Double Chocolate Banana Muffins

I don't usually crave chocolate. I frequently crave ice cream and occasionally, especially, if I haven't been eating well, I get a hankering for a big salad with meat on top. But I don't usually crave chocolate.  A couple weeks ago, however, I got a very specific desire to make double chocolate banana muffins. I knew I had seen the recipe before, and I even thought it was a Taste of Home recipe. A quick internet search found it, and oh, it did not disappoint. Craving fulfilled in a big way. I have made these twice in the past week.

By the way, my low carb diet is not going very well.


Double Chocolate Banana Muffins

1.5 cups flour (I use one cup white whole wheat and 1/2 cup all purpose)
1/4 cup cocoa powder
1 scant cup sugar
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon baking powder
1 and 1/3 cup mashed banana (from 4-5 bananas)
1/3 cup oil
1 egg
1 cup mini chocolate chips


Mix dry ingredient together. In a separate bowl, mix banana, egg and oil and add to dry ingredients, mixing just until combined. Fold in chocolate chips. Fill lightly greased muffin cups and bake at 350 for 20-25 minutes.

Millet Muffins

I am going to try and go a month without posting any rice recipes. So I probaby won't be posting much this month. :)

These muffins don't have rice; instead they have millet, a weird little grain I picked up at the Cloverdale Country Store (oh, how I miss that place). These muffins and a millet breakfast porridge are the only uses I have found for it, but these muffins themselves are a reason to pick some up. Millet is cheap, and from what I read is easily digestible and non-allergic. Are you rushing out to get some yet?

We had these muffins with split pea soup and they were quite tasty, and also great with scrambled eggs the next morning.

Recipe from The Cheapskate Cook

2 1/4 c whole wheat flour
1 t salt
1 t baking powder
1 t baking soda
1/4 cup millet
1 c buttermilk
1 egg
1/2 c oil
1/2 c honey

Mix dry ingredients. Add wet ingredients and mix until just combined. Fill 12 muffin cups and bake at 400* for 15 minutes.

Leftover Oatmeal Muffins

Oatmeal is standard breakfast fare around here, but I can't seem to figure out how much we need every day, so we sometimes end up with leftovers.  I am fine with hot oatmeal for breakfast, but leftover oatmeal kind of makes me want to gag.  So I was happy to find this recipe for leftover oatmeal muffins and everyone was happy with the result. They are perfect for tossing in lunches or for snacks.


1/2 cup white flour
1/2 cup whole wheat flour (I generally use all white whole wheat flour)
1/2 cup brown sugar
1 t baking powder
1 t baking soda
1/2 cup canola oil (I sometimes use 1/4 oil and 1/4 applesauce)
2 eggs
1 c leftover oatmeal
2/3 cup raisins
1 t vanilla

In a large bowl, combine dry ingredients. In another bowl, stir oil, eggs, oatmeal, raisins and vanilla together. Add to dry ingredients and mix until just moistened. Spoon into 12 greased muffin tins. Bake at 350 for about 18 minutes. These freeze well.

Honey Whole Wheat Banana Muffins

Got bananas? Are they brown beyond eating? Make these. They are very, very, very delicious.

The recipe is from A Messy Cook on food.com. I halved it to make the proportions fit us better.


1 3/4 cups whole wheat flour
1 T wheat germ
1 t baking soda
1/2 t salt
1/3 cup olive or canola oil
1/2 cup honey
2 eggs
1 cup mashed banana
1/4 cup hot water

Mix together dry ingredients. Beat oil and honey together and mix in eggs and banana. Add dry ingredients to wet, alternating with hot water, mixing after each addition. Don't overmix.

Bake at 325 for 15 - 20 minutes. Remove from oven and cool on rack.

Add in chocolate chips if you like. Enjoy!

Muffins

Muffins are probably my favorite of the baked goods. They're light and fluffy, sweet (most of the time) and can be packed with all sorts of good stuff. Today I share my two favorite muffin recipes.

I wish I could get my hands on more zucchini so I could make these first ones more often. I have been leaving my car unlocked, hoping someone will fill it with zucchini, but so far, no luck...

Apple Zucchini Muffins
1.5 cup flour
3/4 cup sugar
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 egg
1/2 cup oil
1/4 cup milk
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 Tablespoon lemon juice
1 cup grated zucchini
1 small apple, grated

Mix the dry stuff, mix in the wet stuff, fold in the zucchini and apple, spoon into muffin cups and bake for 20-22 minutes at 350. To make them extra delectable, dip the tops of the still warm muffins in melted butter and sugar.

I have also made these with part whole wheat flour and applesauce in place of some of the oil, but they just weren't the same. Modify at your pleasure (just please don't leave me comments telling me all your modifications. I like them the way they are).


Next up, my healthy muffin recipe. I have no hesitation eating these for breakfast (disclaimer: I have no hesitation eating almost anything for breakfast), but I actually feel good eating these for breakfast.

Banana Blueberry Muffins
1 cup whole wheat flour
3/4 cup white flour
1/4 cup wheat germ
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 stick unsalted butter
1/3 cup white sugar
1/3 cup brown sugar
2 eggs
2 ripe bananas
1/2 cup milk
1 teaspoon milk
1 cup blueberries

To give credit where credit is due, I did not come up with this recipe. I found it somewhere on the World Wide Web. I couldn't tell you where because I wrote the above on a post-it note with these instructions: 375. 25 min. I guess that's not really giving credit, but simply claiming that this recipe is not the product of my own genius.

I would suggest, however, that you start by creaming the butter and sugars, then add the eggs, milk, vanilla and mashed bananas, then add in all the dry ingredients and mix well, and lastly fold in the blueberries.


Let me know when you make either of these. I'll be over for muffins and cold milk!

What kind of muffins are your favorite?