Frozen Bananas-What would you do with them?

DocMarr

Recipe: Banana muffins

I devised these muffins last year and now generally always have some in the freezer as a healthy snack. You might find them more dense and chewy than your average muffins might be, but they get round my inability to eat wheat, dairy, eggs and sugar! Below is the basic recipe, but as I suggest below, I mix and match all sorts of fruits and spices in them.


1 cup pinhead oatmeal
1 cup raisins
1 cup apple juice
1/2 cup chopped walnuts
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon (more if you like it or substitute ginger or whatever)
Put all of these ingredients into a mixing bowl, give it a quick stir then cover the bowl with a tea towel and leave it to soak for a while - at least half an hour but I have left it several hours and even overnight.

Now add the last 3 ingredients

1 cup of wholemeal flour. I use spelt or rye, if you are ok with wheat use it instead, or use a gluten free flour..
1 teaspoon of baking powder and 1 level tsp of bicarbonate of soda (the raising agents)
Three ripe bananas mashed in another bowl to a purée – however, if you have a food processor then whizz them up until they are light and fluffy as this significantly adds to the lightness of the muffins as it adds a lot of air..

Mix everything together.
Now, if you like, you can add some extra fruit, such as a couple of chopped nectarines, or apples, or blueberries. These fruits stay whole and juicy and make it extra special.

In a 12 hole muffin tin, very lightly oil each hole. Because there's no fat in the muffin mix you can't use paper cases as it sticks so you have to oil the tins. You don’t have to oil if you use silicon muffin cases as they don’t stick to them.

Divide the mix between the 12 muffin tin spaces. They won't rise too much, so you can fill them right up.

Oven 180 degrees for 25-30 minutes. Mine is fan assisted so you may need to adjust.

Leave to cool for five minutes before taking a knife and gently levering out of the tins onto a cooling rack (or popping them out if it’s silicon ones).

Delicious when warm but they get a bit tougher when they are cold. They freeze very well. I take one out of the freezer and defrost for 2 minutes and then on high for 12-14 seconds. This fluffs them back up again and makes them warm.

Instead of bananas I've used chopped and puréed apples as the puree mix and you can also chop lots of different fruits: peaches are great, as are blueberries and raspberries and also changed around the soaking mixtures to use pear juice or added cranberries instead of raisins. I’ve even tried it successfully with rice milk.

You can also do it in a loaf tin and cut into slices. In which case you have to bake it for 40-60 minutes. Does particularly well as an apple cake, that one. However, I like the muffins for portion size and so I can freeze them easily.

This may not be to your taste but it's what I have come up with to get round my intolerance to wheat, dairy and eggs and cut back on added sugars.
About 150-200 calories per muffin depending on ingredients and if 12 are being baked.

Ellienana

Bump

Pearlyladybug

Recipe: Banana muffins

I devised these muffins last year and now generally always have some in the freezer as a healthy snack. You might find them more dense and chewy than your average muffins might be, but they get round my inability to eat wheat, dairy, eggs and sugar! Below is the basic recipe, but as I suggest below, I mix and match all sorts of fruits and spices in them.


1 cup pinhead oatmeal
1 cup raisins
1 cup apple juice
1/2 cup chopped walnuts
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon (more if you like it or substitute ginger or whatever)
Put all of these ingredients into a mixing bowl, give it a quick stir then cover the bowl with a tea towel and leave it to soak for a while - at least half an hour but I have left it several hours and even overnight.

Now add the last 3 ingredients

1 cup of wholemeal flour. I use spelt or rye, if you are ok with wheat use it instead, or use a gluten free flour..
1 teaspoon of baking powder and 1 level tsp of bicarbonate of soda (the raising agents)
Three ripe bananas mashed in another bowl to a purée – however, if you have a food processor then whizz them up until they are light and fluffy as this significantly adds to the lightness of the muffins as it adds a lot of air..

Mix everything together.
Now, if you like, you can add some extra fruit, such as a couple of chopped nectarines, or apples, or blueberries. These fruits stay whole and juicy and make it extra special.

