cooking

I've never been much of a date eater. Sometimes they make me think of big beetles with their glossy outer shell. And at this time of year, the smell of date palms can be sort of overwhelmingly sticky sweet.
Lately though, I'm kind of getting into them, especially for their versatility in baking. They add sweetness and fiber without losing softness in the crumb. Try these muffins, they are absolutely delicious and super-simple.

Click on the picture for a chart of all the different kinds. Still prefer the california medjool, but my palate is expanding.

Apologies to the Americans for the metric notations... back in the ME, you know...

300g strong whole wheat flour
a scant 50g caster sugar
1 tsp. baking powder
dash salt
1/4 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp ginger
100g dates pitted
1 banana
1 egg
1 1/4 cup soy milk (or milk)
1/4 cup canola oil (or melted butter)

Pre-heat oven to 180 C. Grease and flour a 12 muffin, medium size tin. In a large bowl, fork sift flour, sugar, baking powder, spices and salt.
In a blender, combine the dates, banana, soymilk, and oil. Pour this mixture into the dry ingredients and add the egg. Stir.
Scoop into muffin tins. Bake for about 15min, check them at 12.