Banana Muffins for Passover

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Delicious and moist, easy-to-make Banana Muffins for Passover are a perfect dairy free dessert, treat, or snack for the holiday.

Banana Muffins for Passover are a perfect dessert or snack. Everyone will love them and you will want to make them every year for the Holiday!

A little of my cooking background

I really wanted to title this blog “If I can make it, anyone can”, because – honestly – if I can make it, anyone can.

I never really liked cooking and when I was single, a meal for me meant grilled cheese, eggs, tuna, or something else that didn’t require effort or time.

When my kids were young, I was still able to get away with preparing only a small variety of easy meals, but the older they got, the more dishes I learned to make at their request.

Still, I insisted on keeping it simple.

Honestly, I never understood why some cooks unnecessarily complicate meals. I have seen recipes that have several ingredients that don’t really seem to add much, if anything, to the dish. So, why bother?

It has always been important to me that whoever eats at my table will have plenty to enjoy and that includes my kids (I never agreed with the “You will eat what is served or you won’t eat” ideology) and, because I keep it simple, I can prepare a variety of dishes in a relatively short period of time.

I have a philosophy regarding being a great cook: Prepare food according to the tastes of those who will be eating it and they will love your cooking!

As far as I am concerned, start with the basic ingredients that make the dish what it is, adapt according to taste, and voila! you are an amazing cook!

The bottom line is that while there are certainly delicate recipes out there for specialty dishes, making delicious meals doesn’t have to be complicated or time consuming. It’s not difficult to impress – just make sure it tastes good.

While some of the recipes on my blog are more time-consuming than others, they are all tried and true easy-shmeezy!

Of course, one always has to consider the conditions under which they cook. Weather (humidity, heat, cold), different types of ovens, different quality of pots, etc. – all of which can affect your cooking and baking.

Nevertheless, as I said, if I can do it, anyone can!

Baking and dessert necessities for Passover

I like to make sure I can bake anything with very short notice.  To that end, I keep a variety of supplies and ingredients in the house that will allow me to do just that. 

I can’t tell you how many times I was glad to have whatever I needed within reach for the last minute visitor or for when one of my kids went to a friend or had a school event without much prior notice.

I have slowly collected things over the years as I needed them (or if I found a good sale) and like to keep more than one of the smaller items, in case I don’t want to wash dishes in the middle of baking.

My basic “equipment” includes:

• a hand mixer (you probably don’t need a stand mixer for Passover)
• a small scale
• baking pans
• mixing bowls (or just large bowls)
• cookie sheets 
• dry measuring cups
• liquid measuring cups
• whisks
• rubber spatulas (really good for when you don’t want to leave anything in the bowl)
• baking (or parchment) paper

While you can certainly manage without the above (such as a whisk, where you can use a fork in a pinch), if you tend to do a lot of Passover baking, these are good to have around.

In addition to the equipment, there are several basic baking ingredients that are used regularly if you are going to want to bake and may be helpful to have at the beginning of the holiday.

Just make absolutely certain that they have a Kosher for Passover certification or don’t require one. When in doubt, ask an orthodox rabbi (there are also some orthodox organizations that post Passover information online).

Some of the items on this list, however, are not basic, but rather are only used for specific recipes. Regarding these, you might not want to invest in them in advance, but only if you need them.

Unless you have been making Passover at home and know which is which, you might want to plan ahead, at least until you get used to what your yearly baking needs are.

• matzo cake meal
• potato starch
• white sugar
• brown sugar
• powdered sugar
• salt
• baking powder (leavens chemically, so it just needs to be certified Kosher for Passover)
• baking soda (leavens chemically, so it just needs to be certified Kosher for Passover)
• cocoa powder
• ground cinnamon
• ground ginger
• ground cloves
• ground nutmeg
• baking chocolate
• chocolate chips
• vanilla/vanilla sugar
• oil
• margarine or butter
• eggs
• extracts (real or imitation)
• whipping cream (get non-dairy, for dairy free desserts)

Having other kosher for Passover spices in your pantry can also be helpful. Just make certain that everything is certified Kosher for Passover.

In addition, whipping cream, powdered pudding mix, and powdered sugar can allow you to be able to make a variety of fillings, frostings, and toppings.

Lastly, it’s not a bad idea to have toppings, such as chopped walnuts, raisins, and, if you can find them kosher for Passover, especially if you have kids, the oh-so-important container of sprinkles.

