Rustic banana bread muffins!

With my new diet I have been searching for ways to replace old favorites. I have a recipe that was my grandmothers for Banana bread that my mother gave to me. I have been baking it for years and even shared it with my dear friend Weng-Yew when we were roommates in Tasmania. There were some funny moments while baking that bread one that included me forgetting the flour and WY eating the mush anyway saying it was good. What a good friend. So now, 4 months after starting my new diet, Josh the bread baker, has perfected the GF, egg-free, dairy-free banana bread/scone/muffin recipe. He found a recipe on Gluten Free Goddess for pumpkin scones made from scratch. He took this recipe and made scones with butternut squash, acorn squash, apple butter and bananas. At the New Pioneer Coop we found Bob's Red Mill Biscuit and Baking Mix. He replaced her homemade flour blend with this mix (which is bean flour free). A few adjustments here, the touch of a bakers hand, some extra special ingredients there and here we have a recipe for Rustic Banana Bread Muffins! Enjoy!



Pre-heat oven to 400*F.

2 c Bob's Red Mill Biscuit and Baking Mix
5 Tbsp brown sugar
1 1/2 tsp double action baking powder
pinch salt
1/2 tsp ginger powder*
1/2 tsp cinnamon*
1/2 tsp all-spice*
1/2 tsp clove powder*

*these spices are optional and can be adjusted to your liking.

Whisk above ingredients together.

Add 7-10 Tbsp of cold butter, margarine, soy butter or lard (lard is the best for these muffins but does not need to be used, you will need to add 1/2 tsp of salt in total if you aren't using lard.) Mix the cold butter/lard into the dry mixture with your hands. It will be crumbly. You are done mixing when you can pinch it between your fingers and it sticks together. You want the dry mixture to be incorporated into the butter/lard. You can use a mixer for this but I find it easier to use your hands. Plus less dishes.



2 eggs or equivalent in reconstituted egg substitute (I use egg replacer by Ener-G)
3 over-ripe bananas
2 heaping Tbsp apple butter, apple sauce, etc.**
3 -4 Tbsp Honey, depending on how sweet you like them to be.
1 tsp vanilla
1 Tbsp hazelnut milk, soy milk, or coconut milk, any milk or milk substitute will do.

**(we've used a homemade habanero apple butter, pear ginger butter and a peach ginger jam in the past. I know these are not your common household item but the spice was really nice. Apple sauce from a jar works great and you can always add a pinch of cayenne or some fresh ginger. You can add anything you want to make them your own.)

Use a spatula to fold in the above ingredients until everything is incorporated. It will be a sticky dough when done. Spoon into muffin cups or cut into scones.

You can brush the tops with the hazelnut milk and add some brown sugar and cinnamon.

Bake for 20-25 minutes. Muffins took upward of 25 and scones only 20.

Serve alone or with some jam. They are so yummy!