Sugar (only a little bit) & spice & all things nice!

Its been a home day today, and I must say that I look forward to these days very much. Its important for me have these days to potter around the house, walk to the shops and the park and most of all cook! I find juggling everything can be tricky sometimes, but when I have a day at home with Olivia to 'collect' myself, I feel so much better for it. I assume Im not alone. I think these days are really important for your overall sanity and health!

I hope you enjoy this recipe. I had fun making it! I love making things up and sharing with you, and I love it even more when people bake my recipes! Have a go at this one, they are delicious!

Banana & Dark Chocolate Cupcakes

Ingredients:
175g softened butter (real butter - the fake stuff is REALLY bad for you)
80gm of raw organic sugar
3 organic free range eggs
1tsp of vanilla extract/essence
1 ripe and mashed banana
200g of dark lindt chocolate broken up into peices
1 1/2 cups of organic self raising flour



Method:
Pre-heat oven to 180 degrees.
Line cupcake/muffin tin with paper pans.
With beaters, beat the butter and sugar until pale and creamy. I have used much less sugar in this recipe as the banana helps to sweeten it. You could use honey however when beating the butter you would probably need to do it on its own and add the honey later.
Once pale and creamy, add three eggs and continue with beaters until all mixed in well.
Add vanilla, banana & chocolate (optional - maybe if making for small children you might choose to leave this out) and stir to combine.
Sift flour into the mixture and mix well.
Place batter into paper pans until just over 3/4 full and bake in oven for 20-25 minutes, until skewer comes out clean.
Allow to cool.

These are delicious with or without frosting. I used an ordinary butter icing topped with fairy floss - probably not the healthiest of options but it looks awesome!

*Don't be afraid when baking to use much less sugar than suggested. At the very least, I usually half what a recipe tells me. You can always make up for it in other ways as I have with these cupcakes, but adding fruit or fruit juices.

Healthy eating is essential for good body function. If you don't already bake, get into the habit of doing so. Its therapeutic, you know exactly what is in your food and you are providing you and your family with great foundations for growth. You entire body relies on you making healthy choices. And if you don't yet have children, the fate of your fertility may also lie in your health. There really isn't an excuse for poor diet. Happy Baking!