Here are recipes for four excellent snacks and desserts made from bananas — one of the world’s most popular fruits. The recipes are simple enough for children to rustle up, with little parental guidance, writes Parvathy Menon BANANA MUFFINS Ingredients (4 servings) 1 ½ cups maida 1 cup sugar 1 tsp baking soda ½ tsp salt 3 medium ripe bananas 1 large egg, room temperature 1/3 cup sunflower oil 1 tsp vanilla essence Preparation Guide Blend the maida, sugar, baking soda and salt in a large bowl. Beat the egg, and add it in, along with oil. Add vanilla essence and blend thoroughly. Mash the bananas and add to the mixture. Place paper liners in the muffin cups or tray. Fill each one carefully. Preheat the oven to 180oC. Bake the muffins for 18 minutes. If not done, cook for another 4-5 minutes. Slice a banana, and use the slices to garnish each muffin. Health benefits. Bananas are rich in carbohydrates and provide energy. They also contain minerals such as potassium, magnesium, manganese and copper, and vitamins B6 and C. Its high fibre content makes it good for digestion. Bananas also reduce the risk of heart disease and lower blood pressure levels. BANANA YOGHURT COOKIE CRUMBLE (4 servings) Ingredients 500 gm thick yogurt 4 bananas 2 tbsp sugar 1 cup thick cream 10 oatmeal cookies 40 gm roasted groundnuts Preparation Guide Beat the cream and sugar until well-dissolved. Add yogurt and stir. Mash two ripe bananas with a fork, and mix. Slice remaining two bananas and set aside. Roast groundnuts over low heat. Cool and remove skin. Crush nuts into small bits. Crush oatmeal cookies and set aside. Just before serving, make a layer of cookie crumble in each bowl or cup. Top it with the cream-yogurt mixture. Add a layer of sliced bananas. Top it with roasted nuts. Serve immediately. BANANA POPS (10 servings) Ingredients 10 bananas, firm but ripe 200 gm cooking dark chocolate 50 gm almonds 50 gm groundnuts 10 skewer sticks Preparation Guide Dry roast almonds and groundnuts separately and leave to cool. Cut the almonds into slivers with a knife, or use a grater to slice them. Spread on a concave saucer. Remove the skin of groundnuts and crush them into small bits. Spread on a saucer. Carefully, run each skewer stick through the middle of a banana. Melt the chocolate in a double boiler. If you don’t have one, use a small steel container placed inside another steel container with water. Dip the banana skewer into the melted chocolate, using a spoon to coat the banana if needed. Carefully, remove and dip it in the saucer containing nuts. Repeat for all ten. Place them on a sheet of butter paper or tray and refrigerate. BANANA WALNUT LOAF (3 servings) Ingredients 100 gm butter 140 gm castor sugar 50 ml milk 1 beaten egg 225 gm maida 2 tsp baking powder 4 ripe bananas 85 gm chopped walnuts Preparation Guide Blend sugar, butter and egg…
