Monday 27 November 2017

Chai Spiced Banana Muffins and The Vegan Cook book review


My favorite all time fruit is banana but I am rather fussy as to how I like like my bananas. I like to eat them when they are just yellow as soon as they go a darker yellow and brown spots appear I don't like them. That is when they are perfect to add to smoothies and for baking.

My second favorite thing is spices and I love masala chai spice, you can read all about my masala chai spice post here which shows you my love for this awesome fragrant tea spice. So when I was reading The Vegan Cookbook by Adele McConnell, I was really excited to see a recipe for Chai Spiced Banana Muffins. I did not need too much persuasion to recreate the recipe.


The Vegan Cookbook  has 100  recipe for breakfast, lunch and dinner together with some love sweet treats and desserts. The book is beautifully illustrated and has inviting food photos.I really like the fact that the author has added symbols to the recipes to annotate if they are soy-free, seed-free, raw, gluten-free, nut-free and sugar free.
The book is perfect for anyone who has newly become vegan as the recipes tips ans ideas are very useful and easy to follow.


Book Details :The Vegan Cookbook By Adele McConnell
ISBN 978-1-84899-338-9
Retails  £9.99

My score for the book: 12/15

Content -4/5
Illustrations-4/5
Recipe Instructions-4/5

** I was sent a copy of the book to review as always all thoughts and opinions expressed are my own.







Coming back to the Chai Spiced Muffins, sadly the first batch I made were really dry and not sweet enough as the original recipe does not have any sugar added to it and relies on the natural sweetness of the banana. I recreated the recipe for the second time but this time I added half a cup of brown sugar to the recipe and also sprinkled some sugar on top of the muffins. I also added a touch more liquid and the muffins turned out much better. Vegan muffins do not have the same texture as normal muffins and these were a little more dense, more like banana bread than muffins. Despite this we did enjoy them.



























I took inspiration from the original recipe from the book and below you can see my version that I recreated with minor changes.


print recipe

Chai Spiced Banana Muffins
Delicious Chai flavoured Muffins, that are vegan and healthy too.
Ingredients:
  • 2 cups Plain Flour
  • 1/2 cup (plus 2 tablespoons for sprinkling) Brown Sugar
  • 1/2 teaspoon Baking Powder
  • 1 teaspoon Chai Spice
  • 2 Ripe Bananas
  • 3/4 cup roughly chopped Pecans
  • 1/3 cup Sunflower oil
  • 1 teaspoon Apple Cider Vinegar
  • 1/2 Cup Coconut Milk
Method:
1. Preheat oven to 190 degrees C/ 375 degrees F2. In a jug add the coconut milk and the vinegar and keep aside.3. In a large bowl, add the bananas and mash them up with a fork. Add the oil and vanilla and the milk mixture from the jug and whisk together.
4.Sieve the flour, spices, baking powder straight into the bowl. Add the sugar and gently fold the mixture till combined. Fold in the chopped pecans.5. Divide the mixture into the cake cases and sprinkle a little brown sugar on the top ,bake in the preheated oven for 25 minutes until golden brown. 6. Remove from oven and cool on wire rack.
Details
Prep time: Cook time: Total time: Yield: 12


** NB If you want to make your own chai spice mixture mix together 1/2 teaspoon cardamon powder, 1/2 teaspoon clove powder, 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon powder, 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger, 1/2 teaspoon all spice and 1/2 teaspoon black pepper powder.

Do you enjoy muffins, what is your favorite combination? Do tell me in the comments below.

I also  have a copy of the Vegan Cook Book to giveaway to one simplyfood reader so you too can create your own mouth watering Vegan recipes.

How to enter:
  • Simply complete the Rafflecopter widget below to verify your entries
  • Entries can be via blog comment, Facebook, Twitter etc
  • Please read the rules they form the terms and conditions of this Giveaway
  • Closing date – 18/12/2017 12.00 AM, Open to UK residents over 18 yrs only
How Rafflecopter works:
  • You will need to complete the mandatory entry first – usually making a blog comment. You can do this by clicking on leave a comment at the bottom of the post and leaving your reply in the comment box. Please note your comment will not show immediately as it needs to be moderated however rest assured it will appear on the site, so carry on with rest of entries.
  • Login to Rafflecopter – click to see what the question is. Make a comment answering the question on the blog.
  • Go back to Rafflecopter and click the green button to tell me you have made a comment, this will unlock all the other options. All entries are checked to see that the mandatory question is answered, if its not all bonus entries will become void. 
  • Rafflecopter will tweet, like and follow on your behalf.
  • For information on how to find the URL of your tweet click here. 
  • For bonus entries you can return to this page and enter the daily bonus entries. 
  • If you are still unsure as to how Rafflecopter works please do check out this short video.
a Rafflecopter giveaway

149 comments:

  1. My favourites are Blueberry and Banana muffins!

    ReplyDelete
  2. I love banana and chocolate muffins :)

    ReplyDelete
  3. I like muffins - blueberry or chocolate chip but I try to only make them as a special treat.