In a 12 hole muffin tin, very lightly oil each hole. Because there's no fat in the muffin mix you can't use paper cases as it sticks so you have to oil the tins. You don’t have to oil if you use silicon muffin cases as they don’t stick to them.

Divide the mix between the 12 muffin tin spaces. They won't rise too much, so you can fill them right up.

Oven 180 degrees for 25-30 minutes. Mine is fan assisted so you may need to adjust.

Leave to cool for five minutes before taking a knife and gently levering out of the tins onto a cooling rack (or popping them out if it’s silicon ones).

Delicious when warm but they get a bit tougher when they are cold. They freeze very well. I take one out of the freezer and defrost for 2 minutes and then on high for 12-14 seconds. This fluffs them back up again and makes them warm.

Instead of bananas I've used chopped and puréed apples as the puree mix and you can also chop lots of different fruits: peaches are great, as are blueberries and raspberries and also changed around the soaking mixtures to use pear juice or added cranberries instead of raisins. I’ve even tried it successfully with rice milk.

You can also do it in a loaf tin and cut into slices. In which case you have to bake it for 40-60 minutes. Does particularly well as an apple cake, that one. However, I like the muffins for portion size and so I can freeze them easily.

This may not be to your taste but it's what I have come up with to get round my intolerance to wheat, dairy and eggs and cut back on added sugars.
About 150-200 calories per muffin depending on ingredients and if 12 are being baked.

They sound amazing! defiantly trying them out this weekend!

thank you :flowerforyou:

gympamela

I always freeze my bananas. I put them in my shakes or eat them like popsicles.

MissB0949

Banana pancake.....

2 eggs & 1 banana.... mash banana & mix it into eggs....cook. 200 cals easy done. No need for ANYTHING else in it.... no sugar, no other fruit, no flour....nothing but those 2 things. Will fill you up & taste perfect.

Ignore anyone who says to take the yolk out....or who says they taste like egg..... they taste like banana & nothing else..... they are doing it all wrong.

I love this idea. Can't wait to try!


I agree with the posters who suggest dipping them in chocolate and refreezing. I like mine coated in a little TOASTED coconut. So good.

katie_fitzy

3 frozen bananas, a cup of frozen sliced strawberries and a splash of oj. Put all into a good blender and whirl til thick and creamy.. You'd swear it was ice cream. If you really want to go all out top with a tbsp of sugar free hershey choc syrup.

IsleEsme

While I do like fruit smoothy bananas mixes our favorite is chocolate banana smoothie (milkshake).

4 frozen bananas
2-3 tablespoons lite hersheys choco syrup (if your kids are making this watch them cause they tend to overdo it on the chocolate syrup adding)
4 cups milk (we use 1% but any will work).

Blend in blender. tada-chocolate banana milkshake. Makes enough for 4 large glasses and fills you up too.

gr8tweets1

This won't help you new but have you heard of the Yonanas machine? It makes frozen treats using ripe frozen bananas. My family loves it and we no longer eat ice cream!

butterflylover527

Cover them in chocolate!

samantha1242

Banana pancake.....

2 eggs & 1 banana.... mash banana & mix it into eggs....cook. 200 cals easy done. No need for ANYTHING else in it.... no sugar, no other fruit, no flour....nothing but those 2 things. Will fill you up & taste perfect.

Ignore anyone who says to take the yolk out....or who says they taste like egg..... they taste like banana & nothing else..... they are doing it all wrong.

This! I make them at least once a week. Sometimes I add frozen blueberries or natural pb to it as well.

Or you could find a kick *kitten* banana muffin recipe!

marvybells

This won't help you new but have you heard of the Yonanas machine? It makes frozen treats using ripe frozen bananas. My family loves it and we no longer eat ice cream!

Ahhhh, this reminds me of a place down the shore in Ocean City, NJ called the Bashful Banana. They make a killer "banana whip" out of frozen bananas. It's insanely good.

AnjaZ89

definitely smoothies!
I had my first green smoothie yesterday and it was pretty good.
Blended 1 1/2 frozen banana with 6 strawberries and 2 cups of water. Then added a cup of spinach. Yummy