RECIPE | GLUTEN-FREE BANOFFEE GRANOLA MUFFINS

Last week I was sent some gluten-free products from Nature's Path and rather than doing a boring old review post I thought I would use their products in a new recipe!

Photos: Nature's Path

I crafted a gluten-free recipe to pay homage to their delicious Nice and Nobbly Pumpkin, Almond and Raisin Granola (my favourite out of the products received). Deliciously tasty on its own as a snack or drenched in milk it does not taste like some of the other gluten-free cereal options out there which leave you hating on the thought of breakfast.

I bring you... gluten free Banoffee Granola Muffins!

Lovely moist muffins with surprising textures of crunchy granola and gooey melted fudge (even better when still runny and molten out the oven!). A sweet treat without being too heavy or as naughty as a banoffee pie... and they are gluten-free too. Win win.

Ingredients (makes 12 muffins):

4 overly ripe bananas

4tbsp Rapeseed Oil

2 Eggs

1tsp Vanilla Essence

250g Gluten Free Self-Raising Flour

100g Soft Brown Sugar

1 1/2tsp Gluten Free Baking Powder

100g Fudge

150g Granola

Instructions:

1. Preheat your oven to 180 degrees.

2. In a mixing bowl, mash the bananas and then add the rapeseed oil, eggs and vanilla essence and combine until mixed.

3. Add the sugar to this mixture and follow with the flour, sugar and baking powder.

4. Chop the fudge into small chunks and add 3/4s of this to the mixture along with 3/4s of the granola.

5. Spoon the mixture into 12 muffin cases and scatter the remaining fudge and granola on top of the muffins.

6. Place in the oven and bake for 20 minutes.

RECIPE | BANANA BREAD

I have been planning on making banana bread for let's say...the last 3 months? I always eat my banana's too quickly though and never manage to let them get to the brown, blackened mushy stage. Alas - coming home this Easter I was in luck! A surplus of banana's all speckled and freckled - so to my joy I decided to whip up two different variations in these cute little loaf tins I found in our cupboard.

Basic Banana Bread recipe is as follows...

Ingredients:

140g of Light Margarine (I used Flora Light)

100g of Caster Sugar

30g Honey

2 Eggs

1 tsp Vanilla Essence

1 1/2 tsp Baking Powder

2 large or 3 small-medium sized over-ripe Bananas

* I made two different types of Banana Bread - I added these extras with the mashed banana:

(1) Dark Chocolate and Nutty Granola - 75g of chopped Dark Chocolate and 50g of Granola (with a little extra to sprinkle on top).

(2) Maple Syrup, Oats and Mixed Seeds - 2tbsps of Maple Syrup, 20g of Oats, 20g of Oatbran and 3 tbsps of Mixed Seeds.

Instructions:

1.  Preheat your oven to 180 and grease and line a 2lb loaf tin (or two 1lb loaf tins) with baking parchment.

2.  Cream together the butter, vanilla essence and the sugar in a mixing bowl (preferably with an electric whisk) until light and fluffy and the mixture has turned from a yellow to a cream colour.

3.  Beat in the eggs and then fold in the flour and baking powder - add any extras at this point.

4.  Place the mixture into the loaf tin(s) and bake in the centre shelf of the oven for 40-50 minutes.

RECIPE | HEALTHY GRANOLA

Shop bought granola is YUMMY but it's also quite expensive and not all that great for you (if you're like me and get through a box in four days!).

I decided to have a go at making my own "healthy" granola to see if it was possible. After looking at various recipes and ideas for inspiration I came up with my own recipe.

You can use this is a "plain" base and add different grains, nuts, seeds, dried fruit, etc as you wish (just be sure to add the fruit after it has baked or it will burn).

HEALTHY GRANOLA

Ingredients:

300g Rolled Oats

100g Porridge Oats

50g Puffed Wheat Cereal (you can use Rice Krispies or any other puffed cereal).

20g Wheatbran

3tbsp Apple Juice

2tbsp Maple Syrup

1tsp Vanilla Essence

Sprinkle of Cinnamon

Instructions:

1.  Preheat your oven to 120ºC.

2.  Mix the rolled oats, porridge oats, puffed wheat, wheatbran and cinnnamon together in a bowl.

3.  In a saucepan, heat the apple juice, maple syrup and vanilla essence on a low heat until it starts to form a syrupy mixture.

4.  Mix the dry ingredients into the syrup and coat well - transfer onto a baking tray and make sure that there  is an even thin layer of the mixture over the tray.

5.  Place the tray in the centre shelf of the oven for 30 minutes, being sure to check and shake the tray every 10 minutes to avoid burning.

6.  Remove from the oven and at this point add your extras and stir.

Leave to cool and MUNCH!

RECIPE | WHITE CHOCOLATE GRANOLA BLONDIES

There's nothing quite like a bit of good old Saturday night baking.

I've been planning on making these for about a month now but have only just got round to them!

Blondies are the brownies alter ego.

Made with brown sugar and white chocolate instead of cocoa powder and plain chocolate these are a a fun and new take on the wonderful gooey classic.

There are several rather fantastic recipes on blondie variations... peanut butter, banana, cinnamon, macadamia nut, gingerbread, toffee - the list goes on!

After looking at all the above lovely recipes, I had a little mind explosion of inspiration and decided I wanted my blondies to have a bit of a CRUNCH. I chose to use up some leftover granola (I used this one) and I also went down a relatively healthy route with this recipe by substituting half of the butter for a mashed banana.

WHITE CHOCOLATE GRANOLA BLONDIES

Ingredients:

200g of White Chocolate

60g Butter

1 small ripe Banana

2 Eggs

1 tsp Vanilla Essence

180g of Brown Sugar

180g Plain Flour

1/2 tsp of Salt

100g of Granola

Instructions:

1.  Preheat your oven to 180°C and grease and line a baking tin (20x20cm).

2.  Place the butter and 100g of the White Chocolate into a microwaveable bowl and place in the microwave on a medium heat for 3 minutes or until melted.

3.  Mash the banana and add this to the melted butter/chocolate mixture along with the eggs, vanilla essence and sugar.

4.  Gradually fold the flour and salt into the mixture, then add the granola.

5.  Finally chop the rest of the white chocolate (you could also use white chocolate chips for this part) and add half of it to the mixture.

6.  Place the mixture into the baking tin and scatter the rest of the white chocolate chunks on top of the mixture.

7.  Bake in the oven for 25 minutes and allow to cool (you must do this as they are VERY gooey when fresh out the oven!).