Banana Muffins w/ Streusel Topping

Muffin lover here.

I've come to realize that when it comes to baking lately, I'm always wanting to make muffins. Though, I don't necessarily find that to be a bad thing. Muffins are amazing!! I guess I'd prefer portion sized treat compared to craving tall, calorie filled cakes... which sounds good, now that I'm thinking of it...

The weather is starting to rise here (or should I say, it's gradually getting hotter and hotter here in Floirda!!) and we've bee stocking up on our fresh fruits and veggies. We've been buying tons of bananas more so compared to everything else (my mothers on this banana diet, strange as it might sound). So, me being me, taking any opportunity to bake with bananas, I decided to make Banana Muffins. I came across this post for Banana Muffins with a streusel topping not to long ago. Decided to give it a try to day.

What really makes these muffins is the topping. Oh the topping is so good! I could use this topping on other things (which I'm going to) and it'd taste fantastic! These are a must make when bananas are ripe!

Recipe

Streusel

1/2 cup finely chopped walnuts, toasted
1/4 cup old fashioned oats
1/4 cup firmly packed light brown sugar
2 tbsp. flour
1/4 tsp. baking powder
1/8 tsp. salt
2 tbsp. unsalted butter, cut into tiny pieces

Muffin

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/4 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp.baking soda
1/4 tsp. salt
3/4 tsp. ground cinnamon
1/4 tsp. ground ginger
1/4 tsp.freshly grated nutmeg
2 medium mashed ripe bananas
1 large egg
1/2 cup half-n-half or whole milk
1/4 cup unsalted butter, melted
1/3 cup firmly packed light brown sugar
1 tsp. vanilla extract

1.Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line 10 muffin cups with liners.

2To make the streusel, in a medium sized bowl, stir together walnuts, oats, brown sugar, flour, baking powder and salt, until well combined. Knead in butter using fingertips until well combined and clumpy; set aside.

3.To make the muffins, in a medium sized mixing bowl, sift together flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, ginger and nutmeg.
In a large mixing bowl, whisk together banana, egg, half-n-half, butter, brown sugar and vanilla until well combined; whisk in dry ingredients until just combined.

4Divide batter into muffin cups and evenly top with streusel. Bake for 25-30 minutes, or until golden brown and well risen. Cool for 5 minutes before transferring to wire rack to cool completely.

Makes 10 muffins


My reaction once I tried these muffins...

Mocha Chocolate Chip Muffins

Caffeine was in need today! I use to be a non stop, coffee everyday kind of person. I was one of those people that didn't think having coffee at 10pm was strange (but it definitely explains why I never slept!). Though I may not drink coffee as much as I use to, I still love coffee. Sunday mornings are the best times for coffee. Just waking up, don't have to do much, switch that coffee maker on and... relax.

But, this isn't coffee. Oh no. This is something better, I guarantee. A sweeter substitution for coffee, or, just a great accomplice to your morning jo'. These muffins are really simple to make, as any muffin really is. I used mini chocolate chip instead of regular chocolate chip, mainly because it was all I had. However, I've tried this recipe with regular chocolate chips and I'd recommend those over mini. Either way though, these muffins will turn out spectacular and start your morning off with you smiling!

Recipe

3 cups flour
1 cup sugar
1 tbsp. baking powder
2 tbsp. dutch-processed cocoa powder
3 tbsp. instant espresso
1/2 tsp. salt
1 1/2 cups whole plain yogurt
2 large eggs
8 tbsp. unsalted butter, melted and cooled
12 ounces semi-sweet chocolate chips


1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Line or grease 12 muffin cup pan.

2. In a large bowl, whisk the flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and cocoa powder together. Set aside.

3. In a medium bowl, whisk the yogurt, eggs, and instant espresso together until smooth. Gently fold yogurt mixture into the flour mixture until just combined, then fold in the melted butter.

