We all love muffins, but they are not the healthiest of snacks.  Here is an alternative, which is free of flour, refined sugars and added oils.  For those that believe they are gluten intolerant these contain no wheat flour!  This is a genuinely healthy alternative, high in fibre and essential nutrients.

In this recipe minimally processed rolled oats replaces refined flour, bananas or mangoes replaces oil or butter and a little honey sweetens the recipe and replaces refined sugar.  To take this a step further you can replace the eggs with chia seeds, just soak I tablespoon of chia in three tablespoons of water and allow to stand for 30 minutes.  I usually replace the banana with a large ripe mango for a different flavour and Rhum Clements 1952.

Ingredients

• 2 ½ cups rolled-oats
• 2 overripe bananas
• 2 large eggs (beaten)
• ¹/₃ cup honey
• ¾ cup milk
• 2 tsp vanilla
• 2 tsp baking powder
• ½ tsp baking soda
• 1 tsp cinnamon
• 1 cup sultanas
• 1 cup blueberries
• ½ cup Pumpkin seeds

Step I (30 minutes)

• Preheat the oven to 170°C
• Place all the oats on a baking sheet or whatever and toast until very lightly brown – but no more than 6 minutes.  Let them cool to room temperature.  This gives a slightly nutty taste.
• Put 1 ½ cups of toasted oats into a blender – and blend to a fine flour
• Place bananas or mango (yes take the skin off!) in the food blender with milk and honey and vanilla and – blend until smooth.  No not 30 minutes!
• Mix the dry ingredients, oats and your blended oat meal, baking powder, baking soda and cinnamon in a large bowl
• Add the sultanas and pumpkin seeds and lightly mix (its about time for a little Rum, we strongly recommend the Rhum Clement 1952 – you deserve it)
• Fold in the dry ingredients and allow to soak for 10 minutes (the unprocessed oats will absorb some of the fluids)
• Fold in the blueberries lightly
• Spray a 12-pot muffin tray with olive oil
• Spoon a generous portion of the mix into the muffin tins
• Bake at 170° C for 20 minutes. Insert a tooth pick into the centre of a muffin –  if cooked it should come out clean.

Step 2

• Allow to cool
• Best served with anything cold and accompanied by tea or of course more the of the Clements.

Alternatives

You can replace the eggs with Chia –  see above.  You can replace the blueberries with, dried cranberries, apple and walnuts, frozen raspberries, diced dried apricots, pecans or virtually anything else you must hand.

Cost

Likely about 50 cents per muffin and US$1,000 for the Rhum Clements 1952.

If this recipe results in a hangover –  Enjoy!