"Muffins are a dish best served warm...and shared" or so they say. If some dishes are best served alone, then I do declare that muffins are the dish for sharing. They do of course come in bundles of a dozen or so, and how much more wonderful they taste with a cup of coffee and a good friend! In fact, in the history of muffin making, no one has EVER turned down a hand delivered muffin.
Follow me, if you will, for a moment down memory lane (Evergreen Lane, actually) to early mornings as a child, awoken by my alarm clock that was the sweet smell of cranberry orange muffins or lemon blueberry (or if I was especially lucky, jam filled cornmeal muffins) followed by the sharp smell of espresso and a few licks on the hand from my golden retriever, Dijon. If only everyone could wake up in this fashion! Groggy-eyed, I'd follow the scent to the kitchen where my dad would be found bundling up the baked treats in a kitchen towel, tucked into a basket, ready to be delivered to friends as a "thank you for helping me out last week" or "thanks for being great". A muffin gift truly speaks a thousand words. Not every muffin would make it into the basket, of course, and I would enjoy mine sliced open like a sandwich with a generous slice of butter tucked inside, melted immediately by the still steaming treat.
On Saturday, in anticipation of a day trip to Richmond and with a bowl of spotty bananas attracting every fruit fly within a 5 mile radius, I whipped up a batch of these banana-berry spelt muffins to enjoy during the drive. We did not make it out of Charlottesville without making a few stops along the way to deliver "happy saturday" muffins to some deserving, hard working friends at the farmer's market. I have made this recipe on many occasions with various substitutions, but equally delicious results. This iteration included coconut oil (because my apartment is so hot it was already melted), spelt flour (because I was out of all-purpose), and blueberries (because they are delicious). You might also consider coffee-soaked raisins, walnuts, or dark chocolate as possible additions/substitutions to this recipe. Regardless of the recipe, spread the love/appreciation/muffin gospel through muffin gifts. No one will be disappointed, I promise.
{ Bon Appétiting, Katie }
BANANA-BERRY SPELT MUFFINS
Makes 10-12 muffins
1 1/3 cups light spelt flour
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup old fashioned rolled oats
1 Tablespoon baking powder
1/2 lemon, zested
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 egg
4-5 extra ripe bananas, approx. 1 1/2 cups
1/2 cup melted coconut oil
1 cup fresh (or frozen) blueberries
- Preheat oven to 350º F. Line a muffin tin with 10 muffin wrappers (for 10 larger muffins, or 12 for slightly smaller muffins)
- Whisk together flour, brown sugar, oats, baking powder, lemon zest and salt.
- In a second bowl, combine the egg, mashed banana, and coconut oil.
- Toss the blueberries with the dry ingredients. Add the dry mixture to the wet, and in as few strokes as possible (8-10) combine dry and wet.
- Using a 1/3 cup measuring cup, portion the batter into the 10 muffin wrappers. Bake for 20-22 until the tops are brown and a toothpick comes out clean.
- Share the muffins.