4. Divide batter into each muffin cup. Bake for 20-25 minutes. Let muffins cool for 5 minutes in pan before removing.

Coffee Cake Muffins

It's been awhile since I've posted anything, has it not!? Life got in the way, honestly. Way to many things going on that I really have no found the time to bake and/or cook at all. From family issues to friend issues, to relationship issues to illness issues, it's been really nonstop in the life of Tarah. For the past week though, slowly but surely, things have been starting to slow down. Not so unbalanced as it was last month.

Really, it all started getting worst once Christmas came around. It seemed like everything was headed straight down the gutter. Nothing seemed to be going right, no one knew what to do. The whole time threw all this chaos, I've been staying away from the house. I felt it'd be better that way. It was a good things I did, honestly.

The whole time I spent my time with my boyfriend, who really always up-ed my mood. It became hard for me to even be negative after being with him, even when I came home to news I really didn't want to hear. I've just been telling myself "Think of the beauty still left around you and be happy." I started to cherish everything a bunch more, and stopped looking at the negativity of things. I almost feel like a new person, I guess you could say.

"You have to put up with a little rain to get to the pot of gold at the end of the rainbow."

Recipe

For Streusal Topping

1 cup packed brown sugar
1 cup flour
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. ground cinnamon
1/2 cup chilled butter, cut into small pieces

For Muffins

1/2 cup butter, room temperature
1 3/4 cups flour
2 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. baking soda
1 cup sour cream
1 cup granulated sugar
1 tsp. vanilla extract
2 large eggs


1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Butter and flour a muffin pan.

2. In a medium bowl, stir together brown sugar, flour, and salt. With a pastry blender or two knives, cut in butter until mixture resembles large coarse crumbs; refrigerate until ready to use.

3. In a small bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, and baking soda; set aside.

4. Using an electric mixer on medium speed, beat together butter, sour cream, granulated sugar, and vanilla until light and fluffy. Beat in eggs, one at a time, until well combined. With mixer on low, beat flour mixture into butter mixture.

5. Divide half the batter among prepared muffin cups. Top with half the streusel mixture, then remaining batter, and top with streusel. Bake 25 to 30 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in center of a muffin comes out clean. Cool in pan 5 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.

Pumpkin Bread Pudding

Fall is here! Even here in Orlando, Florida you can feel it! We reach our newest lows for the season; Lows of 36 degrees and highs of 65. It's been so beautiful out for the past couple days! I love the cool weather! Makes me wonder some times as to why I'm living in Florida..

I actually plan to move soon once I start attending college. I really want to go live on NY. I've always loved it up there, so why not live there? I love the city, the scenery, the people; I love so much about it. Whether I move there soon, or a few years from now, I know that I want to live there.

But anyways, a bit of topic! To celebrate the fact that fall is here, I decided to bake something that just screams autumn; pumpkin. What better than a comforting pumpkin bread pudding to celebrate with, yea? I've been holding on to this recipe that I found not to long ago, waiting for the right time to try it out. Let me tell you, it didn't disappoint.

Recipe

1 cup heavy cream
3/4 cup canned solid-pack pumpkin
1/2 cup whole milk
1/2 cup sugar
2 large eggs plus 1 yolk
1/2 tsp. salt
1 tsp. ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp. ground ginger
1/8 tsp. ground allspice
Pinch of ground cloves
2 tbsp. bourbon
5 cups cubed (1-inch) day-old baguette or crusty bread
3/4 stick unsalted butter, melted

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees with rack in middle.

2. Whisk together pumpkin, cream, milk, sugar, eggs, yolk, salt, spices and bourbon, if using, in a bowl.

3. Toss bread cubes with butter in another bowl, then add pumpkin mixture and toss to coat. Transfer to an ungreased 8-inch square baking dish and bake until custard is set, 25 to 30 minutes.

Banana Oatmeal Cookies

Bananas are one of those things that I love to bake with. I never get tired of baking up some comforting banana bread or some big, yummy muffins. I love baking with them and having them. One thing that I've always had trouble finding was a good recipe for banana cookies. I tried my handful of tries and as well as tried several other recipes for banana cookies, but, I've never been to crazy about them. I don't want a cookies that reminds me of eating a banana muffin. I mean, its a cookie, not a muffin.

