Baking #105: Banana Chia Seed Muffins

Baked some Banana Chia Seed Muffins this morning with the ripen bananas which I bought the other day. I had been looking for chia seed for quite some time and I managed to get one last Sunday. Guan Hock Lee does sell chia seed but the price was steep for the volume. So, I decided not to buy until last Sunday when I saw it available in the organic store at Setia Kenangan 2.

I got this Health Paradise Organic Chia Seed 220g for B$12.90 per bottle. The one sold at Guan Hock Lee was half lesser than this but selling for about B$14.90.

Banana Chia Seed Muffins (adapted from The Domestic Goddess Wannabe)

Ingredients:
Serves 21

• 400g plain flour
• 4 tsp baking powder
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 150g brown sugar
• 400ml buttermilk *400ml full cream milk + 1 tbsp fresh lemon juice*
• 2 large eggs
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 150g unsalted butter, melted
• 4 large bananas, mashed *5 large bananas*
• 3 tbsp chia seed *optional*

Directions:

1. In a large mixing bowl, mix together dry ingredients – plain flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt and brown sugar together. Sift and set aside.
2. In another clean mixing bowl, mix together wet ingredients – buttermilk, melted butter, vanilla extract and mashed bananas.
3. Make a well in the centre of the flour mixture, pour in the wet mixture and mix well.
4. Scoop batter evenly between cupcake liners and bake in a preheated oven of 200 degree Celsius for 18 to 20 minutes or when an inserted cake tester comes out clean in the centre of a muffin.
5. Leave muffins to cool in the muffin tray for approximately 10 to 15 minutes before removing to cool completely on a cooling rack.

So, this was how my Banana Chia Seed Muffins looked like on the inside. I think I had somehow over mixed the batter as the muffins turned out with the texture of a banana bread! The cake stick onto the liners pretty badly and there were so many holes in the muffins. I once read from somewhere that the batter was over mixed if you have a “hole-y” muffin.

Taste wise, it was good as it was filled with generous amount of banana chunks as I did not mash them finely. If you are wondering whether there’s any difference with or without chia seed, no they do not affect the texture of your muffins. I am gonna try this recipe again next but with store bought buttermilk and four bananas instead of five. LOL!