Banana Muffins that ROCK

This recipe is based on one called Crazy Good Banana Muffins I found online this morning. I was looking for a quick-ish breakfast that would be slightly healthier than the totally decadent pumpkin bread I’m planning to make later today.

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1 1/2 cups flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon of cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon salt
4 bananas, mashed
1/4 cup almond milk
1/2 cup white sugar
3 tablespoons vegetable oil

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit. Line 12 muffin cups with muffin papers.
2. In a large bowl, mix together flour, baking soda, baking powder, cinnamon and salt.
3. In another bowl, beat together bananas, milk, sugar and oil.
4. Stir the banana mixture into the flour mixture just until moistened.
5. Spoon batter into prepared muffin cups. Bake in preheated oven for 18-23 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into center of muffin comes out clean. Do not over bake.

Preparation Time: 10 minutes, Cooking time: 20 minutes
Cooking Time: 20 minutes
Servings: 12

A Mighty Brunch, Indeed.

This past Sunday I hosted a brunch to benefit Charity: Water. I’m heading out on Thursday to Camp Mighty and every camper is tasked with fundraising at least $200 for this charity so that the entirety of the campers can raise at least $20,000. Some people are selling wares or teaching workshops or drawing pictures. I decided to make 192 mini muffins and turn them into a tree.

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We made other things, too. Here’s the spread…

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Kale and apple salad with poppyseed dressing, truffled deviled eggs, breakfast casserole, bacon roasted potatoes, The Source of All Bacon, fruit salad, muffin topiary (almond, pumpkin and cardamom pear) and Thank You Toffee.

I asked one of my friends to shoot pics as I assumed I wouldn’t have the attention span to do so. He did. Not that his attention span is much better.

Here’s one of me and his very patient wife, Stacy…

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Here’s one of just Stacy looking at him like she does…

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Here’s one of him (Andy) that I hope that she captured…

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I’m getting off track.

So, I hosted a brunch and lots of my friends attended. I was a little self conscious and didn’t want the party to be too big, in case I failed at hostessing. Mostly I just invited besties, people who have held my hair as I partied too hard and people who know my snarky side. Or any combination of above.

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Not a bad turnout, I say.

Greg and Moran came and brought their cherub of a son, Dashiel. Here he is with our fur baby, Shiro.

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Behind them you can see Dash’s mom alongside Casey and Marek. I think Marek is maybe driving the convo somewhat.

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My sweet puppy tried to scam my good friend, Megan, on whom Shiro could probably smell “total sucker for dogs.”

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My lovely beau, Clayton, offered his scrumptious breakfast sandwiches made fresh to order. Here’s a sample… Toasted sourdough spread with spicy mustard, topped with arugula, cilantro, bacon, sauteed onions and jalapenos…with an egg over easy. Or as I like to call it, “The Reason I am With That Guy.”

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There were endless Mimosas.

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Very adjacent to the donation bowl.

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And anytime a big, crystal bowl is at a party…someone has to make this joke:

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I love my friends. Thanks, guys, for helping me make my goal and giving me a most excellent send off to Camp Mighty. See you on the flip side!

Almond Jam Muffies

Breakfast was homemade almond muffins with porter peach jam in the middle.
I make my own almond milk (post coming soon) and it’s delicious. Being the miser that I am, I hate throwing anything away and store the pulp from milk making in the freezer. I recognize that not everyone reading this makes almond milk, so feel free to use almond meal or flour (find it with all the Bob’s Red Mill flours at your local grocer). You can make other substitutions, too, as you bake. The recipe called for regular white flour but I changed it to whole wheat pastry flour. About a month ago I used eggs instead of the replacer and stirred in chocolate chips after the final step while omitting the jam. Those were fantastic as well! Freeze the leftovers and reheat with swagger in the microwave.

Almond Jam Muffies

1 1/2 cups whole wheat pastry flour
1/4 cup vegan butter
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
2/3 cup sugar
egg replacer for 2 eggs
1/2 cup almond milk
1 cup almond pulp
2 teaspoon baking powder
jam (I used porter peach jam I bought from Urban Agrarian)

Directions:

1) Preheat oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit.

2) In a large mixing bowl, cut sugar into vegan butter with a pastry blender or fork until crumbly.  Whisk together egg replacer, almond milk and stir into sugar-butter mixture.  Gently stir in almond pulp, cinnamon and baking powder. Slowly and evenly fold flour into almond mixture.  The batter will be very thick….and that’s ok.

3) Fill a muffin pan with paper liners and spray with oil. Using a 1/4 cup measure, fill each muffin cup about halfway full.  Add a teaspoon of jam to the center of the batter for each muffin, then layer about a tablespoon of batter on top of the jam. My batter was so thick I could scoop and pat it into a little disk and lay over the jam-filled divot.

4) Bake for 25 to 35 minutes or until an inserted toothpick comes out clean.

*adapted from here.

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