Sugarfree Raspberry Banana Muffins.

Recently I read a very enlightening book about sugar, good ol' table sugar that you find in nearly every bit of food that you find on the shelves, in nearly every drink, and in every kind of dessert you can think of. But what we don't realise is just how damaging it is, not just in the short run with picking up weight but in the long run with some pretty horrific diseases that can be life threatening. I could make a pretty epic and long post summarising all this, but I suggest you read for yourself in the book The Sweet Poison.

In light of all this interesting information, I've been trying hard to cut back on sugars. So far, it's been easy enough to stop drinking sugars as I've never had too much soft drinks and don't like sugar in my coffee anyway. The thing I struggle with most is I haven't been able to bake as much, as I'm a sucker for home baking, and if Neil doesn't eat it fast enough, I will finish it off! So I've been on the hunt for recipes and substitutes I could use that would still allow me to bake and still enjoy some of my favourite treats. Which is why I thought today I would share a recipe that I've tried a couple of times now and adjusted it to what I believe is a pretty awesome tasting sugarfree recipe!  This recipe is not from The Sweet Poison recipe book itself, but I would like to get my hands on that recipe book to try some different options.

2 mashed bananas
1 cup frozen raspberries plus extra for raspberry drizzle
125g melted butter
1 egg
1/2 cup water
2 cups wholemeal flour
1 teaspoon bi-carb soda
2 1/4 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon Stevia sweetener (you can add a bit more if you prefer it sweeter)
Thickened cream (optional)

Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 180 degrees
2. Mix together mashed bananas, egg, water and butter and then mix in flour, baking soda and baking powder until mostly smooth (it will still be a but lumpy from the bananas but that's all good). Add the raspberries in gently.
3. Bake muffins for roughly 15min and until tops are golden.
4. Put excess raspberries in a pot and heat slowly until raspberries become juicy and separated. Drizzle raspberry juice over warm muffins. A dollop of cream also makes for a lovely side.

Well there you have it! It's a journey to becoming mostly sugarfree! You will notice this muffin is definitely not as sickeningly sweet as so many others, but it definitely satisfies the craving and the extra drizzle of raspberries definitely helps add a bit more sweet & tanginess to it. If any of you have any awesome sugarfree recipes or suggestions, would love to hear them as well!