring, but stop yourself. Line a normal 12-muffin tray with paper muffin cases if you have them, or just lightly butter the muffin moulds themselves if not. Served this way, they make a great lazy weekend breakfast or brunch.

Makes 10

• 75 g melted butter
• 250 g self-raising flour
• 1 tsp baking powder
• half tsp bicarbonate of soda
• pinch of salt
• half tsp ground cinnamon
• half tsp ground nutmeg
• 115 g caster sugar
• half tsp vanilla extract
• 2 large, ripe bananas
• 2 medium eggs
• 125 ml milk
• 10 walnut kernels ( optional)

 

• To serve:
• 2 bananas, sliced
• 50 g walnut kernels
• 2 tbsp crème fraiche, sour cream or yoghurt
• 2 tbsp runny honey

1. Heat the oven to 190C/Gas 5. Melt the butter and allow to cool. Mash the banana well. Sift the flour, baking powder, salt, cinnamon and nutmeg together in a large bowl, add the caster sugar and stir through.
   
   
2. With a fork, beat together the eggs, vanilla extract, melted butter and milk in a second bowl. Add the mashed banana and stir through.
   
   
3. Make a well in the centre of the dry ingredients, and add the egg mixture, stirring roughly with a fork (don't overmix) until it is a lumpy paste. Set paper cases into the moulds, or grease the moulds well with a little extra oil or butter and spoon in the mixture until almost full. Top each one with a walnut kernel if you like.
   
   
4. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes or until the muffins come away from the side of the pan when touched. Rest the muffin tray on a wire rack for 5 minutes then remove the muffins and leave on the rack for another 5 minutes before serving.
   
   
5. Serve the muffins with sliced banana and a dollop of creme fraiche, scattered with walnuts and drizzled with honey.