Vegan Banana Muffins with Salted Pecan Brittle
Ingredients
Makes 12
- For the Muffins
- 4 Ripe Bananas
- 75ml Coconut Oil – Melted
- 150g Light Muscovado Sugar
- 300g Spelt Flour
- 2 tsp Baking Powder
- ½ tsp Salt
- ½ tsp Nutmeg
- 1 tsp Bicarbonate of Soda
- For the Buttercream
- 200g Vegan Sunflower Spread
- 225g Icing Sugar
- 1 tsp Vanilla Extract or Vanilla Paste
- For the Brittle
- 200g Sugar
- 6 Tbsp Water
- 75g Pecan Nuts – Roughly Chopped
- 1 tsp Salt
Method
- Preheat oven to 180c/Gas Mark 5
- Mash Bananas in a bowl with a fork or use an electric mixer. Once smooth, add the Muscovado Sugar and Coconut Oil. Mix together the Flour, Baking Powder, Bicarb, Salt and Nutmeg.
- Gently fold the Flour mixture into the Mashed Banana until combined. Fill a muffin tray with paper Muffin Cases and fill to ⅔ full with the Muffin Mix. Bake for 20 minutes or until Golden Brown and allow to cool completely.
- While the muffins are baking, whisk together the Sunflower Spread, Icing Sugar and Vanilla until smooth. Cover and place into the fridge until needed.
- To make the brittle, first line and grease a flat baking sheet for when the brittle is ready. Place the Sugar and Water into a heavy based saucepan and heat gently without stirring until the liquid has become clear with no sugar crystals. If there are any sugar crystals around the edge of the pan, dampen with a pastry brush to dissolve them into the mixture.
- Once clear, turn the heat up to a medium high heat and allow the sugar to cook until it turns to a rich, amber coloured liquid. Add the Salt and the Pecans quickly to the molten sugar whilst being careful not to splash it on yourself, pour immediately onto the lined baking sheet and allow to cool completely.
- Break the brittle by tapping with a wooden spoon, keep some chunky pieces for decoration and crush or chop finely some of the remaining pieces and add to the Vanilla Buttercream.
- Pipe a swirl of the buttercream onto each of the muffins and place a piece of the brittle on top.
