Name: Banana Cereal Muffins
Ingredients: ripe bananas; all-purpose flour; cereal; kosher salt; sugar; cinnamon; baking powder; rye flour; baking soda; egg; bob’s red mill; unsulphured (not blackstrap) molasses; unsalted butter; salt

Kim Boyce

Banana Cereal Muffins

Preparation info

Difficulty
Easy
Makes
8

Appears in

Good to the Grain

By Kim Boyce

Published 2010

About
Recipes
contents

I cook a batch of oatmeal for my daughters almost every morning, but sometimes I vary the routine (slightly) by cooking multigrain cereal instead. These aren’t rolled grains, but a variety of cracked grains. When I do this, I save back half a cup of the cooked cereal to make these muffins later in the week. Another option is to make a batch of cereal and freeze half-cup portions. Use the ripest, most freckled bananas you have, as that will give the most intense flavor to the muffins, as well as a moister crumb.

Butter for the tins

Ingredients

½ cup cracked-multigrain hot cereal, such as Bob’s Red Mill
Pinch of salt

Dry Mix

1 cup rye flour
1 cup all-purpose flour
1½ teaspoons baking powder
½ teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1 teaspoon cinnamon

Wet Mix

3 ounces (¾ stick) cold unsalted butter
½ cup dark brown sugar
3 ripe bananas, about 1¾ pounds
2 tablespoons unsulphured (not blackstrap) molasses
1 egg

Dessert

Method

Bring 1½ cups of water to a boil. Add the grains and salt and whisk to prevent any clumping. Reduce the flame to low and cook, uncovered, stirring occasionally, until the cereal is tender, 17 to 20 minutes. Cool and set aside ½ cup of the cereal, saving the rest for another use.
Preheat the oven to 350°F. Rub muffin tins with a ⅓-cup capacity with butter.
Sift the dry ingredients into a large bowl, pouring back into the bowl any bits of grain or any other ingredients that may remain in the sifter.
Add the butter and brown sugar to the bowl of a standing mixer. Attach the paddle and mix on high speed until the butter and sugars are light and creamy, about 2 minutes. Using a spatula, scrape down the sides and the bottom of the bowl. Add the bananas, molasses, egg, and the ½ cup cooled cereal and mix on medium speed until thoroughly combined, about 1 minute.
Scrape down the sides and the bottom of the bowl. Add the dry ingredients and mix on low speed, blending until just combined.
Scoop the batter into 8 muffin cups, using a spoon or an ice cream scoop. The batter should be mounded above the edges of the cups.
Bake for 35 to 40 minutes, rotating the pans halfway through. The muffins are ready to come out when their bottoms are dark golden in color (twist a muffin out of the pan to check). Remove the tins from the oven, twist each muffin out, and place it on its side in the cup to cool. This ensures that the muffin stays crusty instead of getting soggy. These muffins are best eaten warm from the oven or later that same day. They can also be kept in an airtight container for up to 2 days, or frozen and reheated.