A question. At what point does an ingredient get to be part of the name for the recipe? Does it need to be a prominent flavor component? Does it need to be a certain percentage of the overall weight of the finished product?

I won’t bore you with the details, but today I had the worst case of lethargy and indecision, which meant that it took me forever to first decide even just what to put into these muffins first, then to decide how it will look, whether to line the muffin pan, and if so, what color, etc. Then it took forever to decide on a name for it, and now it’s taking me forever to write many revisions about these dang muffins! I’m not having some sort of existential crisis over them, but close!

In the end, they are pretty good, though. Odd thing is, although very health-ified from the original, the combo of cacao nibs and banana reminds me of an ice cream flavor we used to get as kids, called Banana Susana! That was some good ice cream! Banana ice cream with chocolate swirls all throughout! Like a banana split. Really loved it. Ben and Jerry’s has a similar flavor, but it’s just not the same.

Anyways, I hope you enjoy. The sesame seeds and cacao nibs really add much needed crunch, and the molasses, coffee, and maple add to the flavor but are just under the radar, so I didn’t put them in the name.

 

banana tahini muffins (with black and white sesame seeds, cacao nibs, flax seeds, molasses, and a few other ingredients that really should be part of the name for it! Based on this recipe from Cooking Light)

ingredients

3 ripe bananas, peeled and mashed

1/2 cup tahini

3 Tablespoons coconut oil, room temperature, soft but solid

1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

2 flax eggs* (2 T ground flax seeds + 6 Tablespoons water + 10 minutes sitting in a bowl)

3 Tablespoons maple syrup

1 Tablespoon blackstrap molasses

1/4 cup strong fresh brewed coffee

1 and 1/2 cups whole wheat flour

3/4 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon salt

2 Tablespoons cacao nibs, plus more if topping

1 Tablespoon black sesame seeds, plus more if topping

1 Tablespoon white sesame seeds, plus more if topping

method

*If using flax eggs, prepare by adding 2 Tablespoons flax meal in a small bowl with 6 Tablespoons of water and wait 10 minutes until viscous, much like eggs.

Heat oven to 350 degrees F. Grease 10 muffin molds with coconut oil.

Mix the first 8 “wet” ingredients ( bananas, tahini, oil, extract, flax eggs (or regular eggs), maple syrup, molasses, and coffee) in one bowl. In another bowl, whisk the next 3 ingredients (flour, baking soda, salt, and cinnamon), and stir with a whisk.

Add the dry to the wet ingredients and whisk together until all is wet. Don’t overmix.

Fold in the 2 Tablespoons cacao nibs, as well as the 1 Tablespoon each of black and white sesame seeds.

Add about 1/4 cup of the batter into each muffin mold and top with generous pinches of the cacao nibs, black sesame seeds, and white sesame seeds, if desired. Bake for about 25-30 minutes until no longer soft and slightly risen. Take out of oven and let cool 5 minutes before carefully removing from molds. Serve while still warm, or cooled to room temperature. Serve with butter, or your favorite healthy spread. Or just plain, even! Enjoy!