Banana and Honey Roasted Walnut Muffins

*IF* you can get your hands on an elusive pack of flour…

I’m pretty sure I was bundled in a fur coat the last time I actually spotted a packet of flour (ANY kind of flour – not just plain or self raising) on the supermarket shelves. Between the panic buying back in early March and then the clear supply issues that sunk in under lockdown, the stuff’s become incredibly elusive. I rinsed through my stores of self-raising pretty quickly – because during the early days of lockdown baking was one of my favourite ways to pass the time – but now that I’m onto my last packet of plain flour I’m having to go easy on the stuff and refrain from frustrated fits of boredom baking. Normally I’d love to get stuck in and mess around making up new and creative cakes and bakes – not feeling too bothered if the result was a flop – but since I’m now having to ration out my flour it’s now only being used on tried and true recipes that won’t waste a single ounce of what is now considered white gold dust.

And well, you just can’t go wrong with a batch of muffins, can ya?

I refuse to accept that the nation’s sick of banana bakes – we’re definitely way off that eventuality in my house. These Banana and Honey Roasted Walnut Muffins are moist, keep well on the counter (if they survive even a day out of the oven – because they smell incredible…) and are almost impossible to mess up. The batter’s light and airy – even packed with three spotty bananas – and spiced with cinnamon, while the top has a little extra crunch thanks to some oven roasted walnuts sticky with honey. Perfect for scoffing yourself, or for sharing out with your neighbours and far-flung family to perk them up during lockdown – which is exactly what I’m going to do when I deliver the weekly shop over to my Mum and Dad tomorrow. 🙂

Banana and Honey Roasted Walnut Muffins

makes 12

Method

1. Set your oven to 180°C and line an oven tray with greaseproof paper and a muffin tray with muffin cases.
2. Scatter your walnuts over the baking tray, then cover them with the honey and melted butter. Roast in the oven for 10 minutes, then leave to cool.
3. In a mixing bowl, cream together your butter and caster sugar – then beat in the eggs until the mixture is nice and fluffy. Stir in the mashed bananas (I like to leave them a little lumpy – makes for a better textured muffin). Sift together your dry ingredients (flour, salt, cinnamon baking powder and ground almonds) in a separate bowl.
4. Next, add the dry ingredients little by little – alternating with the milk.  Try not to over-mix; leave things a little lumpy.
5. Spoon the mixture into the muffin cases, then sprinkle each one with a generous helping of honey-roated walnuts.  Bake for 25 minutes until golden.

Have a lovely week! 🙂