    ReplyDelete
  4. I love muffins, my favourite is usually a banana and nut muffin, but sometimes only triple chocolate will do.

    ReplyDelete
  5. To be honest the few muffins I've had have been too dry but since you have mashed bananas in yours I'm going to give them a try

    ReplyDelete
  6. I'm diabetic, muffins aren't that great for me.

    ReplyDelete
  7. Love blueberry muffins

    ReplyDelete
  8. I am also fussy with my banana consumption too and do not like them when they start to go brown, I like them fresh and ripe! For me my favourite muffin pairing is blueberry and raspberry but I really love how you paired chai with the banana and how the muffins are vegan! Entered the giveaway!

    ReplyDelete
  9. I love making savoury muffins - cheese and onion are my current favourites!

    ReplyDelete
  10. Oh I love a decent banana muffin. The chai spice addition is genius. I have added peanut butter, chocolate chips, fudge pieces and the like, but I think Chai would be really nice! :)

    ReplyDelete
  11. These sound delicious. About 5 months ago i decided to turn vegetarian & i haven't found it difficult in the slightest! So many gorgeous recipes. Thanks for this! x

    ReplyDelete
  12. Blueberry and banana but then again I do like savoury ones like a strong cheese muffin too

    ReplyDelete
  13. I love blueberry muffins, some do not have enough Blueberries in

    ReplyDelete
  14. I love blueberry muffins but some do not have enough blueberries in

    ReplyDelete
  15. Savoury ones make a nice change. Cheese & mustard are fantastic.

    ReplyDelete
  16. I love lemony muffins with a drizzle of icing on top

    ReplyDelete
  17. raspberry and white chocolate x

    ReplyDelete
  18. We love chai spice masala , it's perfect with masala chai. So delicious and bonus point is that these are vegan too.

    ReplyDelete
  19. A classic blueberry for me... served fresh and warm, with a pot of tea. Perfect!

    ReplyDelete
  20. Lemon an blueberry are my fave, fresh and sweet!

    ReplyDelete
  21. Chocolate muffins with choc chips :)

    ReplyDelete
  22. I'm picky with my bananas and they are the only fruit I can eat without having it blended as I'm really funny with textures. I know you mentioned that it's more like a bread and I'm wondering if it might be a better way of making them, in a loaf tin? Xx

    ReplyDelete
  23. Sadly I am not a huge fan of banana, I think it's mainly the texture that gets me but it's good you've managed to find a use for them x

    ReplyDelete
  24. I like cherry muffins.

    ReplyDelete
  25. I love vanilla and chocolate chip muffins. I'm trying to eat a more vegan diet though so this book would be great to give me some new ideas.

    ReplyDelete
  26. I do like the occasional muffin as a treat. I'm really fond of savoury muffins - cheese, carrot, courgette. Lovely!

    ReplyDelete
  27. I love chocolate chip muffins.

    ReplyDelete
  28. Last week I made banana muffin and it was success! I would love to challenge myself to this one! I love Chai. This is must try and I would pair with vanilla ice cream! Yum!

    ReplyDelete
  29. These look perfect with tea! I like banana chocolate chip and anything lemony. I'm so curious about chai spice now...

    ReplyDelete
  30. Chai spiced Banana Muffins, I think they are apt for a quick snack with the coffee or tea. Shal try baking them soon !

    ReplyDelete
  31. I am not a UK citizen so can't enter the giveaway... :( Anyway, you seem to like bananas just the way I love it too... I like them in the just ripe stage and if it goes a litte more, then I cut them up and freeze them for smoothies... :) I have been baking on and off vegan, since I had to go for that diet for 6 months and like you mentioned, the bakes are dense and sometimes chewy too... but not impossible! Awesome looking muffins... would love to try this...

    ReplyDelete
  32. I love cranberry and orange muffins.

    ReplyDelete
  33. I love to use bananas for my cakes. I am not vegan but I love to make vegan recipes. Too bad I am not in the UK.

    ReplyDelete
  34. Blackcurrent muffins are really nice

    ReplyDelete
  35. I've recently made lemon and poppyseed muffins which are great for a quick breakfast on the go! I love the sound of the chai spice you've used in yours as I've never tried it but sounds rather interesting x

    ReplyDelete
  36. Now these do look very good. Muffins are such great snacks and I would like to try those spiced banana ones

    ReplyDelete
  37. Blueberry muffins are my favourite

    ReplyDelete
  38. I love a savoury muffin. This time of year I do spinach and chestnut, with a bit of nooch in too.