I recently have seen a lot of people talking about The Essential Chocolate Chip Cookbook by Elinor Klivans. I've heard that it's a really awesome cookbook to have on hand, so, when I got the money, I decided to go check it out. One of the recipes that appealed to me was the Banana Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies. They looked really good, and, healthy. After seeing the blogger Erin Cooks post on the cookies, I decided that I need to bake them right away.

What was so great about these cookies, for me, was that they didn't taste like a banana muffin. They tasted like they were really a Banana Cookies, which, was what I was looking for. I did, however, not add the chocolate chips. I wanted to make these so that my father could eat them too (who doesn't really enjoy chocolate... hard to believe, right?), so I didn't had the chocolate chips. Nonetheless, they still came out really well. This is a recipe I'll be keeping on hand.

Recipe

1 1/4 cups flour
1 tsp. baking soda
1/4 tsp. salt
1 tsp. ground cinnamon
6 tbsp. butter, room temperature
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup brown sugar, packed
1 egg
1 tsp. vanilla
1 cup rolled oats
2 bananas, ripe


1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper.

2. In a small bowl, stir the flour, baking soda, salt, and cinnamon together, set aside. In a large bowl, beat the butter and sugars until smoothly blended. Add the egg and vanilla and beat until blended.

3. Slowly add the flour mixture with the butter mixture, mixing just until it is incorporated. Stir in the oatmeal. Use a large spoon to mix in the ripe bananas and mash, mixing just until they are evenly distributed.

4. Drop by tablespoonfuls of dough onto prepared baking sheets. Bake until edges are lightly browned and the tops look dry, about 18 minutes. Cool the cookies on the baking sheet for 10 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely.

Makes about 2 dozen cookies

Banana Piña Colada Muffins

To start this post off, I have to say; These have to be some of the best banana muffins I've ever tried!! Seriously, no joke. They seriously taste as though they came straight out from a bakery! It was when I pasted a local bakery that I decided today to bake Banana. And when I thought about it, I hadn't some in awhile, and, it felt like a great time to bake some.

When summer comes around, fruit is something that most people eat because it's hot, and, eating hot food or heavy food just doesn't sound good when you dieing from heat. You want some light and fresh tasty. Fruit is exactly that. And it's been feeling a lot like summer here in Florida. So we've got a lot of fruit floating around here. So, to but the bananas to use, I decided to make them into muffins.

I'm not joking when I say that these are good; Because they really have to be some of the best muffins I have ever made! Coconut and raisins, in my opinion, team beautifully together (especially in that famous rum drink, the piña colada for some of you). The two play just as nicely together in this whole-grain muffin. Banana adds pleasingly moist texture, and an additional taste of the tropics.

Recipe

2 cups flour
1/2 cup diced dried pineapple
1/2 cup raisins
1/2 cup butter
1/2 cup brown sugar, light or dark
1 tsp. vanilla extract
3/4 tsp. coconut flavor or rum flavor (optional)
1 1/2 cups mashed ripe bananas (about 3 large bananas)
1/4 cup honey
2 large eggs
3/4 tsp. baking soda
3/4 tsp. baking powder
1/4 tsp. cinnamon
1/2 tsp. salt
1/3 cup shredded coconut


1. Preheat your oven to 350 degrees. Line 12 muffin cups with muffin cups.

2. In a large bowl, beat together the butter, sugar, vanilla, and coconut or rum flavor. Add the bananas, honey, eggs, baking soda, baking powder, nutmeg, and salt, beating until smooth.

3. Stir in the flour, then add the pineapple and raisins. Spoon the batter into the muffin cups and sprinkle each muffin with coconut.

4. Bake the muffins for 25 to 28 minutes, or until a tester inserted into the center comes out clean. Remove from the oven, and let set for 5 minutes. Take muffins out of muffins cups and serve warm, or at room temperature. Store in an air tight container.

