Bananas for Bananas

As the world should have taken note by now, Sri Lankans hate wasting things. Despite the fact that we waste water, electricity and and our own breath (case in point?) most Sri Lankans I know hate to waste food. And other things such as old clothes, which my mother for example stores for 'rainy days'. It is therefore a constant source of frustration to me when I have to throw out bananas by the truckload when they get a little too ripe to eat. 

I like my bananas just ripe. Not under ripe and not over ripe. That gives me the space of about one day to finish off a bunch. In a household of two, thats near impossible. So we ended up throwing out a lot of bananas until I came up with alternative uses such as banana waffles, banana pancakes, and banana muffins. 

Banana muffins have turned out to be a hit with the family, and I even made them for breakfast one morning for the hubby. The recipe (from Joy of Baking, available here) is ever so simple, and I used it because the ingredients are so easy to find in the kitchen cupboard. I add whatever I think will match the banana flavor, chopped cashew nuts, chopped chocolate, grated cinnamon etc. This batch is nuts and cinnamon. It was lovely, and filled the kitchen with such a warm summery smell. Perfect afternoon tea material. 

While I add an extra banana when I have one or two left over from the recipe, just remember that the more banana you add, the more sticky the muffin will be. As it is, after the banana cools, the top of the muffin tends to be a little sticky. I don't mind, but some people might.

The mix, ready to go into the oven, is shown below. I sprinkled nuts on top as well, so that you get some crunch with every bite.

I used my silicone cupcake cups which I found in the party section at Arpico Hyde Park Corner (I know, why would you stick bakeware in the party section. And this was in a random box, not even where you would expect to find it). I have also seen these at Odel Alexandra Place (home section). Really, this was one of my best investments. I have made so many muffins with these, and no greasing, no sticking, just bake and pop. Here they are, right out of the oven. You can see how nicely they have risen.