Oh, bananas! A fruit that people either love or hate. A bit like Marmite. I buy them because I like them, just when the green goes over to light yellow, and before they turn ‘pappy’ and are dappled with brown spots. I’d rather eat them when they’re on the green side, than the ripe, dark yellow. But another family member likes them when they’re just starting to spot, and another has a one day window when he’ll eat them. Bananas seem to tread a fine line, and if I don’t whizz them up as smoothies in the blender with some milk, oats and cinnamon, they end up in cakes. Usually in banana and chocolate muffins!
This is a recipe a friend passed on to me, from another friend of hers. Now, I’m not a lover of over-sweet things, and find shop-bought cakes and cookies are usually so sweet they burn my throat, so I usually make adjustments to recipes. The first time I made these I followed the original recipe, which contained 250g sugar (over twice what I use) and 200g chocolate (again, double the amount I use...but sometimes I’m indulgent and do double the chocolate measure). I found it was too sweet, bearing in mind there is so much naturally sweet banana already in the recipe. The second time I made them, I cut the sugar and the chocolate right down without telling my family, and nobody noticed a lack of sweetness! There was no effect on the rise or bake of the muffins, so I’ve stayed with this slightly healthier option, and everyone loves it.
