“To be or not to be my Valentine?” – I must admit this is a celebration, we as a couple, have truly struggled with. Should we follow in the commercial craziness and acknowledge a day designed for Love, or should make it our own and spin it into something slightly more intimate and beautiful and definitely “us”? As there is no formula for Love, there is certainly no formula for us on how to spent this day, so we let each year be a spontaneous surprise and each other free of obligations.

Tenderness… It has no formality of shape or form. My expression of love however, has plenty of taste and the tender “Good morning” smile of breakfast in bed. I am surprising my dearest one with low calorie banana & dark chocolate vanilla muffins. There is something so irresistible with fresh bakes coming in bed straight from the oven. Aromas and fragrant bites of comfort that go straight to the heart. Tenderness in a cup of coffee, a muffin cupcake and hand-written words of love.

Ingredients

• 1 ripe banana
• 1 cup of sugar
• 1 egg
• 2 cups of flour
• 1/2 cup of olive oil
• 8g vanilla sugar Dr. Oetker
• 1tsp soda bicarbonate (or baking powder)
• pinch of salt
• 70g solid dark chocolate, chopped
• handful of flake almonds

Method

1. Place the sugar, vanilla sugar and one egg in a bawl and whisk with an electric mixer for 5 minutes until the mixture is pail and fluffy.
2. Cut the banana in circles and whisk it in the mixture.
3. Add the olive oil and mix again.
4. Add the flour, soda bicarbonate and a pinch of salt and whisk until smooth.
5. Chop the chocolate in small chunks and mix within the muffin texture.
6. Place muffin paper cups in a muffin tin container. Spoon muffin mixture in each container filling 2/3s of the cups. Sprinkle almond flakes on top of every muffin.
7. Preheat the oven to 175C. Place the muffin tin container in the oven and bake for 30 min until the muffins have turned golden brown.
8. Once bakes, place the muffins on a wire-rack and let them cool completely before serving.