Orange Blackberry Muffins

Lately, I don't know about other places, but lately here in Orlando, blackberries have been on sale. I'm guessing it the season for them? I really have no idea. I don't really know anything about berries. I only know about oranges since my fathers in the citrus business. But since they've been on sale, I thought, you know, why not get them. I mean, theres a lot I can bake and make with them.

I thought of added orange to these, you know, since they've just been laying around. My dad had just brought home a bunch of oranges recently, so I thought I might as well make use of them. It made the muffins just that much more better. So moist in the inside, and the blackberries; Oh my god, I just love berries when they are baked in the oven! When you take that first bite, and the berries are still hot and soft; It's just unbelievable.

Theres an event that I recently found that I found pretty interesting. And I've yet to participate in it. It's a new blogging event called 'Snack Shots', and when the new event came up for muffins, I decided, why not enter it in? So, I've decided to enter my yummy Orange Blackberry Muffin into the running for Snack Shots #3; Muffins. Details for this event can be found here.

Recipe

2 cups all-purpose flour
2 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/3 cup sugar
1/2 cup butter, melted
Zest and juice of 1 orange
3/4 cup buttermilk
2 large eggs
3 tablespoons honey
1 cup blackberries, fresh

Decorating sugar, for topping (optional)


1. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Butter or spray the 12 molds in a regular-size muffin pan or fit the molds with paper muffin cups.

2. Pour the orange juice into a large glass measuring cup or a bowl and pour in enough buttermilk to make 1 cup. Whisk in the eggs, honey and melted butter.

3. In a large bowl, rub sugar and orange zest together with fingertips until the sugar is moisten and you can smell the orange. Whisk in the flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Pour the liquid ingredients over the dry ingredients and gently but quickly stir to blend. Stir in the blackberries. Divide the batter evenly among the muffin cups.

4. Bake for about 22 to 25 minutes. If you want, you can decorating the muffins with sugar. Just sprinkle on the sugar after the muffins have baked for 10 minutes. Transfer the pan to a rack and cool for 5 minutes before carefully removing each muffin.

Raisin Nut Granola

Aside from having cereal for breakfast, granola is one of my favorite food to have for breakfast. And I've finally gotten around to posting about this; My favorite granola. It's such a great breakfast food. Gives you plenty of energy to start off your day, and, the good perk about it is; its great for you! But, I would say, that making it homemade is the way to go. I don't really enjoy the store bought granola.

I had one experience when I thought about buying a store bought brand... Me being me, I look at the nutritional facts all the time. I try to make sure what it is I'm buying is actually good for you (I think this habit is rubbing off on my little brother; He now points out whats on the nutrition label). I forget what brand of granola this one I look at, for I'm not to familiar with the different kinds of brands, but I kid you not; This granola was loaded with 40g of sugar!! That'd cause a diabetic to drop down in a heart beat!

It just shocked me. I feel bad for the people who didn't look at the nutritional label. I mean, god... Thats a lot of sugar. And that's just ridiculous! Thats when I decided to just stick to making homemade granola. And this granola; It's killer. This is my favorite granola to make. I totally go bonkers for it, and I've even gotten my boyfriend into it (who is trying to eat more healthy..). A lot of the time, I just eat this plain. I don't usually add milk to it. From time to time, when I've been wanting milk, I'll add a little. But I think it's great just as it.

I'll even make parfaits with this. With some yogurt, or, make caramlized bananas with granola. Either ways, its great. And my dad is crazy for this stuff. He'll usually have some before working out. My mom however... She's not a breakfast eater. Which I tell her is bad!! But not that she listens...

"The most important meal of the day, lalalala, yay!" - Spongebob

Listen to Spongebob people!

Recipe

3 cups rolled oats
1 cup pecans, chopped
1 cup cashews, chopped
1/2 cup shredded sweet coconut
1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons dark brown sugar
1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons maple syrup
1/4 cup honey
3/4 teaspoon salt
2 tsp. cinnamon
1 tsp. vanilla
1 cup raisins


1. Preheat oven to 250 degrees.

2. In a large bowl, combine the oats, nuts, coconut, and brown sugar. In a separate bowl, combine maple syrup, honey, and salt. Combine both mixtures and pour onto 2 sheet pans. Bake for 1 hour and 15 minutes, stirring every 15 minutes to achieve an even color.