    ReplyDelete
  39. Those banana muffins look incredible, could do with one with my cup of tea right now!

    ReplyDelete
  40. I love blueberry muffins but I've had some with stem ginger which were delicious.

    ReplyDelete
  41. I like raspberry and white chocolate

    ReplyDelete
  42. These muffins look so delicious and the fact that they are chai spices makes them all the more interesting. Never though of putting chai spices on anything other than chai! :) Thanks for sharing.
    Do drop by my blog as well : http://styleovercoffee.com :)

    ReplyDelete
  43. love muffins - my favourite has to involve chocolate

    ReplyDelete
  44. To be honest banana cakes and muffins are my favourites!! I also love the flavour of chai so this Is a perfect combination for me. I have printed it out for this weekend to try. Xx

    ReplyDelete
  45. Funny thing, while I don't like bananas fresh, I do love them inside cakes. And chai is one of my winter favorite drinks, it reminds me of my trips to India. I think this recipe is extraordinary and I would love to win the cookbook in your giveaway :)

    ReplyDelete
  46. Blueberry muffins for me

    ReplyDelete
  47. We love banana bread and muffins so this recipe would be perfect for us! The cook book sounds great too!

    ReplyDelete
  48. Chocolate muffins for me with a nice warm cup of tea

    ReplyDelete
  49. I love muffins, especially blueberry & almond :)

    ReplyDelete
  50. I must try this at home. I love blueberry muffins especially over the weekends.

    ReplyDelete
  51. Wow, I love to try blueberry and banana muffins I'm sure my kids would love this too, Glad that you share this recipe.

    ReplyDelete
  52. Wow i love muffins and i always paired it with freshly brewed coffee. Good for afternoon delight while reading a good book.

    ReplyDelete
  53. These muffins look so delicious. I love chai spices and I am definitely going to try it out. :)

    ReplyDelete
  54. Ooh yes. I love masala chai spice too and I bet it's a brilliant addition to banana muffins. Yum!

    ReplyDelete
  55. Looks like a great cook book here. I will have to check this as I'm into collecting recipes recently.

    ReplyDelete
  56. These look fab, Nayna - I love masala chai spice... so many memories of living in India come flooding back!

    I know exactly what you mean about having to add sugar - this seems to be a common issue with baking recipes which claim that just using bananas makes things sweet enough. Sadly not! Cakes are supposed to be indulgent, so bring on the sugar, I say! Ha ha!

    ReplyDelete
  57. This looks fantastic and I love the look of this cookbook, although we aren't vegan I find that a lot of the recipes are very flavoursome and creative!

    ReplyDelete
  58. blueberry muffins with whipped cream

    ReplyDelete
  59. This just sounds too delicious. Between the chai spice and the bananas it just sounds too good to be true. I will definitely have to try this out.

    ReplyDelete
  60. Oh wow this sounds great. I wanted to experiment with vegan foods as we haven't really eaten any but I hear they are yummy.

    ReplyDelete
  61. Yes I do love them, particularly Blueberry ones

    ReplyDelete
  62. I'm still a bit new when it comes to vegan sweets ;) so thank you for this great recipe! My kids will adore it!

    ReplyDelete
  63. It's a shame the first batch didn't turn out great but a few tweaks make the recipe your own anyway! I find myself amending vegan recipes too for the same reasons. Yours sound great!

    ReplyDelete
  64. I love muffins, and any with banana in are my faves <3 I'm making my niece a hamper full of vegan goodies for Christmas (fashion, beauty and lifestyle) so I'm going to look out for this book to add to it too :)

    Louise x

    ReplyDelete
  65. Those muffins sound delicious. The perfect little afternoon treat with a coffee.

    ReplyDelete
  66. I do love blueberry muffins...it's the only time I eat blueberries.... fabulous

    ReplyDelete
  67. I love banana and oatmeal cupcakes for breakfast

    ReplyDelete
  68. I like banana and chocolate chip muffins

    ReplyDelete
  69. These look just incredible!! My favourite muffins are poppy and lemon seed. Yum yum!

    ReplyDelete
  70. I have never tried a banana muffin before, but these look delicious.

    ReplyDelete
  71. Blueberry and dark chocolate muffins are my favourite.

    ReplyDelete
  72. love toasted muffins with jam xx

    ReplyDelete
  73. Raspberry and white chocolate, although haven't had one since I went vegan this year but will try to make some one day.

    ReplyDelete
  74. White chocolate chip muffins

    ReplyDelete
  75. I love apple cinnamon muffins.

    ReplyDelete
  76. Banana and coffee

    ReplyDelete
  77. My favourite is blueberry as long as the colour doesn't bleed thru too much!

