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1
Preheat oven to 170u00b0C (or 160u00b0C if using fan forced oven).
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2
Place 1/2 cup raisins in a small saucepan.
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Add 1/2 cup of dark rum.
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4
Stir and ensure raisins are soaking in the rum. Place saucepan over heat and bring to a boil. Once the mixture is boiling, cover and turn off heat. Set aside.
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5
Melt 150g or 4.5oz of butter by placing in a bowl (covered) in a microwave oven for about 30 to 40 seconds.
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6
Lay out 2 large mixing bowls. In one bowl, combine 1.5 cups of plain flour, 2 teaspoons baking powder, 1/2 teaspoon of baking soda and 1/4 teaspoon of salt.
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7
Now to the other mixing bowl for the wet ingredients. Peel 2 large bananas and mash them up.
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8
Add 1/2 cup of sugar, the melted butter, 2 large eggs and 1 tablespoon of vanilla essence.
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Mix all the wet ingredients together thoroughly. Fold the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients. Just ensure they are well combined. Don't overmix.
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10
Chop 1 cup of walnuts into rough bits. Add the chopped walnuts to the muffin batter.
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11
Drain the raisins and add them into the batter as well.
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12
Fold the nuts and raisins into the batter carefully.
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13
Optional: I do this occasionally - peel another ripe banana, slice into pieces and fold into the batter. This adds even more banana flavour and bite in each muffin.
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14
Line a large 6 muffin pan with paper muffin cups. And scoop the batter into them, filling all the way to the top. This will give you huge muffin heads.
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15
At this point, you can also make a crispy crumb topping. It adds a nice flavour to the muffin too. Mix 2 oz soft butter, 1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon, 1/4 cup brown sugar and 1/2 cup plain flour till they look like breadcrumbs. Sprinkle a tablespoon of this mixture on top of each muffin before baking.
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16
Place the muffins in the oven and bake for 20 to 25 minutes or until they are golden brown. Test if they are done with a small knife through the centre of a muffin. If it comes out dry, the muffins are done.
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17
Best eaten warm. So if they are cold, warm them up in the microwave oven for about 20 seconds.