3. Remove from oven and transfer into a large bowl. Add raisins and mix until evenly distributed. Store at room temperature for up to a week.

Oatmeal Bread

Oats, in my opinion, is one of the best things to bake with. It's such a verse ital ingredient that you can really make it with anything. My father, you is a big time griller, has even been grilling with oats. Lately, he who loves burgers, has been going to the healthy side. Lately, he's been grilling turkey burgers! One of the main ingredients? Rolled Oats. It really does add great flavor to the turkey burgers..

Side from that, I decided to make Oatmeal Bread today. I debated on weather or not to make them with raisins, and I decided that I just wanted Oatmeal Bread. Not one with raisins. This Oatmeal bread is a nice golden, cake like bread, and goes great with peanut butter or jam, like strawberry jam. And if it becomes a little stale, simply toast it a little before serving. It's a really delicious loaf of bread.

Recipe

1 1/4 cup buttermilk
1/2 cup rolled oats
1 1/2 cup flour
1 tsp. cinnamon
1 tsp. ground ginger
1 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup butter, melted
2 eggs
1/2 cup raisins (optional)


1. In a bowl, stir together the buttermilk and rolled oats. Let stand for 30 minutes.

2. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease an 8 1/2" by 6 1/4" loaf pan. Dust with flour.

3. In another bowl, stir together the flour, cinnamon, ginger, baking soda, baking powder and salt. Set aside. Add the sugar, butter and eggs to the oatmeal mixture (this is where you'd add the raisins if you wanted a Oatmeal Raisin Bread). Beat until well blended. Add the dry ingredients and beat until just blended.

4. Pour and scrape the batter into prepared pan and spread evenly. Bake until a thin wooden skewer inserted into the center comes out clean, about 1 hour. Let cool for 10 minutes in the pan, then transfer to a wire rack and cool completely. Serve with a jam, like strawberry jam if desired.

Whole Grain Maple Oatmeal Scones

I'd been craving scones for sometime now. I don't know when the last time I've really had a good quality scone. All I know is, it's been awhile. And I needed to have a scone today before I seriously went crazy from scone deprivation; Ok, not crazy, but I really wanted a good, yummy and delicious scone. And a homemade one at that. I was in no mood to go to Starbucks and get a scone that has more sugar than needed that'd it drive a diabetic to their death bed.

I decided I wanted to make Oatmeal Scones. Using one of my favorite ingredients to use while baking; Oatmeal. I think you can really use oatmeal in basically anything. My fathers even been making Turkey Burgers that have oatmeal in them. I've had them before and I have to say, they're very good. My entire family never wants to have a burger again. I haven't had one in sometime since I've decided that I'm going to be a Vegetarian.

Side from that, I really wanted Oatmeal Scones. To add more flavor, I added Maple Syrup. In my opinion, after tasted these scones, Oatmeal and Maple really go hand in hand. They're a great combination. And with the added cinnamon, everything just tasted wonderful all together. These are a great morning wake me up.

Recipe

1 1/3 cup oat flour
1 1/3 cup old-fashioned rolled oats
1 tbsp. baking powder
3/4 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. cinnamon
1/2 tsp. salt
1/4 cup brown sugar
8 tbsp. (1 stick) cold unsalted butter, cut into pieces
2/3 cup yogurt
2 tbsp. pure maple syrup


For the top:

1 tbsp. milk
1 tbsp. maple syrup
2 tbsp. oats


1. Preheat the oven to 400.

2. Whisk together the oat flour, baking powder, baking soda, brown sugar, salt and cinnamon in a large bowl. Transfer that mixture to the bowl of a food processor. Add the oats and pulse in short bursts (1 sec each) about 15 times. Drop in the pieces of cold butter and pulse again in short bursts until coarse meal forms, about another 15 pulses.

