Eilidh’s first birthday was on a Saturday. I opted to not hold a party but instead baked a red velvet cake to take along to Tiny Tots, the mums & babies group that we attend on a Thursday morning. On that Thursday one of the other mums had baked some spinach muffins for her little boy’s snack. The muffins went down a treat with the little ones so I decided to bake them for Eilidh’s actual birthday.
The original recipe came from The Green Forks, but I made a few little changes.
Ingredients:
½ cup plain flour
½ cup spelt flour
1 cup wholewheat flour
¾ cup sugar
2 tsp baking powder
½ tsp baking soda
1½ tsp ground cinnamon
¼ cup olive oil
¾ cup milk
About 200g fresh baby spinach
½ cup mashed banana (from about 1 to 2 bananas)
2 tsp pure vanilla extract
Method:
1. Preheat oven to 350°F/180°C and line a 12-cup muffin pan with paper liners.
2. Whisk together dry ingredients in a large bowl: flours, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, and salt. Set aside.
3. In a blender, place oil, milk, and spinach. Blend on high for about 30 seconds or until completely puréed. Add banana and vanilla; blend on low just to mix.
4. Pour puréed mixture into dry mixture and fold together with a rubber spatula until completely combined.
5. Fill muffin cups about ⅔ full and bake 18-20 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.
