• Banana Chocolate Muffins

    October 25, 2023 Author: Rachel
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    Recipe adapted from Dessert for Two.

    Ingredients:

    • 2 very ripe bananas
    • 1/4 c. sugar
    • 2 TBSP canola oil
    • 1 large egg
    • 1/2 tsp. vanilla extract
    • 1/2 c. all-purpose flour
    • 1/4 c. Dutch-process cocoa powder
    • 1 tsp. baking soda
    • 1/4 tsp. salt
    • 1/4 c. mini chocolate chips

    Directions:

    1. Preheat the oven to 350, and spray 6 count muffin pan with cooking spray.
    2. In a large bowl, mash the banana very well with a fork until it’s smooth. Mash it very well until it’s almost liquid, not lumpy.
    3. Next, whisk in the sugar, oil, egg and vanilla extract. Whisk very well until combined.
    4. In the same bowl, sprinkle the flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, and salt on top. Using a spatula, stir until well combined.
    5. Finally, stir in the chocolate chips, saving a few for the top of the muffins.
    6. Divide the batter between the muffin cups evenly, and sprinkle chocolate chips on top of each muffin.
    7. Bake for 16-18 minutes, or until the muffins are done. They’re done when they spring back when pressed gently on the top. Err on the side of “less done” in the center because they will continue to cook after removing from oven.
    8. Remove from oven and let cool in the pan for about 10 minutes, and then move the muffins to a cooling rack, and let cool completely before serving.

    Banana Chocolate Muffins:

  • Apple Crumb Muffins

    October 5, 2022 Author: Rachel
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    Recipe from the Food Nanny.

    Ingredients:

    Muffins

    • 1 egg
    • 1/2 c. milk
    • 1/4 c. vegetable oil or melted butter
    • 1/2 c. sugar
    • 2 tsp. baking powder
    • 1/2 tsp. salt
    • 1 1/2 c. flour
    • 1 c. apple, peeled and grated (about 1 1/2 apples)
    • 1 tsp. cinnamon
    • 1/2 c. sourdough discard, optional

    Streusel

    • 1/4 c. butter, softened
    • 1/4 c. sugar
    • 1/4 c. brown sugar
    • 1/2 flour
    • 1 1/2 tsp. cinnamon

    Directions:

    1. Muffins: In a bowl, mix all of the the muffin ingredients until moist. Batter will be lumpy. Spoon mixture into greased muffin tins.
    2. Streusel: In a small bowl, mix all streusel ingredients with your hands or pastry cutter.
    3. Add Streusel to Muffins: Sprinkle the top of each muffin with the streusel.
    4. Bake: Bake at 375 for 20 minutes, or until done.

    Apple Crumb Muffins:

  • Whole Wheat Banana Muffins with Maple Frosting

    August 20, 2014 Author: Rachel
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    These muffins are beyond delicious.  They are moist and flavorful and you would never know that they are healthyish!

    Think banana bread meets maple frosting.

    Think muffin meets cupcake.

    Think delicious.

    I combined two different recipes to create these muffins.

    Muffin recipe from Two Peas and Their Pod.  Frosting Recipe from Crazy for Crust.

    Ingredients:

    • 2 c. whole-wheat flour
    • 1 tsp. baking powder
    • 1 tsp. baking soda
    • 1/2 tsp. salt
    • 1/4 tsp. ground cinnamon
    • 4 large ripe bananas (about 1 3/4 c. mashed)
    • 1 c. packed brown sugar
    • 1/4 c. coconut oil, melted and cooled
    • 1 large egg
    • 1/2 c. plain Greek yogurt
    • 2 tsp. pure vanilla extract
    • Turbinado sugar, for sprinkling on muffins before baking, optional

    Frosting Ingredients:

    • 3 TBSP unsalted butter, melted
    • 1 c. powdered sugar
    • 1/2 tsp. maple extract
    • 1 tsp. vanilla extract
    • Milk or heavy whipping cream

    Directions:

    1. Preheat the oven to 350*F. Line a muffin pan with paper liners, spray with cooking spray, and set aside.
    2. In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and cinnamon. Set aside.
    3. Peel the bananas and mash with a fork. Place the mashed bananas in a large bowl. Add the brown sugar, coconut oil, egg, Greek yogurt, and vanilla extract. Stir until well combined. Slowly stir in the dry ingredients. Mix until just combined.
    4. Fill muffin liners three-quarters full. Bake until toothpick inserted into center comes out clean, about 20 minutes. Transfer to wire rack to cool.
    5. For the frosting: whisk melted butter and powdered sugar. Add extracts, whisk until smooth. Add milk or heavy whipping cream (to desired consistency…start with just a small amount (1-2 tsp.) at a time and add more, if necessary), whisk until smooth. Immediately frost completely cooled muffins.