    ReplyDelete
  78. I love muffins especially chocolate muffins they are my favourite.

    ReplyDelete
  79. im all about the blueberry

    ReplyDelete
  80. I love chocolate and peanut butter

    ReplyDelete
  81. I prefer savoury muffins, any combination with cheese is always a winner for me (spinach and feta being my latest find!)

    ReplyDelete
  82. Banana, white chocolate and cherry

    ReplyDelete
  83. My favourite is a good blueberry muffin or a nice moist banana one

    ReplyDelete
  84. I do like a nice moist muffin - especially a chocolate one with a gooey centre.

    ReplyDelete
  85. I love strawberry & white choc muffins :)

    ReplyDelete
  86. I love chocolate muffins dipped in strawberry milk!

    ReplyDelete
  87. Chocolate chip has to be the favourite

    ReplyDelete
  88. I do love to make my favourite muffins which are Cherry & Ginger and oh so delicious :) x

    ReplyDelete
  89. caramel filled muffins
    twitter - @susanhoggett

    ReplyDelete
  90. Dean T (ribbons1978)17 December 2017 at 14:20

    I love banana muffins with hot chocolate, any berry muffins with everything else!

    ReplyDelete
  91. Love Blueberry Muffins

    ReplyDelete
  92. I do enjoy a good muffin :) I don't eat them often enough to have a favourite combination though! Maybe blueberry

    ReplyDelete
  93. Blueberry and lemon

    ReplyDelete
  94. Love muffins! My favourite is apple and cinnamon with a streusal topping, deeeelish!

    ReplyDelete
  95. I love blueberry and chocolate muffins!

    ReplyDelete
  96. Carrot cake with cinnamon in (@PeanutHog)

    ReplyDelete
  97. I love muffins, blueberry are my all time favourite!
    Thanks for a super giveaway x

    ReplyDelete
  98. I love to make fruit muffins with fruit we've grown in our allotment. Raspberry, redcurrant or blackcurrant usually.

    ReplyDelete
  99. Blueberry muffins are my favourite

    ReplyDelete
  100. I love muffins, wholemeal Blueberry are my favourite.

    ReplyDelete
  101. I do love muffins, I think my favourite muffins are banana ones! :)

    ReplyDelete
  102. Chocolate orange muffins are my favourite!

    ReplyDelete
  103. I like bananas muffins, Will try it with chai spice .It must have given an added flavor to already tasty muffins

    ReplyDelete
  104. I agree about the bananas and I am exactly like you. Yellow means yes and black means Banana Bread. haha! Loved the use of chai and it must have been definitely flavourful. Great post and review on the book. btw, you have nailed the presentation and the muffins look exactly the same as the book. Beautiful!

    ReplyDelete
  105. muffins with chai spice. looks interesting. must try once. I am not a big fan of muffins. your clicks invite me to love them.

    ReplyDelete
  106. Chai spice is a wonderful addition to these banana muffins!They must have been so good!

    ReplyDelete
  107. Lovely recipe of banana muffins with addition of chai spice. And a great review of the book.

    ReplyDelete
  108. Banana in any muffins is always my fav .. Simply love it..

    ReplyDelete
  109. This chai spice is a nice addition to this muffins. Looks so delish

    ReplyDelete
  110. I make banana muffins but have to try them with coconut milk.

    ReplyDelete
  111. Wow, my favorite combination of spices!! Can almost feel the aroma!! Looks delicious !!

    ReplyDelete
  112. They looks super delicious, loved the recipe.

    ReplyDelete
  113. Lovely recipe. looks amazing. Loved the flavours

    ReplyDelete
  114. Chai spice is my favorite in baked goodies. The book seems like a wonderful resource of vegan recipes. Good one, bookmarking.

    ReplyDelete
  115. How lovely, I can feel the aroma of the chai spices through the pics...
    this is a must do as soon as i get back to my ovens

    ReplyDelete
  116. These muffins looks delicious and I loved you used chai spice. Awesome share dear

    ReplyDelete
  117. Loved the use of chai spiced banana muffins, they look so scrumptious perfect for a quick breakfast or teatime snack.

    ReplyDelete

"Too often we underestimate the power of a touch, a smile, a kind word, a listening ear, an honest compliment, or the smallest act of caring, all of which have the potential to motivate.”
Thank you for taking the time to post "that kind word" its very inspiring.

Please DO NOT leave your site URL in comment section. Any spam comment using this space as free advertising will be PROMPTLY deleted as will all anonymous comments.

If you enjoyed your visit and would like regular updates please take a moment to join my email list.
If you leave a question that needs answering please make sure your profile has an email ID enabled so I can reply to it.

Related Posts with Thumbnails