While some of these can easily be found in the average grocery store that carries kosher for Passover items for the holiday, stores that carry only kosher foods should have all or most of it.

I always save the leftover closed items for the following years, especially if they are not easy to find, and just pack them away in a suitable place.

Food on Passover

Torah observant Jews do not eat chametz (the fermented products of five grains: wheat, spelt, barley, oats and rye).

In addition, Torah observant Ashkenazi Jews do not eat kitniyot (or kitniyos as pronunced in Ashkenazi Hebrew). These include: legumes, corn, rice, and similar that were deemed forbidden to eat by rabbis in the medieval period and are still not eaten today. Sephardi and Mizrachi Jews do not follow this tradition.

Many ovservant Ashkenazi Jews will not even eat the derivatives of these kitniyot, while others do (each family holds their own traditions regarding this).

Then, there are Ashkenazim who don’t eat “gebrochts”.

Gebrochts means “broken” in Yiddish – and in this case refers to matza that has absorbed liquid. Not eating gebrochts is observed by many in the Hasidic Jewish community and Ashkenazim who have taken on this tradition where they basically don’t mix anything wet with matza.

So, things like matzo sandwhiches, fried matzo, and even matzo balls are a no-no for them.

There is a joke that sums it all up:

On Passover, we should remember people who have little to eat on this holiday. They are called Ashkenazim.

Over the years, I have learned to adapt “normal” food for passover so that my family won’t complain about boring, tasteless, or repetitive meals.

I find that having good food and variety makes the week of Passover a very pleasant experience and I hope this recipe will help make yours just that!

A little about bananas

Bananas are a healthy and comparatively inexpensive fruit. The most popular type found in grocery stores starts out (and are shipped to destination countries) green, but turn yellow by the ripening process. Unripe, they are not sweet but get softer and sweeter as they ripen.

Bananas normally have approximately 80 – 110 calories, depending on size and are almost exclusive made up of carbohydrates and water, with only a little protein and no fat. In addition, bananas have nutrients, anti-oxidants, and a variety of other health benefits.

When used in baking, the over-ripe bananas (the kind that you would often throw out as non-edible) give the most flavor. You can freeze bananas (even those that are ripe and flavorful enough for good eating) and they will be perfect to bake with when defrosted.

So, not only are Banana Muffins for Passover delicious, but they have some benefits too!

Continue to Content

Yield: 16 standard muffins

Banana Muffins for Passover

Print

Moist, non-dairy, banana muffins rich in chocolate chips, kosher for Passover

Prep Time 10 minutes

Cook Time 20 minutes

Total Time 20 minutes

Ingredients

• 3/4 cup matzo cake meal (finely ground matzo meal)
• 3/4 cup potato starch
• 1 cup white sugar
• 1 teaspoon baking soda **
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 egg
• 1/2 cup oil
• 1 tablespoon vanilla extract or flavoring
• 3 medium size bananas, as over-ripe as possible, mashed
• 1 1/2 cups chocolate chips

Instructions

1. Mix together the matzo meal, potato starch, sugar, baking soda and salt.
2. Add the egg, oil, vanilla, and bananas and combine well.
3. Mix in 1 cup of the chocolate chips.
4. Using a large spoon or ladle, pour batter into the paper-lined or greased standard muffin cups until they are 2/3 to 3/4 full. *
5. Take from the remaining chocolate chips and generously sprinkle on top.
6. Place in oven that has been preheated to 350° F.
7. Bake for 15-20 mins or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean (normally the top will have browned slightly, but sometimes the middle is still not done).

Notes

MAKE SURE ALL INGREDIENTS THAT ARE REQUIRE TO BE SO ARE CERTIFIED KOSHER FOR PASSOVER.

* The higher you fill the the muffin cups, the higher they will turn out, but the quantity will be less. Also, be careful not to overfill or they will spill on to the muffin tin.

** While baking powder is a leavener, it does not leaven through fermentation but rather though chemical reaction, so it is kosher for passover and you can find it labelled as such.

Nutrition Information:

Yield:

16

Serving Size:

1
Amount Per Serving: Calories: 306Total Fat: 13gSaturated Fat: 4gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 9gCholesterol: 15mgSodium: 168mgCarbohydrates: 47gFiber: 2gSugar: 26gProtein: 3g

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