    Whole Wheat Banana Muffins with Maple Frosting:
    5star

  • Apple Zucchini Muffins

    August 10, 2014 Author: Rachel
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    These muffins are healthy, delicious, and kid approved. Need I say more?  I admit I was a bit skeptical given how little fat is in the muffins, but they turned out extremely moist and flavorful.

    They freeze wonderfully.  After they cool, I simply put them in a freezer bag, and then each night I pull 2 out (one for each kiddo), and put them in a sandwich bag for their school lunch the next day.  Perfect!

    Recipe adapted from Two Peas and their Pod.

    Ingredients:

    • 2 1/4 c. whole wheat flour
    • 3/4 c. dark brown sugar
    • 1/2 tsp. baking soda
    • 1/2 tsp. baking powder
    • 1/2 tsp. salt
    • 1 tsp. ground cinnamon
    • 1/4 tsp. ground allspice
    • 1 c. buttermilk
    • 1/4 c. unsweetened applesauce
    • 1 TBSP oil (melted coconut oil, canola oil, or vegetable oil)
    • 1 large egg
    • 1 tsp. vanilla extract
    • 1/2 c. grated apple (approximately 2 Granny Smiths)
    • 1/2 c. grated zucchini, moisture slightly squeezed out
    • 1 c. chopped peeled apple (approximately 1 Granny Smith)

    For the Topping: use more if needed

    • 4 TBSP crunchy sugar
    • 1/2 tsp. cinnamon

    Directions:

    1.  Preheat oven to 375*F. Line a muffin pan with paper liners or spray with cooking spray. Set aside.
    2. In a large bowl, whisk together flour, brown sugar, baking soda, baking powder, salt, cinnamon, and all-spice. In a small bowl, whisk together buttermilk, applesauce, oil, egg, and vanilla extract. Pour the wet ingredients over the dry ingredients and mix with a wooden spoon or spatula until just combined. Do not over mix. Gently stir in the grated apple, zucchini, and chopped apples.
    3. To make the topping, combine turbinado sugar and cinnamon in a small bowl. Stir well.
    4. Fill the prepared muffin pan with muffin batter, filling each cup about 3/4 the way full. Sprinkle each muffin with cinnamon sugar topping. Bake for 20 minutes, or until muffins are golden and a toothpick inserted in the center of a muffin comes out clean. Let muffins cool to room temperature and serve.

    ***Note-these muffins freeze well

    Apple Zucchini Muffins:
    5star

  • Healthy Banana Chocolate Chip Muffins

    August 21, 2013 Author: Rachel
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    This muffin recipe is so darn good.  The original recipe is vegan but I use milk instead of nondairy milk, and I also use a dairy based light margarine. But if you want to make it vegan go right ahead.  Everyone loves these muffins!!!

    Ingredients:

    • 1/4 c. skim milk
    • 1 tsp. apple cider vinegar
    • 1 c. all purpose flour
    • 1 c. whole wheat flour
    • 1/2 tsp. baking soda
    • 1/2 tsp. salt
    • 1/4 tsp. ground allspice
    • 1/4 tsp. ground nutmeg
    • 1/2 tsp. cinnamon
    • 1/2 c. light country crock margarine
    • 1/2 c. brown sugar
    • 1/2 c. white sugar
    • 3 ripe bananas
    • 1 tsp. vanilla
    • 1 8 oz. can crushed pineapple
    • 1/2 c. mini chocolate chips

    Directions:

    1. Preheat oven to 350*; line muffin pan with baking cups and spray with cooking spray.
    2. In a small bowl, combine milk and vinegar.
    3. In a large bowl, combine both flours, baking soda, salt and spices.
    4. In a mixing bowl, cream the margarine and sugars; then add the bananas, vanilla, milk mixture, and pineapple.
    5. Add the dry ingredients to the wet; then mix in chocolate chips.  Stir until just combined.
    6. Pour batter in the muffin tins and bake for 25 minutes (if making a loaf instead, bake for 60-70 minutes) or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
    7. Remove pan from oven and let cool slightly; then remove muffins and let cool on a cooling rack (if making a loaf, remove the pan from the oven and place on cooling rack for 10 minutes; then transfer the bread from the pan to the rack and let cool completely before slicing-preferably overnight).

