Peach, Banana and Coconut Muffins

Makes 20

There’s nothing like a hot muffin straight out of the oven, and these little beauties are buttery, moist and wonderfully dense — just the way I think a muffin should be! The banana gives them a much heavier consistency than those cupcake-like muffins you often find in shops. And, because of that, these keep brilliantly for a couple of days and are perfect when you need to grab something quick on your way out the door in the morning.

Recipe and image from Eat In by Anna Gare, published by Murdoch Books $39.99. Photographer Ian Wallace.

Ingredients

• 350 g (12 oz) unsalted butter, plus extra for greasing
• 450 g (1 lb/3 cups) self-raising flour, plus extra for dusting (see Note)
• 110 g (3¾ oz/½ cup, firmly packed) dark brown sugar
• 110 g (3¾ oz/½ cup) raw sugar
• ½ teaspoon vanilla bean paste
• 125 ml (4 fl oz/½ cup) milk
• 3 eggs
• 4 ripe bananas, finely chopped (about 1¾ cups)
• 35 g (1¼ oz/½ cup) shredded coconut
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1 x 875 g (1 lb 15 oz) tin sliced peaches, drained
• icing (confectioners’) sugar, for dusting



Cooking Instructions

1. 1

   Preheat the oven to 180°C (350°F/Gas 4).

1. 2

   Lightly grease two 12-hole (80 ml/2½ fl oz/⅓ cup capacity) muffin tins with butter and dust with flour (you’ll only need to prepare 20 of the muffin holes).

1. 3

   Melt the butter with the two different sugars in a large saucepan over low heat. Remove from the heat and add the vanilla bean paste and milk. Allow the mixture to cool for a few minutes.

1. 4

   Whisk the eggs into the slightly cooled mixture.

1. 5

   Add the banana, coconut, flour and cinnamon, and stir until well combined.

1. 6

   Count out 20 peach slices and set aside to garnish the tops. Dice the rest of the peach slices and stir into the muffin mixture.

1. 7

   Spoon the mixture into the prepared muffin holes, almost to the top, and decorate each with a reserved peach slice.

1. 8

   Bake for 25 minutes, or until golden, then test with a cake skewer. If it comes out clean, they’re ready.

1. 9

   Serve warm or cooled, dusted with icing sugar.

1. 10

   NOTE: I’ve been experimenting with different flours lately and I find that organic and wholemeal ones give these a wonderful earthy flavour. There are big differences in taste between good certified organic flour and regular flour, so I encourage you to experiment and taste the difference for yourself.