Inspired by Rasayana -a South Indian sweetened banana fruit salad sweetened with jaggery and garnished with freshly grated coconut and slivered almonds, these muffins are egg-less and made with the goodness of whole wheat atta. The ethereal aromas of saffron and cardamom and hints of coconut take this ordinary muffin on a different level. The fat of choice here is ghee which lends a heavenly twist.
Simple, fussfree and super easy to bake cute little paper muffin cups or a cake pan and fit for weekdays, in lunch boxes, after school snacks, even for a weekend potluck party or to just indulge that sweet tooth!
Ingredients:
2 medium size over-ripe bananas (with lot of brown spots)
2-1/2 tbsp ghee
1/4 cup whole milk at room temperature
1/4 cup powdered jaggery
big pinch of saffron
powdered cardamom from 6-7 pods (about 1/2 tsp)
2 tbsp slivered almonds plus 2 tbsp for garnish
2 tbsp unsweetened desiccated coconut
3/4 cup whole wheat flour (chapathi atta)
1/2 tsp aluminium-free baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp sea salt
Method:
Line paper muffin cups on a baking tray and keep aside.
Preheat oven to 350°F
Mash bananas to a puree using a hand blender (makes about 1 cup)
In a mixing bowl, beat ghee and powdered jaggery with a whisk until cream-colored, fluffy and light. Add banana puree to the beaten ghee mixture and sprinkle powdered cardamom
Powder saffron in a mortar and pestle. Sprinkle saffron powder to milk and stir well.
Whisk together banana puree, sweet cardamom ghee mixture and saffron milk
In a separate mixing bowl, whisk all the dry ingredients to mix well. Add the dry mix to the wet mix and gently whisk to combine. Fold in desiccated coconut and slivered almonds.
Scoop out batter into the paper muffin cups until 3/4th full leaving room for the muffins to rise. Garnish with slivered almonds pressing them gently to stay put.
Place the baking tray in the middle rack of the oven and bake at 350°F for 25 mins or until tooth pick comes out clean and the irresistible aroma fills the kitchen. Do not over bake.
Take muffins out of the oven and allow to cool on a wire rack.
Serve warm at tea time or with a side of your favorite ice cream. It is great to eat on its own.
Read full post: Banana Coconut Saffron Muffins