Eggless Carrot & Apple Muffins

Eggless Carrot Apple Muffins

The rain gods have really been showing their might the past few days, this in the month of September ...is most unusual - but then this year - the monsoon has been very weird - in the months of June to August ( when it should have been at it's peak ) it hardly rained - a few short bursts of rainfall and then hot & dry the rest of the time....we were all worried for our yearly water supply, which if the lakes were not filled would be short ....well now I think that problem should be taken care of....

But all this unprecedented rains is causing a lot of gloom....we generally tend to avoid going out - due to the roads being bad ( potholes etc...) and traffic slowing down...and being at home more than a couple of weekends brings in a feeling of claustrophobia...so it was with a sigh of relief that I greeted the news that we were going to meet up with some friends this weekend....some gupshup...some chai / shai...a welcome change.

So now that was set...my mind got whirring...what do I take with me....ran through my list of cakes/ muffins....our friends would prefer something without eggs...thought of my favourite eggless chocolate cake...but having made that a couple of times recently, decided against it, thought of a carrot cake - had a great eggless recipe ( had made it once before - my sister's friends had given it a thumbs up...awarded it the no. 1 place )...so went ahead with that plan...even started with the carrots...but then while going thru the recipes I had noted with me ( on the search for the above carrot cake recipe ) ....found this carrot & apple muffins....it also had coconut ( which I was keen on )...and there the capricious mind was hooked...

Apple muffins

Apple muffin

The original recipe given to me by my friend has applesauce in it...and even when I was in the US with easy access to that product, I never used it...would generally make do with Gala apples - the red delicious apples which we would regularly stock at home...

Back here in India - I use whatever I tend to have at hand...am not sure of the names of any of the varieties - one they call Chinese, the large one sold with a mesh cover, then another small red variety and another large red types...just shows how ignorant I am....not that it matters which one but generally for these muffins if using the Chinese ones which are pretty large I use one and half - whereas if using the small red variety - I tend to use 2...

While in US, I used to make these many times, somehow here I have broadened my scope of baking and keep trying out different recipes and have not really baked these as much...but it is one of my all time favourites - the flavours, taste, smell of these are more subtle than the banana muffins which have a more intense, in your face types,  taste & smell of bananas...
The delicate taste of apples as it comes thru when you bite into it...along with the aroma of cinnamon and brown sugar is something to relish.

So when we were invited to dinner along with my visiting sis-in-law and her hubby to a cousin's place, I decided to bake these apple muffins...it was her favourite muffin and so I thought she would enjoy it...and so would our hostess and her two lovely daughters...

The dinner was amazing, we also had a delayed Raksha Bandhan since both my husband's sister and cousin had not met my husband since then...it was a fun party with lots of jokes and remembrances of past Raksha Bandhan. B ( our hostess ) is a very lively person and keeps us all in splits with her take on all matters....so thanks to all of them  for the lovely time we had...

Whole wheat Coconut Banana Mini Muffins

Mini Muffins

What again ??? This cause I was making my upmteen banana muffin or bread and also my third almost in a row coconut baked something....also have been using coconut quite a bit in other stuff, the most recent being the papad with coconut kosambari ( happala kosambari )....though according me to that does not count - it was a savoury ( spicy ) dish and not to be put in the same mould as a sweet one....

But as I said recently I had made a carrot cake ( which had been given a no. 1 star by my sister's work friends ), a coconut marbled cake / bread ( both recipes still to be posted ) and now this banana mini muffins with coconut...
well what do you do .....when you find a gem of a recipe you have to try it out ...right :-)

Well so here I am making this simple, very healthy ( whole wheat, no butter ), with some of my favourite ( banana, coconut ) ingredients...and very little sugar...so yes I am really thrilled...the occasion ...did not really need any...but had one handy...our friend was to pay us a visit ...it was not a sure thing...but I had to be ready  for him ???

Mocha Muffins

Mocha Muffins

It is my birthday today...

There were a lot of thoughts going thru my mind re. what I should be doing today...first thought was to just relax & pamper myself......just chilling out....but somehow things did not pan out...am not surprised....I have found that life seldom happens the way I want....more proof that there is a higher power somewhere controlling the events...and maybe we should just go along with the flow....
nyways...enuff of the philosophy talk....to get back on track...my plans for the day...

It started out with what we should do to celebrate...decided to have a get together at my parents place...my brother and sister and their families....we were to order in from a nearby restaurant...and since I did not have to do any cooking / shooking decided that least I could do was bake a cake ....my Mom insisted that I should bake a chocolate cake that she loves ( had baked it many times earlier for her and others )....so that was the first item on the menu...

Then I thought that since we were so many should I bake another one...or try out something new on my bookmarked lists...( one of my favourite past times is going thru recipes and keeping them aside to try out some other time ?! ....that list is so long...am probably going to go before I get thru it...and this is just the stuff I want to do re. cooking....my bucket list contains many more things....and that is another long story...will save it for some other time )
So getting back to my bookmarked lists...decided to try out mocha muffins ....have been wanting to bake something with coffee & chocolate combination...had not done it before...though that made both  the items as chocolate dessert...I was ok with it...since most in family are chocoholics...
So that was the second addition to my menu...

All this was after we got up - had our cuppa & toast...and in between all the phone calls, sms, FB msgs....and all....
Then since the celebration was for the evening - had to think of brunch or lunch or whatever...did not want the regular fare...so decided to make rava idli, sambhar, and chutney.
That made the third addition to today's cooking....

So my day of chilling and relaxing changed into one of slogging and sweating...?!?.. is there some lesson to learn from this...I think so...will let you all know once I figure it out :-) .....

First post....Banana walnut muffins

I don't know why I thought I could do this...have been thinking about it for a long time and decided to finally take the plunge...went ahead and started this blog...


Now I am getting cold feet ...it is difficult for me to ramble in print...I am too direct and get immediately to the point...[ it is a different story when I get talking...then there is no stopping me...or so I am told :-) ]


Anyhow...let me not prove myself wrong ( by rambling )...and get to my favourite muffin recipes...starting with banana muffins...they were one of the first things I baked...the recipe was given to me by a very close friend who was an amazing cook...we loved going over to their place for dinner or tea or anything...mmmm....


As a kid I do remember baking a few things with my mother ( bread, cakes ) - we had a very old style dome structure oven...do not remember what happened to it or why we stopped ......but after a very long hiatus I restarted .....and the taste of this moist and absolutely heavenly muffins bought back all those memories...esp. the smell of baking filling the house...making our mouths water, and waiting impatiently for it bake and then cool...so that we could dig in...

So getting back ...here's the recipe that I follow...



Ingredients:


3 large bananas
1/4 cup white granulated sugar
1/2 cup brown sugar or demerara sugar
1 egg
1/3 cup melted butter
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1 1/2 cups AP flour
1/2 cup walnuts chopped


Method :


Mash the bananas. Add the sugars, and lightly beaten egg.
Add the melted butter.
Add the dry ingredients.  Fold lightly - do not overmix, add the walnuts and put in muffin tin...bake at 375 for 20 mins...or till a toothpick inserted comes out dry...gives 12 muffins.


The original recipe called for 3/4 cup of white granulated sugar which I have changed as above...you could also use all brown sugar ...and the AP flour could be changed to half of AP and half whole wheat ...this will change the texture and taste of the final product but it still makes a very delicious treat...so go ahead and experiment...