Banana Crumb Muffins for One

Even though there are plenty of strong flavors in these little bready treats, the banana flavor really sings through. It’s enough to make you sing for joy, too, but wait until you’ve finished chewing, please!

For the Muffins:

2 ¼ teaspoons flax seed meal

½ TBLSP water

1 medium banana

2 TBLSP brown sugar, packed and slightly heaping

½ teaspoon baking soda

Pinch salt

1 TBLSP vegan butter, melted

Slosh vanilla extract

6 TBLSP whole wheat pastry flour (or unbleached all-purpose)

2 TBLSP rolled oats

1 TBLSP walnuts, chopped

For the Crumble:

1 TBLSP sugar (I like brown sugar, but any kind will do)

1 ¼ TBLSP all-purpose flour

½ TBLSP vegan butter

Preheat oven the 375 degrees Fahrenheit and lightly grease 2 or 3 muffin spaces in a muffin tin.

1. In a small bowl, combine the flax and water and let it sit, getting gloppy, for a few minutes while you prepare the other ingredients.
2. In a larger but still small bowl, mash the banana. It can be as smooth or lumpy as you like, depending on whether you like to encounter pieces of banana in your muffins or not.
3. Add the brown sugar, baking soda, and salt, and stir them together with the banana. Stir in the melted butter and vanilla extract. Now add the flax glop and give the whole thing a mix again.
4. Add the flour and oats and stir until it’s just barely combined. Add in the walnuts and fold them gently in. Don’t overwork this batter!
5. Plop the batter into the prepared muffin tins, filling them about ¾ full. You can fill them more if you like that little muffin-top effect.
6. Using the same bowl, mix the crumble ingredients together. It should be, as the name implies, crumbly, like wet sand. Top the muffins with the crumble.
7. Bake for 17-22 minutes or until tops are golden brown and a toothpick comes out clean.

Let it cool for a minute or two, and then remove them from the muffin tins and devour like the beast of breakfast that you are.

Variations:

• Toss in a little cinnamon with the dry ingredients.
• Add some raisins or chocolate chips—or both!—with the walnuts.