I think of these as community muffins. Why? Because they wouldn't have existed without you.
I'll explain.
A few weeks ago I made some kabocha squash bran muffins with ceylon cinnamon. The post elicited all kinds of responses, including this one from Dana:
You had me at bran muffin. I love them! Your muffins sound delish. I think I'll try them with bananas instead of squash.
and this one from Pinkatronica:
Yummm!
I just made the muffins, with a few minor adjustments, and they are absolutely delicious. Here are the changes:-1 1/2 cup bran (I had no whole wheat flour)
-egg substitute instead of eggs, making it vegan
-1/4 cup cane sugar instead of 1 cup brown sugar
-added molasses and fresh dates to make up for the brown sugar.
-I also reduced the cinnamon and added nutmeg, which goes really well with squash.Delicious. Thanks for the recipe.
So I played with the original recipe. Upped the bran, subbed bananas for squash, and pulverized some moist and luscious Medjool dates while downgrading the sugar. As I chopped and mashed and stirred, I felt like you were right there in my kitchen, relaxing on the tall stool behind the counter. Maybe you were drinking coffee, or tea. It didn't matter, cause you were cheering me on. Not just Dana, or Pinkatronica, but all of you who have lent your voices, suggestions, and encouragement to this space for the past 10 months.
Twenty minutes later the muffins were ready. I broke into them while they were still warm and dotted them with soft butter and sweet jam. I tasted first the bananas, brown sugar, dates, and nuts. Then the bran and spices. Finally, I tasted your friendship, encouragement, and kinship.
Those were some damn good muffins.
...
Recipe for Banana-Walnut Muffins with Medjool Dates
This recipe is a variation on my Cinnamon Kabocha Muffins. They are hearty, wholesome, and quite healthful, perfect for a briefcase, lunchbox, or just to shove in your mouth when you're especially hungry.
Makes 14 muffins
1 cup whole wheat pastry flour
3/4 cup all-purpose flour
3/4 cup wheat bran (not wheat germ)
3/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/8 teaspoon nutmeg
2 eggs
1/4 cup dark brown sugar
1/3 cup canola oil
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
3 very ripe (brown speckled) bananas
10 moist Medjool dates (pits discarded), halved and chopped (you may want to coat your knife with nonstick spray before chopping)
3/4 cup toasted walnuts, chopped
Coarse (demerara) sugar, for sprinkling (optional)
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Generously coat 14 muffin cups with nonstick spray. Because this recipe yields 14 muffins, if you have 2 muffin plaques with 12 cups each, plan to spray and fill 7 cups on each plaque to keep things even.
In a large bowl, whisk together the two flours, wheat bran, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, and nutmeg.
In a medium bowl, whisk together the eggs, brown sugar, oil, and vanilla. Place the ripe bananas and half of the dates in a shallow bowl or on a plate and mash together (use a potato masher) until evenly combined. Scrape into the egg mixture and stir well to blend.
Pour the wet ingredients over the dry ingredients, and stir well with a wooden spoon or rubber spatula until all the flour particles have been absorbed and the batter is uniformly moist. Don't overbeat. Gently fold in the remaining chopped dates and the toasted walnuts. Sprinkle with coarse sugar, if desired.
Divide the batter among the muffin cups. Bake for about 22 minutes, or until a skewer comes out clean. Cool for about 5 minutes, then unmold onto a wire rack.
