Hulk Muffins (a BLW favourite!)

 

If you have ever read anything about Baby Led Weaning, then you have probably seen a reference to "Hulk" Muffins - so called for their bright green colouring. There are many recipes about, and many that I have seen call for honey, which is a strict no no for under 1s, and often salt which should also be limited. The fact that these muffins are PACKED with spinach which is great for getting in the extra iron that baby needs meant that I needed to improvise a little. After looking at a quite a few recipes (including many shared on Baby Led Weaning for Beginners) here's what I came up with.

Honey Free Hulk Muffins

Makes approx 12

Ingredients:

2 cups whole wheat flour plus 2 tsp baking powder OR 2 cups whole wheat Self Raising flour

1-2 tsp cinnamon (I like a little extra!)

3/4 cup full fat milk

1 tsp vanilla extract or essence

1/2 cup golden syrup (in place of honey - you could use honey if your little is over 1 year old)

1/2 cup unsalted butter, melted

1 large egg

1 large banana

180g baby or regular spinach (as close to this as possible - some bags I have seen are only 160g)

Method

Step 1

Preheat oven to 170C and prepare your muffin pans. You can use liners or spray with cooking oil. Next time I make these I'll prepare a few mini muffin size as well!

Step 2

Combine flour (and baking powder if needed) and cinnamon in a bowl.

Step 3

Blend all the remaining ingredients together until completely mixed. You may have to stop to scrape down the sides occasionally.

Step 4

Pour the wet mixture into the flour mixture and fold together until just combined.

Step 5

Spoon batter into the muffin pans, filling about 3/4 full. 

Step 6

Bake for 15-20 minutes, until muffins are firm when pressed on top. If you choose mini muffins, check them regularly. Mine did start to brown slightly as I left them a little too long!

Step 7

Cool on a tray before serving

or not! we shared one still warm with melted butter!

My little girl loves these. I am considering a savory version too, somehow working a little cheese into the mix and omitting the syrup. But for now, if you try these, let me know what you think!