Double Chocolate Banana Muffins

To make these chocolate banana muffins a little easier on the waistline, I substituted most of the oil with vanilla yogurt.  The result was an intensely moist muffin that retained more moisture over the few days they survived in the kitchen.

I saw marshmallow topped cupcakes on Martha Stewart’s website, so the second tin of muffins received the same treatment.  For experimental sake.  The kids loved the sticky caramelized marshmallows, I might have too.

Here is the recipe:

• 4 ripe bananas
• 1/2 cup vanilla yogurt
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 3 eggs
• 2 Tbsp oil
• 3 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 1/2 tsp baking powder
• 1 1/2 cups sugar
• 1/2 cup brown sugar
• 1 tsp salt

Pre-heat the oven to 350ºF.  Fill a muffin tin with paper liners.

Combine the wet ingredients, mashing the bananas to a fine pulp, in a bowl.  In a second, larger bowl, combine the dry ingredients.  Make a well in the center to pour in the wet mixture.  Gently mix by hand until the flour is no longer visible.

Fill the paper cups mostly full ( I like big muffin tops) and bake for 25 minutes.

Option: Top the baked muffins (do not over bake them) with one large marshmallow each.  Place under the broiler for a few seconds, do not walk away!  Squish the toasted marshmallows to cover the top of the muffin.

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Dark Chocolate Muffins

I’ve just made a small batch of big, moist, super chocolatey muffins.  They are more akin to a cake than my usual muffins.

• 1/2 cup Hershey’s Dark Cocoa powder
• 1 cup all-purpose flour
• 1/2 tsp baking soda
• 1/4 tsp baking powder
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/8 tsp ground cinnamon
• 1/8 tsp ground allspice
• 1 cup sugar
• 1/2 cup oil
• 3 eggs
• 1/2 tsp vanilla
• 3 really ripe bananas
• 1/2 cup plain organic yogurt

Sift the cocoa, flour and spices into a large mixing bowl with a whisk (or a sifter if you’ve got one, lucky you!).  Add the remaining dry ingredients and mix them all together, form a well in the middle.  In a separate bowl, combine the eggs, vanilla, and yogurt first.  Add the bananas and blend with a hand mixer, this is to break down the bananas so they disappear into the batter, you’ll have a hint of banana after they are baked and the muffins will be moist.  The darker the bananas, the stronger the flavour.  Add the oil to the banana mixture, I usually use a light extra virgin olive oil or a light canola oil which will impart even less flavor than the olive variety.  Pour the wet ingredients into the well of the dry, gently mix until the flour is no longer visible.  If you over mix muffins, the tops will have more of a cone shape and not a Portobello mushroom shape that is desired.

Divide the batter between six large muffin cups (you can make them smaller if you like, this is just how this batch was made! The baking time will be less if you use a smaller size muffin cup)   Bake at 350°F for 20-25 minutes, check them with a toothpick to see that the middle is no longer wet.  Do not over bake or they will dry out.  The muffins should be moist but have crumbs sticking to the toothpick when poked.

Cool the muffins on a rack for a few minutes before popping them out of the tin.  Hide these from everyone else you will be left with crumbs!  Over course if you were to take these to a friend’s house you’d be a great friend indeed 🙂

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the apprentice

The baby of the family spends the most time with me in the kitchen.  She has started eating small soft foods and would eat everything she could get her little hands on if you let her.  Including muffins.  She is a welcome kitchen companion as she gabbs and coos pretending to take part in the conversation. 

Banana Chocolate Chip Muffins

 This is the full batch version, this can be easily halved by using half measurements and 2 eggs instead of 3

• 3 cups all purpose flour
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 1 tsp salt
• 1/2 tsp baking powder
• 1/2 tsp cinnamon
• 1/4 tsp nutmeg
• 1/4 tsp allspice
• 2 cups sugar
• 1 cup vegetable oil (light olive oil works)
• 3 large eggs
• 1 Tbsp vanilla extract
• 4 ripe bananas, mashed
• 1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips

Pre-heat the oven to 325F.  Prepare a muffin tin with paper liners.  You should get about 2 dozen regular size muffins.

Mix the dry ingredients in a large bowl.  Whisk to distribute and fluff the flour.  Mix the oil, eggs, bananas, vanilla, and chips in a bowl.  Make a well in the dry ingredients, pour the banana mixture into the well.  Gently stir the batter together just until the flour disappears.

Bake in the paper lined tin for about 25 minutes.  Poke the center of one with a toothpick or knife to check for crumbs.   

Once the muffins have cooled slightly, remove them from the tins to racks.

And of course, share a few nibbles with your little apprentice.

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