Vegan Banana Nut Muffins
Eh biko, make I tell you truth. https://itdoesnttastelikechicken.com/vegan-banana-nut-muffins/Most vegan muffin wey I see for this life, dem be like stone. Dry like harmattan. You bite am, you go need water.
I no want make you suffer that one. So I go show you wetin I learn after plenty plenty trials.
First thing first. Your bananas.
If your banana be green, throw am away. If e be yellow, leave am for three days. You want the banana wey don turn black like shoe. The one wey your mother go say “this one don spoil, throw am.” That one. That one sweet pass.
Three of them. Peel am. E go soft like akamu. Mash am with fork. No need blender. Leave small lumps. Lumps na friend.
Now find bowl. Put the mashed banana inside. Add half cup of any milk wey you get. Soy, almond, oat, even peak milk if you no mind. I no judge.
Add one third cup of coconut oil wey you don melt. Or butter. Or if you no get, ordinary vegetable oil go work.
Add one teaspoon of vanilla. If you no get, skip am. No wahala.
Add one teaspoon of apple cider vinegar. I know. Vinegar for muffin? Na so I think before. But biko, trust me. Without this vinegar, your muffin go flat like tire. No rise at all. So add am.
Mix everything. E go look like something wey you no want to eat. No worry.
Second bowl.
Put two cups of flour. But listen. No go just scoop the cup inside the flour bag. You go pack too much flour come, your muffin go dry like biscuit. Spoon the flour inside the cup, then use knife level am.
Add half cup of brown sugar. Or coconut sugar. Or even normal sugar.
Add one and half teaspoon of baking powder. Half teaspoon of baking soda. Half teaspoon of salt. One teaspoon of cinnamon.
Whisk am small. Ten seconds.
Now pour the dry inside the wet. Use spatula. Fold am gently. No stir like you dey beat eggs. Just turn am two, three times. When you no see white flour again, stop.
If the batter still get lumps, good. Lumps mean you no overmix. Overmix go make your muffin tough like leather. Nobody want leather muffin.
Now chop three quarter cup of walnut or pecan. If you no get, groundnut go work. I don try am before. Sweet still. Fold am inside. Save small handful for top.
Line your muffin tin with paper. Or grease am with oil. Spoon the batter inside. Fill each cup three quarter. No full pass. Dem need room to puff.
Sprinkle the remaining nuts on top.
Oven. 350°F. If you dey use gas oven, make sure e don hot before you put the muffin inside. I don make mistake before. Put am inside cold oven. Na flat muffin I get. Mad o.
Bake for 18 minutes. Then use toothpick check. Insert am for middle of one muffin. If e come out clean or with small crumbs, you don finish. If wet batter dey stick, give am two more minutes.
No bake until the top turn dark brown. That one mean inside don dry.
Remove from oven. Leave for five minutes inside the pan. Then bring dem out put for wire rack. If you leave dem inside the hot pan, the bottom go become soggy. Soggy bottom no good. Na wet paper feel.
Now common problems wey person dey face.
Problem number one. Your banana no ripe. You rush am. Next time, put yellow banana inside paper bag over night. Or put am inside oven at 300°F for fifteen minutes with skin. E go sweet and soften.
Problem two. You overmix. Your batter smooth like cake. That’s why your muffin dense. Next time, stir less. The batter suppose to look like e get small roughness.
Problem three. You forget vinegar. No rise. Flat. Don’t forget.
Problem four. You open oven too early. Every time you open, heat commot. The muffin wey don begin rise go fall. Wait until fifteen minutes before you check.
Problem five. You no cool dem on rack. Soggy bottom again. Use rack.
If you want make double, double everything but use two bowls. No try mix double for one bowl. You go overmix and blame me.
If you want make half, cut everything for half. You go get one and half banana. Mash two banana and chop the remaining half inside your mouth. I do am all the time.
Leftovers? Keep inside container for counter. Three days. No put for fridge. Fridge go dry am. I no know why, but na true.
You fit freeze dem? Wrap each one with plastic, then put for ziploc bag. Three months. To eat, leave for counter twenty minutes or microwave fifteen seconds.
Shortcut from my kitchen. Make the batter the night before. Mash banana, measure dry for one bowl, wet for another, cover dem, put for fridge. Morning time, just mix and bake. Fresh muffin for twenty minutes. This one save me when I get event for 6am. I no kill myself that day.
Another shortcut. If you no get oil, use quarter cup of applesauce. The texture go change small. More chewy. But e still sweet. I don do am. Nobody complain.
You wan change the thing?
Instead of walnut, use chocolate chip. Sprinkle more on top. Your pikin go love am.
Blueberry? One cup fresh or frozen. If frozen, no thaw am. If you thaw, e go turn the batter purple like tie and dye. Just throw am inside frozen.
Spiced? Add pinch of nutmeg, ginger, and cloves. Taste like chai.
Coconut? Remove quarter cup of flour, add quarter cup of shredded coconut. Sprinkle more on top.
Gluten-free? Use oat flour. Grind oats for blender until fine. Add half teaspoon of xanthan gum if you get. If you no get, e go be crumbly small but sweet still.
Last thing biko.
My first time making vegan muffin, I burn dem. Second time, too dry. Third time, no rise. Fourth time, dem sweet but my wife say “this one na only you go eat.” I no give up.
By the twentieth time, I nail am. That same muffin I sell for event. One woman ask me “this one na vegan?” I say yes. She say “I no believe. This one better pass normal muffin.”
That day I know say I don learn.
So you too. If your first batch come out bad, try again. Use brown bananas. Don’t overmix. Don’t forget vinegar. Cool on rack.
