Pawpaw Muffins

Pawpaw is an indigenous fruit to the U.S., its taste is similar to banana. It has many nicknames, including 'Kentucky banana', 'prairie banana', 'poor man's banana' and 'banango'.

Recipe Ingredients:

1 pound very ripe pawpaws
Non-stick vegetable spray
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 cup white cornmeal
1 tablespoon baking powder
1 large egg
1/3 cup 100% pure sweet sorghum
1/4 cup vegetable oil 1 cup milk
1/2 cup hickory nut or pecan pieces
1/2 cup raisins

Cooking Directions:

1. Wash and peel pawpaws, and press them through a food mill. Measure out 1 cup of pulp.
2. Preheat oven to 400°F (205°C). Using non-stick vegetable spray, grease 18 medium (2 1/2-inch or 1/3 cup) muffin cups. If desired, sprinkle a little cornmeal into the bottom of each muffin cup.
3. In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, cornmeal, and baking powder. Crack the egg into the center of the dry ingredients, and whisk the egg until it is well mixed. Add and whisk in the sorghum, oil, and milk, stirring until they are almost mixed. Using a rubber scraper, stir in the nuts and raisins. With the nuts barely mixed in, and the flour just incorporated, pour the batter into the muffin cups, filling-each about 2/3 full.
4. Bake 17 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. The muffins should be crusty on the top and brown on the bottom. Cool 3 minutes on a wire rack, then lift the muffins from the pan onto the wire rack to finish cooling.

Makes 18 muffins.

Recipe courtesy of Kentucky State University.