Whole-wheat oil-free Banana Blueberry Muffins

I have been going through one of those phases again, when I preferred spending zero minutes in the kitchen and instead wanted to watch TV all the time.  And I am not even a TV addict, per se. Never have been one! There are a handful of programs that I like to watch, that's about it! But the last few weeks that is all I wanted to do. Watch TV. So of course blogging took a backseat as well. I was drawing a blank every time I sat down to think what my next post would be. I hope I will get back to my usual self soon. There are just too many fresh fruits and fresh veggies in the stores and I should really cook up a storm while those last! 

I was randomly surfing the net a few days back when I chanced upon this article which said that I can switch out oil with applesauce in muffins. The ratio is 1:1  - say for 1/3 Cup oil, you use 1/3 Cup applesauce. Applesauce is pretty easily available here in the stores. I almost always have a jar of organic unsweetened applesauce on me. I love using it as an egg substitute. But I had totally forgotten to buy more after the last jar got over. And it was so cheerless and damp the whole day yesterday that I did not feel like venturing out just to buy a jar of applesauce. And here I was itching to experiment!

To add fuel to the urgency I had a perfectly browned banana sitting in the fruit basket. So I set out to make applesauce at home (recipe here) and then experimented with my oil-free muffins. The result was beautifully moist 4 Whole-wheat Banana Blueberry Muffins (for us) and 3 Whole-wheat Banana Chocolate Chip muffins for the 5 and a half year old! 

Ingredients: Yield - about 7 

• Whole-wheat flour - 1 Cup
• Baking Powder - 1/2 tsp
• Baking Soda - 3/4 tsp
• Cinnamon Powder - 1 1/4 tsp
• Salt - 1/4 tsp
• Milk - 2 tbsp
• Egg - 1 (room temperature)
• Honey - 1/4 Cup
• Vanilla Extract - 1 1/4 tsp
• Applesauce - 1/3 (recipe here, or you can use store-bought)
• Buttermilk - 1/4 Cup
• Banana - 1, big, mashed
• Blueberries/Chocolate Chip/Walnuts - 1/3 Cup

Preheat oven to 350 F. Line a muffin tin with cupcake liners and keep aside.

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, egg, honey, oil and vanilla extract. Whisk in the buttermilk. You can use store-bought buttermilk or make it at home (notes below). Add the flour mixture to the wet ingredients along with the mashed banana and blueberries (or chocolate chip or walnuts) and fold in until just combined.
Let the batter rest for 15 minutes. Spoon in the batter into the lined muffin tin. Bake for 15 to 18 minutes - use a toothpick to check for done-ness - it should come out clean. However, depending on your oven, baking time might differ. It might be a good idea to check around the 14-15 minutes mark and then keep checking in increments of 2 minutes. It took me 17 minutes.
Cool and store in an airtight container. These should stay fresh for 4 days - ours never last that long!

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.