Eggless Whole-wheat Chocolate Chip Banana Walnut Muffin
My good friend's daughter has a lot of food and environmental allergies. One of the things she cannot eat is eggs. So she has to miss out on a lot of goodies - especially during birthday parties. Her mother who is an amazing baker and a constant inspiration, bakes eggless cakes and cupcakes and muffins for her, so whenever I come across a recipe which is eggless I forward the link. And every time I make eggless bakes, I always think of her! After all I have a very special connection with her - she was the first newborn I ever saw and held in my arms. She is the prettiest baby I have ever seen till date. And a perfect one too!
This particular muffin turned out to be very moist and soft - I substituted the egg with one-third cup of applesauce. I used store-bought. If you want, you can omit the walnuts as well - it just provides a nice little bite. I just want to pack in as much goodies as possible to make these muffins wholesome as I give these to the 4.5 year old for snack or breakfast.
This particular muffin turned out to be very moist and soft - I substituted the egg with one-third cup of applesauce. I used store-bought. If you want, you can omit the walnuts as well - it just provides a nice little bite. I just want to pack in as much goodies as possible to make these muffins wholesome as I give these to the 4.5 year old for snack or breakfast.
Ingredients: (Yields about 9 muffins)
- Whole-wheat flour - 1 Cup
- Baking Powder - 1/2 tsp
- Baking Soda - 3/4 tsp
- Cinnamon Powder - 1 tsp
- Salt - 1/4 tsp
- Applesauce - 1/3 Cup
- Honey - 1/3 Cup
- Vanilla Extract - 1 1/4 tsp
- Oil - 1/2 Cup + 1tbsp
- Buttermilk - 1/4 Cup
- Banana - 1, big, mashed
- Chocolate Chip - 1/3 Cup
- Walnut - 1/3 Cup, roughly chopped (you can skip if you want)
The most important thing to keep in mind while making a muffin is perhaps the how its batter is prepared. It is called a 'muffin method' (used for making quick breads, pancakes, waffle batter) where the dry ingredients and wet ingredients are mixed separately first and then folded in gently till fully combined to prevent gluten formation.
Preheat oven to 350 F.
In a bowl, sift together the whole-wheat flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon powder and salt.
In a separate bowl whisk together the applesauce, honey, oil and vanilla extract. Do not overbeat.
Pour in the buttermilk. Buttermilk can be store-bought buttermilk or made at home (notes below).
Add the flour mixture to the wet ingredients along with the mashed banana, chocolate chips and chopped walnuts and fold in until just combined.
Scoop in the batter about 1/4 cup at a time in a muffin tin lined with cupcake liners.
Bake for 14-16 minutes - insert a toothpick to check if it is done - it should come out clean.
Cool on a wire rack and store in an airtight container. These should stay fresh for 4 days.
Notes: For 1 Cup of Buttermilk - add 2 tbs of vinegar (or lemon juice) to a measuring cup and fill it till you reach the 1 Cup mark. Let it sit undisturbed for at least 15 minutes or till it curdles.
Update: 2nd October 2014: I used the same recipe to make the muffins today except for 2 changes - I used 1/4 Cup oil and I did not add walnut (I had run out of walnuts) - there was hardly any difference in taste or texture but it did take about 20 minutes to bake. Here's a pic.
In a separate bowl whisk together the applesauce, honey, oil and vanilla extract. Do not overbeat.
Pour in the buttermilk. Buttermilk can be store-bought buttermilk or made at home (notes below).
Add the flour mixture to the wet ingredients along with the mashed banana, chocolate chips and chopped walnuts and fold in until just combined.
Scoop in the batter about 1/4 cup at a time in a muffin tin lined with cupcake liners.
Bake for 14-16 minutes - insert a toothpick to check if it is done - it should come out clean.
Cool on a wire rack and store in an airtight container. These should stay fresh for 4 days.
Notes: For 1 Cup of Buttermilk - add 2 tbs of vinegar (or lemon juice) to a measuring cup and fill it till you reach the 1 Cup mark. Let it sit undisturbed for at least 15 minutes or till it curdles.
Update: 2nd October 2014: I used the same recipe to make the muffins today except for 2 changes - I used 1/4 Cup oil and I did not add walnut (I had run out of walnuts) - there was hardly any difference in taste or texture but it did take about 20 minutes to bake. Here's a pic.
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