Banana muffin recipe...

• Grease muffin tins

• Preheat oven to 180 C

Dry ingredients:

1 1/4 cups [180g/6oz] plain flour

1 1/4 cups [180/6oz] self raising flour

1 teaspoon bicarbonate soda

1/2 teaspoon cinnamon [optional]

1/2 cup [100g/3.5oz] raw sugar

Wet ingredients:

2 large very ripe bananas

1 large egg

1 cup milk [skim or low fat]

3 tablespoons vegetable or nut oil

1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

1/2 cup [70g/4oz] chopped prunes

walnuts [generous handful] - roughly chopped

1. Sift flours, bicarb soda and cinnamon into a large bowl.

2. Add raw sugar and mix together. Set aside.

3. In another bowl, mash the bananas with a fork.

4. Add egg - whisk into the mashed bananas with the fork.

5. Gradually add milk, oil and vanilla extract - mix in with fork until all are well combined.

6. Add prunes and walnuts.

7. Make a well in the centre of the dry ingredients and add the bowl of wet ingredients.

8. Fold the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients using a mixing spoon or rubber spatular: try to do it in approximately 14 strokes or less, until just combined. Do not over-mix or beat! This will result in tough and rubbery muffins. The mixture should look rough, chunky and like it hasn't been mixed enough - if it doesn't, you've gone too far.

9. Spoon mixture into greased muffin trays.

10. Bake at 180 C for 20-25 minutes, until nicely browned: an inserted skewer should come out clean.

11. Delicious served warm and best eaten on the day. Freezes well.

Recipe makes 12 large muffins

Tips:

• An dried fruit, or combination, can be substituted for the prunes. I usually rehydrate the fruit by covering the fruit with fresh orange juice and zest [orange or lemon] and cooking in a covered dish in the microwave for 1 minute on high. Leave to cool before adding to the mixture.

• Try different nuts and seeds eg:almond, sunflower, pepitas [pumpkin seeds]

• Experiment with using a small amount of seasonal fruits, in addition to the bananas eg: finely diced and peeled apple or pear; blueberries; raspberries.

• A great variation to using just milk is to use 1/2 cup yogurt mixed with 1/2 cup milk; or use buttermilk.

• Try decreasing the amount of sugar - I usually only use 1/4 cup or less. I find the fruit and dried fruit to be sweet enough for my taste.

• For additional fiber, use wholemeal flour or for a lighter result: 1/2 wholemeal and 1/2 white flour.