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Monday, November 27, 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.

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153 comments:

  1. My favourites are Blueberry and Banana muffins!

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  2. I love banana and chocolate muffins :)

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

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

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  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

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

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  7. Love blueberry muffins

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  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!

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

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  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! :)

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  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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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  20. 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

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  21. 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

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  22. I like cherry muffins.

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  23. 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.

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

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  25. I love chocolate chip muffins.

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  26. 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!

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

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

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  29. 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...

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  30. 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.

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  31. 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

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

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

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

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  35. I never thought to mix that with muffins but that looks delish. Muffins are nice treats you can eat for snacks.

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

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  37. I like raspberry and white chocolate

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  38. 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 :)

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  39. love muffins - my favourite has to involve chocolate

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  40. 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

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  41. 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 :)

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  42. Blueberry muffins for me

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

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

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  45. I love muffins, especially blueberry & almond :)

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

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

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

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

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

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

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  52. 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!

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  53. 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!

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  54. blueberry muffins with whipped cream

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  55. I love anything with chai spices so I am sure I would love this gorgeous muffins. Simply delicious!

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  56. Yummy, what a delicious recipe. I love everything with chai spices so I am sure I will love this muffin!

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  57. 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.

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  58. 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.

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  59. Yes I do love them, particularly Blueberry ones

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

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  61. 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!

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  62. 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

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

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

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  65. I love banana and oatmeal cupcakes for breakfast

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  66. I like banana and chocolate chip muffins

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

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

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  69. Blueberry and dark chocolate muffins are my favourite.

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

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  71. I love apple cinnamon muffins.

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

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  73. I love muffins especially chocolate muffins they are my favourite.

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  74. im all about the blueberry

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  75. I love chocolate and peanut butter

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

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

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

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  79. I love strawberry & white choc muffins :)

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  80. I love chocolate muffins dipped in strawberry milk!

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  81. Chocolate chip has to be the favourite

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

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  83. caramel filled muffins
    twitter - @susanhoggett

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  84. Dean T (ribbons1978)December 17, 2017 at 6:20 AM

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

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  85. Love Blueberry Muffins

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

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  87. Blueberry and lemon

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

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  89. I love blueberry and chocolate muffins!

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  90. Carrot cake with cinnamon in (@PeanutHog)

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

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

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  93. I love muffins, wholemeal Blueberry are my favourite.

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

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  95. Chocolate orange muffins are my favourite!

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

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  97. 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!

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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  105. They looks super delicious, loved the recipe.

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  106. Lovely recipe. looks amazing. Loved the flavours

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

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  108. 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

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

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

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