Rum Raisin Banana Muffins #MuffinMonday

An adult-only snack with a taste of the Caribbean, these rum raisin banana muffins are a tasty celebration of summer, sun and a beach holiday down the islands.

When I was little we lived for three years on the island of Trinidad, not far off the coast of Venezuela in the Caribbean Sea. On holiday weekends, it was a treat to be invited to go “down de islands” to stay with friends who had holiday homes there. “De islands” are the Bocas Islands which lie between Trinidad and Venezuela in a series of straits called the Bocas del Dragón or Dragon’s Mouth.

I remember those holidays as care- and mostly clothes-free. The houses were fairly basic and everything you were going to eat or drink had to be brought with you by boat. But down de islands, everyone was in a party mood and rum punch flowed freely for the adult crowd.

A favorite dessert in those days was homemade rum raisin ice cream. Even children were allowed to eat it! It’s a great flavor combination and banana is a welcome addition.

Rum Raisin Banana Muffins

Make these adult-only muffins child-friendly by replacing the rum with apple or your favorite natural juice.

Ingredients
3/4 cup or 115g seedless raisins
1/3 cup or 78ml golden rum
2 cups or 250g plain flour
3/4 cup or 150g sugar
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 ripe banana
1/2 cup or 120ml milk
1/4 cup or 60ml canola or other light oil
1 large egg

Method
Soak the raisins in the rum, turning them with a spoon occasionally so the top ones also have a chance of soaking up some rum. I find that this goes faster if you warm the raisins and rum. Either way, set the bowl aside until the raisins have plumped up a little. Not all of the rum will be absorbed.

Preheat your oven to 350°F or 180°C and prepare a 12-cup muffin pan by lining it with paper muffin cups.

In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda and salt. In another smaller bowl, mash the banana with a fork. Add in the milk, oil and egg and whisk to combine.

Drain any unabsorbed rum into the bowl and whisk again.

Tip the drained raisins into the flour bowl and stir to coat them.

Pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredient bowl and fold together until just combined.

Divide the batter between the 12 muffin cups.

Bake in the preheated oven for 20-25 minutes or until the tops are golden and a wooden toothpick comes out clean.

Leave to cool for a few minutes in the pan then remove to a wire cooling rack to cool completely.

Enjoy!

Check out the other lovely muffins my Muffin Monday group is sharing today!

• Apple Cinnamon Muffins from Palatable Pastime
• Blueberry Muffins with Blueberry Jam & Lemon Sugar Topping from Karen's Kitchen Stories
• Chocolate Chip Sourdough Muffins from A Day in the Life on the Farm
• Rum Raisin Banana Muffins from Food Lust People Love

#MuffinMonday is a group of muffin loving bakers who get together once a month to bake muffins. You can see all of our lovely muffins by following our Pinterest board. Updated links for all of our past events and more information about Muffin Monday can be found on our home page.

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