    Healthy Banana Chocolate Chip Muffins:

  • Spooky Slow-Cooked Chili

    October 10, 2008 Author: Rachel
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    Here’s a great dish to get into the Halloween spirit…delicious chili topped with festive Halloween shaped cheese slices. To accompany the chili, I made my cornbread recipe in a silicone baking pan–shapes were leaves and pumpkins. Everyone loved the cornbread too…-s even said he liked the cornbread better from the silicone pan. I’ve never used a silicone pan before, but I was very pleased with the result. Somehow the cornbread had a crisp bottom, sides, and tops…I’m definitely motivated to buy some more silicone baking pans.

    Ingredients:

    • 1 tsp. olive oil
    • 1 lb. lean ground turkey or beef
    • 1 onion, chopped
    • 2 tsp. chili powder
    • 2 tsp. ground cumin
    • 1 tsp. sugar
    • 1 tsp. dried oregano leaves
    • 1 tsp. ground coriander
    • 1/2 tsp. salt
      1 28 oz can whole tomatoes, undrained
    • 1 15 oz can tomato sauce
    • 1 15 oz can spicy chili beans, undrained
    • 1 15 oz can kidney beans, drained and rinsed
    • Cheese and Halloween cookie cutters

    Directions:

    1. Heat olive oil in a nonstick skillet; add onions and meat; cook for a few minutes, then add spices (chili powder through salt), and continue cooking until meat is cooked.
    2. Meanwhile add the can of whole tomatoes to your crockpot insert and break up the tomatoes with your hands; then add the tomato sauce and both cans of beans. When the meat mixture is done add the meat to the crockpot and stir to combine.
    3. Cover and cook HIGH for 3 hours or LOW for 6 hours.
    4. Slice your cheese and use your Halloween themed cookie cutters to cut out shapes. Top each bowl of chili with a cheese cut out.

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    Spooky Slow-Cooked Chili:

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  • Berry Cream Cheese Muffins with Sweet Berry Drizzle

    December 9, 2007 Author: Rachel
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    I found this recipe on the Picky Palate food blog, and since I love berry muffins I bookmarked this recipe. Her recipe was adapted from Better Homes and Gardens, November 1997 recipe, and I changed the recipe up a bit for the ingredients I had on hand. This is so YUMMY! I’m not a batter licker, but I confess, I licked the bowl. I used a good quality frozen berry in lieu of fresh, and you couldn’t tell the difference. -s, who doesn’t really like berry muffins, really liked these, and of course it was kid friendly.
    Ingredients:

    Berries:

    • 10 oz fresh or frozen berries (if using frozen, make sure they are good quality whole berries and not the kind that has sugar syrup). I used frozen blueberries, raspberries, and blackberries
    • 2 Tablespoons sugar

    Batter:

    • 1 stick softened butter
    • 8 oz softened cream cheese
    • 1 Cup sugar
    • 1 Tablespoon lemon zest
    • 2 eggs
    • 1 teaspoon vanilla
    • 1 3/4 Cup all purpose flour
    • 1 teaspoon baking powder
    • 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
    • 1/8 teaspoon salt
    • 1/3 Cup heavy cream

    Berry Drizzle:

    • Heaping ¼ Cup powdered sugar
    • 1 teaspoon milk

    Directions: 

    1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Place berries and sugar in a large bowl. Stir to combine so that berries are coated in sugar. Set aside.
    2. In a stand or electric mixer cream the butter, cream cheese, sugar and lemon zest until well combined. Slowly beat in the eggs and vanilla until combined.
    3. Place the flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt into a large bowl. With mixer on low, add half the flour, then half cream, then remaining flour, then remaining cream until just combined.
    4. Fill 6 extra large muffins tins or 24 regular size tins with muffin batter (I actually got 14 muffins from a regular muffin tin, although they were very good sized ones), about ¾ full, that has been greased or sprayed with cooking spray. Press 4-6 (or more depending on your berry size) berries into tops of each unbaked muffin. Bake for 23-28 minutes or until golden brown on top and cooked through. Remove and let cool.
    5. In the same bowl as berries were in, place powdered sugar and milk. Whisk until smooth and drizzling consistency; should be a light pink color from the berry juice. Drizzle over top muffins and enjoy!

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    Berry Cream Cheese Muffins with Sweet Berry Drizzle:

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