Banana and Choc Chip Muffins

I love muffins as anyone can make them. They are simple, quick and very satisfying. And you can be sure your own muffins will be far better than the floury, dry and sometimes fruitless muffins you buy from Starbucks or the Muffin Shop! Also, it's hard to find a better combination than bananas and choc chip - particularly in a muffin! The moistness of the bananas combined with the rich luxurious taste of chocolate is definitely a mixture made in heaven!

Ingredients

• 2 1/2 cups SR flour (or if using plain flour then add about four teaspoons of baking powder)
  
• 1/2 cup firmly packed brown sugar (I use organic free trade sugar from Rustans)
• 1/2 cup dark chocolate chips (bought from Santis)
• 1 1/2 cups of mashed bananas (about 3 lrge and very ripe bananas)
• 2/3 cup of buttermilk (or add 1 tbsp of lemon juice or vinegar to milk and let sit for 5 mins)
• 2 eggs
• I tsp vanilla essence
• 1/2 cup of extra light olive oil

Method

Preheat oven to moderately hot 200 degrees (normal) or 180 degrees (fan forced) celcius. Grease the 12 hole muffin pan.

Sift flour and sugar into large bowl. Stir in choc chips and mashed banana then combine buttermilk, eggs, vanilla essence and oil. (I use an electric dough mixer). Put mixture in holes of muffin pan (as this mixture is so dense it won't rise very much so you can fill right to the top of each hole). The muffin pan I use is the kind that doesn't need buttering - I bought it from the Home Shop in High Street, Fort Bonifacio. Bake in a moderately hot oven for about 20 mins (when they start going brown on the top).

Bon Appetit!