3. Place this mixture back into the large bowl. In a separate bowl or liquid measuring cup, whisk together the milk, yogurt and maple syrup. Pour the liquid into the flour/oat/butter mixture, and stir gently with a fork until it’s moistened and starts to come together. Using your hand, gather the dough into a ball right in the bowl and knead it a few times against the side of the bowl to bring the dough together.

4. Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface and pat it into a 3/4-inch thick circle. Using a sharp knife, cut like a pie into 8 wedges. Place the wedges on a baking sheet lined with parchment or a silicone baking mat.

5. Whisk together 1 tbsp milk and 1 tbsp maple syrup in a little bowl. Brush the tops of the scones with this mixture, then sprinkle the remaining 2 tbsp oats across the tops of the scones.

6. Bake for 15-17 minutes, until the tops are golden brown. Cool on a rack.

Makes 8 Scones.

Cinnamon Sugar Muffins

For the past couple days, I've been craving cinnamon. Anything cinnamon sounds wonderful to me right about now. And I don't know the reason. All I know is, I want something with cinnamon.

I had a few thoughts poppin in my head as to what I wanted to make that had cinnamon. I wanted to do a cake, but not many people would eat it in my house, so I crossed that out. The people in my house rarely eat cake. They only eat it on special occasions. How they do it remains a mystery to me.

Then I thought; Cinnamon Rolls? No, to time consuming. This went on for a while because I wanted to make something that everyone in the house would eat. So, I went around asking everyone. To my surprise, they all said a muffin would be great. Yes! And I love muffins! And I don't make them often.

I came up with a muffin that has a muffins topping. One with lots of cinnamon on the top. I was jumping up in down in excitement after opening the oven with that wonderful cinnamon smell coming out from it. I couldn't wait for the first bite; And as I soon as I took a bite, I've now declared this the best muffin I've ever had. It's almost like a doughnut! Seriously! Except, with out the guilt and added ingredients! A must try.

Recipe

Muffins

2 cups flour
1 tbsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. salt
2 large eggs
1 cup plain yogurt
2/3 cup packed brown sugar
4 to 8 tbsp. oil
1 tsp. vanilla

Topping

1/2 stick of butter, melted
1/4 cup sugar
1/2 tsp. cinnamon


1. Preheat oven to 400 degree. Line a standards muffin pan with paper cups.

2. In a large bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt. In a separate bowl, whisk together the eggs, yogurt, sugar, oil and vanilla. Slowly add the flour mixture to the wet mixture. Do not over mix.

3. Divide batter among the muffin cups and bake for about 12-15 minutes.

4. While the muffins are baking, melt 1/2 stick of butter and place in a bowl large enough to hold a muffin. Combine sugar and cinnamon in a small shallow bowl. As soon as the muffins are done, dip them in the butter and then roll them in the sugar mixture. Set on a rack to cool.

Blueberry Pumpkin Muffins

If I were to choice what muffin to eat, it most likely always going to be a blueberry muffin. If its a muffin, I'd much rather have some blueberries in it. Thats just the way I am. It's how I see a muffin. With lots of yummy blueberries. "Do I know the muffin man? Why yes, and he has a bunch of yummy, delicious blueberries in him!"

Every year when Fall comes around, me and my mom usually always stock up on canned pumpkin. We get so much, that we in the end realize that maybe we got just a little to much... However, it does come to use through out the year. I find it quite hard to find canned pumpkin during spring or summer, for they don't usually have them on the shelfs. But I do love to still have the great tastes of pumpkin every time of the year.

I decided to get out one of my canned pumpkin and put it to some good use. And I sure put it to good use; Delicious use that is! I added pumpkin to a blueberry recipe that I found and it, and it tasted very light, very moist and very tasty. A great low cal snack, holding only 146 calories per muffin. Yes! Can make it much more healthier by using whole wheat flour, and brown sugar instead of white sugar. Still comes out just as good!

Recipe

3/4 cup flour
3/4 cup quick cooking oats
2/3 cup sugar
2 tsp. baking powder
3/4 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp. nutmeg
1/2 cup canned pumpkin
1/2 cup milk
1 egg
1/4 cup butter, melted
3/4 cup fresh or thawed blueberries


1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Grease and flour muffin pans or use paper liners.

