Maple Syrup Banana Muffins

Use the season's fresh, local maple syrup in this delicious recipe. Your mother will be especially impressed with your culinary creativity if you spring these on her this Mother's Day.

Bananas moisten and sweeten any dessert, and these muffins are no exception. The spices are well-balanced and make for the most scrumptious mmmmuffins you've probably ever tasted.

Ingredients:

½ cup milk or alternative (soy, almond or rice milk)
2 eggs or 2 tablespoons ground flax seed
1 cup oat flour (ground oats)
1 cup barley flour
¼ cup Fair Trade Certified brown sugar
¼ tsp. salt 
¼ tsp. Fair Trade Certified nutmeg
¼ tsp. Fair Trade Certified cinnamon
¼ cup Fair Trade Certified cocoa powder
2 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. baking soda
1 cup mashed Fair Trade Certified banana (2 medium-sized bananas)
1/3 cup maple syrup
1 tsp. Fair Trade Certified vanilla
3 tbsp. canola oil

Preparation:

1. Preheat oven to 375F (190C).
2. In medium-sized bowl, combine milk and eggs or milk and flax seeds.  Stir.  Set aside.
3. In a separate large bowl, combine oat and barley flours, sugar, salt, nutmeg, cinnamon, cocoa powder, baking powder and soda. Mix well.
4. Add banana, maple syrup, vanilla and oil to milk/egg mixture.  Stir until combined.
5. Pour banana mixture into dry ingredients.  Mix well.
6. Spoon into 10 large paper cup lined muffin cups.  Bake for 25 minutes or until tooth pick inserted in center comes out clean.
7. Cool on rack for 10 minutes.

Submitted by Nettie Cronish, Women's Cullinary Network