21 Dec Cranberry and Orange Christmas Muffins

These are very seasonal with lovely Christmas flavours of orange, cranberry and nutmeg and cinnamon  and for a Christmas serving suggestion just dust with a little icing sugar. Nutritional info after the recipe. Can be made vegan.

Wet ingredients
2 very ripe bananas
2 eggs or 2 tbsp chia seeds for ‘vegan egg’ soaked in 100ml hot water for 15 mins
Zest of 1 large or 2 smaller oranges
50g coconut oil
Soak overnight or for a few hours – 100g dried cranberries in the juice of 1 orange
Dry Ingredients
100g porridge oats
100g ground almonds
100g white spelt flour
75g soft dark brown sugar
50g chopped pecan halves
2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp cinnamon
1 /4 tsp nutmeg
¼ tsp salt

Topping – 12 pecan halves tossed in 1 tbsp maple syrup

Place a paper muffin case into each 12 hole muffin tray.
Heat the oven to gas 5 or 190C.
Put all the wet ingredients except cranberries in orange juice into a food processor and process till smooth.
Place all the dry ingredients in a large bowl and stir together.
Make a well in the centre of the dry ingredients and pour in the wet mixture and the cranberries and any excess juice.
Stir together and then spoon the mixture into the muffin cases.
Top with a maple syrup coated pecan half.
Bake for 30 minutes or until golden brown. Allow to cool for a few minutes then carefully transfer to a cooling rack. Nice served warm.
Will keep in a airtight container for up to 5 days.

Nutritional info
Oats – slow release carbohydrate, B vitamins, magnesium
Cinnamon – antioxidant, regulates blood sugar
Almonds and pecans – protein, good oils
Bananas – potassium, antioxidants – the riper the better, natural sweetener
Cranberries and oranges – vit C, antioxidants and fibre