Banana Breakfast Muffins

I do like a tasty way to use up over-ripe bananas and make these muffins often as they use ingredients I nearly always have available.  If you don't have buttermilk or yoghurt, measure out 125ml of milk and add a teaspoon of lemon juice or 1/4 teaspoon of white wine vinegar and leave to sit for 5 - 10 minutes before using in the recipe.

These delicious morsels are great for a breakfast on the go treat, an energy boost after school or a solution to the late afternoon energy slump.  They have a decent amount of fibre and fruit so would also make a good addition to packed lunches.

180g self raising flour
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp ground cinnamon
200g rolled oats or 5 wheat biscuits (crushed)
100g light soft brown sugar
100g sultanas or dried apricots
3 medium sized over-ripe bananas, mashed
125ml buttermilk or natural yoghurt
80ml oil
1 medium free range egg
1 tsp vanilla bean paste or vanilla extract

Preheat your oven to 200C/180C Fan, and line a 12 hole muffin tin with paper cases.  

In a large bowl combine the flour, baking paper, ground cinnamon, oats or crushed wheat biscuits, light soft brown sugar and sultanas.  

Combine the mashed banana, buttermilk or yoghurt, oil, egg and vanilla extract in a jug.  Make a well in the dry ingredients and pour in the wet ingredients.  Mix until just combined, do not overmix or your muffins will be tough and heavy.

Spoon the mixture evenly into the muffin cases then bake for around 20 minutes until a skewer inserted into the centre of a muffin comes out clean and free from crumbs.  Leave to cool in the tin for 5 minutes then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.  You can drizzle a little honey over the top of the muffins whilst they are still warm if you like.