Tags
If you have been wondering where I’ve been these past few weeks……….well after my kitchen island saga ended, work got super hectic and thats around the same time my technical issues with wordpress began ! My pictures could not be sized the way I want…… some pictures would just not work no matter what I tried so I had to use others and by the time I finally was getting a grasp on everything , I lost patience ……which is why I am so late in posting anything and why my pictures look awful !!! I apologise !!! Well, where do I begin…….shall we start with my kitchen saga ??? First the cabinets guys couldn’t come and had to postpone by 4 days, then the guys who had to install the stove were late ….you would think that after all that I would have a fully functioning kitchen right but…….no, the vent to the outside still needed to be connected !!! Juggling the trades and making sure they come in the order they have to ,while getting them here as early as possible was next to impossible !!!! Finally, the vent was fixed and after 1½ weeks of having a non-functioning kitchen, I can now cook…..and inside the house too!!!
Trying to cook on the outdoor stove was hard……the logistics alone, prep everything inside and carry it all outside especially when you have spices and pastes that need to be added at various stages ……god forbid one of the kids called me inside when I had the pressure cooker on, I had no clue as to how many whistles had been…well, whistled !!!! I also ended up with fruits and veggies that were not getting used as I had no stove……I am usually a better planner than that but the past few weeks have been hectic and as a result my brain is scrambled…I have no other explanation!!!
Anyway, I quickly chopped up the veggies into the sizes that I most commonly use and froze which solved my veggie problem and only left me with my fruit problem……a smoothie took care of most of the bananas and strawberries, I had only 2 apples left which promptly went into N’s lunchbox but I still had more bananas !! I was tired of the usual banana bread so I decided to add chocolate to it and make chocolate banana muffins!! The twins love banana muffins while N loves chocolate so it’s a win-win situation !!!! Easter is around the corner and even though I dont celebrate it , I figure these would make nice addition to an Easter brunch.
I have tried to make these as healthy as possible….. I replaced the butter with mild tasting canola oil, I replaced half the all purpose flour with wheat flour and using over ripe bananas reduces the need for sugar but you can use agave or honey if you do not want to use sugar at all !! I am ok with sugar in small amounts…moderation is my mantra. Do what you feel is the best for you and your family. However there are a few things to remember if you do use agave or honey, reduce the temperature to 375 F and the oil to 1/4 cup and use only 1/3 cup agave. Honey works on the same principle.Honestly though, many studies have indicated that all sugars are dense calories and moderation is key not replacement but the flavour profile differs with each product !
I love these dark, rounded and extremely elegant muffins..moist and super sweet from overripe bananas, the intensity of cocoa, heft from wheat flour and while I omitted the nuts, I love the crunch that you get from them. If you have it, mix together coarse sugar and nuts and top the muffins, which gives you the crumbly crust on top that everyone loves. My biggest issue with most muffin recipes is that they dry out easily but this one retains its moisture and deliciousness for quite a long time. The kids ate them for breakfast while I had mine with coffee…..as you can see, they are perfect anytime !!!!
Chocolate Banana Muffins
Makes 12
3 very ripe or overripe Bananas
½ cup Oil
2 Eggs
½ cup light Brown Sugar
3/4 cups All Purpose Flour
3/4 cup Wheat Flour
3 tbsp. unsweetened Cocoa
1 tsp. Baking Soda
Pre heat 400F. Line a muffin tray with paper liners.
Mash the bananas either by hand or with a mixer. Still mixing, add the oil, sugar and eggs.
Shift together the flour, cocoa and baking soda.
Add the dry ingredients to the wet, mixing until combined but still lumpy. DO NOT OVERMIX.
Spoon into prepared muffin tray, until 2/3 way full.
Bake for 15 mins or until a skewer comes out clean.
Cool on a wire rack and serve.
These are off to ” We should Cocoa” at the Chocolate Log Blog, ” Lets cook sweet treats for Easter ” at Simply Food and ” Family Foodies: Healthy Snacks ” at Eat your Veg.