Sludgy Bananas

Sitting at my mum's, my eye spotted some brown and sludgy bananas in the fruit bowl! As you can imagine we've been a little preoccupied the last week or so since my Nan passed away ... so things like that have been a bit overlooked. 

Having said that, often at home, especially in the hot and and humid summer months the bananas in our fruit bowl get very ripe, very quickly. This was a 'problem' I remember coming across when I lived in Tanzania too. When I was there, I was aware that I didn't want to waste food especially when surrounded by people who had very little. So another one of the teachers came to my rescue with a great banana muffin recipe ... which was so yummy that I had been known to let my bananas go sludgy on occasion just so that I could make them! This is why I referred to the brown bananas as a 'problem' ... the outcome was always definitely worth it!

That was 10 years ago ... and it wasn't until we lived in Ohio and I was looking for fun and easy recipes to make with Abigail that I looked it up again. The first batch tasted nice but were a little rubbery (!!!!) and I realised that a key ingredient was missing ... every girls best friend ... chocolate! So although the original recipe was good, me and Abigail definitely recommend the new and improved version with the 'optional' chocolate! (As you can see we've roped my husband into making them on occasion too.)

We hope you enjoy them as much as we do (they taste best warm, 5 mins after they've come out of the oven) ... and may you never see another sludgy banana go to waste again! ;o)

• 2 or 3 large bananas 
• 1 egg
• 3/4 cup sugar
• 1/3 cup butter
• 1/2t salt 
• 1 1/2 cups SR flour
• 1/2 cup choc chips (optional)

1. Mash bananas in a large bowl
2. Add sugar & beaten egg - mix
3. Add melted butter and dry ingredients
4. Mix together (no electric mixer required!)
5. Spoon into cupcake/muffin cases & place in muffin tray (makes about 12) or into a 9" cake tin & cut to size when cooked and cooled.
6. Bake 25 mins at 190/375/GM 5 or until browned

The bananas can be frozen once they've gone sludgy ... if you don't have the rest of the ingredients in the house right when you need them to make the muffins.