Poppy Seed Fruit Muffin

This is great breakfast recipe, especially on those morning when you are running late and you don't have time for breakfast. I enjoy baked goods especially muffins. They are the perfect size and you can make a nice batch at a time. Now, I must confess, if you put an assortment of muffins in front of me, I will gravitate to one which has poppy seeds. The black poppy seeds that are used in the muffins add the the perfect texture and just enhance the overall look of the muffin. I love biting into the muffin and finding these little seeds to nibble on. So, I thought, why not make poppy seed muffins at home, which we could eat for breakfast over the week. I did not want to start my day with something very sweet and buttery, so I decided to make a healthy muffin. I have been experimenting with the baking process, cutting back the fat content and replacing it with fruit and this was the perfect time to put it into action and test the results. I used minimal sugar, eliminated the butter/oil and the muffins still came out fluffy and moist. I thoroughly enjoyed this. This is the perfect recipe which lets you indulge in a baked cake without feeling guilty about it. To make  it decadent, add some creamcheese frosting.

Ingredients
1.5 cups whole wheat pastry flour
3/4 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp cinnamon powder
3 ripe bananas, mashed
1 cup unsweetened apple sauce
1/2 cup brown sugar
2 eggs
1 tsp vanilla essence
2 tbsp wheat bran
2 tsp black poppy seeds
3 tbsp flax seed powder
1-3 tbsp milk, if required
oil/butter to grease the muffin tin (I used the oil spray)

Method
Preheat the oven to 350F.
Sieve together the flour, baking soda, salt and cinnamon a couple of time to aerate it and keep it aside.  In another bowl, whisk the eggs and vanilla essence together, till the eggs are nicely mixed and frothy. To this add the mashed bananas and apple sauce and mix well. Then add the brown sugar, ground flaxseed and mix. To these wet ingredients mixture, add the sieved dry ingredients a little at a time and incorporate them in. Then add the wheat bran, and poppy seeds. At this time, check the consistency of the batter. If you drop a spoonful, it should fall easily. If it seems a bit thick, thin it out with a little milk. Add about 1 tbsp at a time and thin it out to a consistency that when it falls it create a ribbon.

Fill your muffin tin and bake for about 20-30 minutes till completely baked. Use a sharp knife or a toothpick and pierce the center. If it comes out clean, your muffins are ready. Let the pan cool on a cooling rack for 10 minutes and then it will be easy to remove the muffins.

Tips
When baking, try to avoid overmixing ingredients once you start adding the dry to the wet ingredients. So, mix just enough to incorporate the dry ingredients and make the batter. Fill each muffin mould to about 1/2 or 3/4 level. Leave enough space for the muffin to rise. To see more tips regarding baking, see the tips added to different baked recipes.