2. In a mixing bowl, mix together the flour, oats, sugar, baking powder, salt, cinnamon and nutmeg until evenly blended.

3. In a separate bowl, stir together pumpkin, milk, egg and butter. Gradually add in the flour mixture, just until all ingredients are moistened. Fold in the the blueberries. Spoon matter into 12 muffin cups, filling to the top.

4. Bake for about 20 minutes, then cool for 10 minutes.

Loaded Banana Bread

So, I came up with this today while cleaning out the pantry. A few weeks ago, a family friend was cleaning his house up and getting rid of things that he no longer needed. Since his wife is no longer living with him, he had no need for all the baking supply she left at the house nor did she want them. Being the kind person he is, he gave all of it to me! And there was a lot!

I got so much that I was seriously overwhelmed! I didn't know what to do with all of it! I'd never had so many things to make! Nonetheless, I was so happy to know that I had to many hings to use to bake with. And today I was trying to clean it up and decided to whip this up.

This Banana Bread serious is loaded. With Peanut M&M's, Peanut Butter Chips, Dark Chocolate Chips and Walnuts; It's just love in a loaf of bread.

Recipe

1 1/2 cups flour
1/2 whole wheat flour
2 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1/4 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. grated nutmeg
1 tbsp. grated orange peel
2 large banana's, ripe
1/4 cup walnuts, chopped
1/4 cup dark chocolate chips
1/4 cup peanut butter chips
1/2 cup peanut M&M's, crushed slightly
2 large eggs
3/4 cup packed brown sugar
8 tbsp. butter, melted
1/4 cup whole milk


1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Butter a 9 x 5" or a 8 x 4" loaf pan.

2. In a large bowl, mix together the flour, whole wheat flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, nutmeg and orange peel. Set aside.

3. In a medium bowl, mix together brown sugar and melted butter. Add eggs and mix together. Add milk and mashed banana's into mixture, mixing well. Add to flour mixture being careful not to over mix.

4. Fold in dark chocolate chips, peanut butter chips, peanut M&M's and walnuts. Pour into buttered pan and top with extra walnuts, if desired. Bake for about 50-55 minutes or till done. Cool in pan for several minutes before transferring to wire rack to cool completely.

Banana Nut Bread

I am a Banana Bread freak, which, many know. And I've gone threw my share of different Banana Bread recipes. I'm always trying to find a really tasty recipe for Banana Bread. The regular Banana Nut Bread has always been my favorite, and I thought I had already found a recipe that I thought was the best; Till I found this one.

I was reading a bread baking book the other day at my local Barnes and Noble when I came across this recipe. The recipe used only brown sugar, no white sugar, which I'd not really done in my banana breads. I may have used both, but each banana bread I'd made had white sugar in it. And theres also whole wheat flour in it, which makes it healthier (Banana Bread can be healthy!).

So I got the recipe and decided to try it out. And I am in love with this Banana Bread. I didn't think any recipe could top the one I usually use, but this stumped the old recipe. Everything in it just came out wonderfully and balanced well. Very, very delicious bread, thats all I got to say.

Recipe

1 1/2 cups flour
1/2 whole wheat flour
2 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1/4 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. grated nutmeg
1 tbsp. grated orange peel
2 large banana's, ripe
3/4 cup walnuts, chopped
2 large eggs
3/4 cup packed brown sugar
6 tbsp. butter, melted
1/2 cup whole milk


1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Butter a 9 x 5" or a 8 x 4" loaf pan.

2. In a large bowl, mix together the flour, whole wheat flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, nutmeg and orange peel. Set aside.

3. In a medium bowl, mix together brown sugar and melted butter. Add eggs and mix together. Add milk and mashed banana's into mixture, mixing well. Add to flour mixture being careful not to over mix.

4. Fold in 1/2 cup of the walnuts into batter. Pour into buttered pan and top with reserved walnuts. Bake for about 50-55 minutes or till done. Cool in pan for several minutes before transferring to wire rack to cool completely.