Double Chocolate Chip Banana Muffins

Doesn't the name of this muffin make you drool?? Yes, it is every bit just as delicious as it sounds, if not more!! There is a very interesting story about how I came to make them! My daughter was attending a educational workshop during Fall which ended just before the holidays and they had a class party for the culmination of it. I was told that there were 30 kids in her class and was provided with a list of stuff that she could choose from to bring for the party.

I always like to make something and send as opposed to store-bought, as it is much healthier and without any added preservatives and such. I also get to control the quality of the ingredients used and the amount of sugar in it. I decided to make something that was easy to carry, easy to serve and eat, would appeal to the kids and was nut-free. I decided to make muffins as it wad easy to carry, serve and eat.

Anything chocolate is usually liked by kids so I decided that I would make chocolate chip muffins. I made it healthier by adding bananas to it and added variety by making 2 dozen chocolate chip muffins and 2 dozen double chocolate chip muffins!! That was a lot of muffins I made that day! They were all gone by the end of the day!

The kids all wanted to eat the muffins and came back for seconds! I took some to work too. The recipe for the Banana Chocolate Chip muffins can be found here and the Banana-nut muffins here.

 Oh, by the way,did I tell you guys that this post is dedicated to Christina Angie from Fiesta Friday on the grand beginning of her 101th Fiesta Friday!! Bubbly Jhuls and Mr Fitz are the co-hosts this week! Iam also linking this post to two other blog parties Throwback Thursday and Saucy Saturdays!

Servings: Two dozen muffins

Ingredients:

All purpose flour: 2cups+ 1/2 tbsp
Baking soda: 1 tsp
Salt:1/4 tsp
Ground cinnamon: ½ tsp
Ground nutmeg: ¼ tsp
Vanilla extract:1 tsp
Butter:1/2 cup
Brown sugar:3/4 cup
Eggs: 3
Overripe bananas: 2 cups(4 bananas),mashed
Cocoa powder: 4 tbsp
Milk: 1/2 cup
Chocolate chips: 1/2cup + 1/2 cup

Method:

Preheat oven to 350 F degrees. Line a muffin tray with cupcake liners and keep aside. If you don't have liners, you could just grease it.

Mix 1/2 cup of chocolate chips with 1/2 tbsp flour and keep aside.

Mix the cocoa powder in warm milk and keep aside.

Using a electric mixer,beat together the butter, sugar, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg  in a medium bowl until creamy.

Add the eggs one at a time,beating well after the addition of each egg.

Add the mashed bananas and mix  until smooth.

Add the cocoa and milk mixture. Stir.

Now add the flour in little by little stirring with a wooden spoon. Mix until all the flour has been incorporated. Do NOT overmix. Over mixing results in tough muffins!

Stir in 1/2 cup of chocolate chips into the batter.

Spoon the batter into the prepared muffin tray.

Now place 3-4 chocolate chips on top of each muffin.

Place the tray on the center rack of the oven and  bake for 15-20 mins at 350 deg F. or until a toothpick  comes out clean when inserted into the center of the muffin.

Take the muffin tray out and let it  cool for 10 minutes before removing  them out onto a cooling rack to cool completely.

Best when served warm with a glass of milk.

Enjoy!

Cooking made easy:

The best way to store muffins is to individually wrap them in cling film and store them in an airtight container. You can keep them outside for 2 days. If you intend to store them for 2 days, it is best to refrigerate them. You can warm them lightly in the microwave before eating/serving.

Tip for healthy living:

Whenever possible feed your children food that has been the least processed. This mean avoiding anything that comes in a packet! If readymade, look for stuff that is in the refrigerated section or in the deli or bakery section of the supermarket. Of course, home-cooked food is the best!

Food for thought:

The bitterest tears shed over graves are for words left unsaid and deeds left undone. Harriet Beecher Stowe

Please do share your thoughts. Your opinion matters!

Banana-nut Chocolate- chip Muffins

It is fun to bake when you have a houseful ( in my case an apartment-full)of kids who appreciate, enjoy, relish and can afford to eat all the baked goodies! After all, they require energy to run around! I just love it! I had some bananas that were getting ready to go bad and decided to make banana-nut muffins.I usually make banana-nut bread, but muffins are easier to serve, easier to eat and easy to pack for picnics at the park. I threw in some chocolate chip for the extra temptation and drizzled some more chopped walnuts on top! The result was an irresistible Banana-nut chocolate-chip muffin. The kids loved it! My son didn't have the patience to wait to eat it! He kept saying "no,no,no" wiggling his cute little index finger every time I set out to take a picture! He just wouldn't let me take a good picture!

I was very happy to see them all gone in record time!

Servings: 2 dozen muffins

Ingredients:

Whole wheat flour: 2 cups+ 1 tbsp
Baking soda: 1 tsp
Salt:1/4 tsp
Ground cinnamon: ½ tsp
Ground nutmeg: ¼ tsp
Vanilla extract:1 tsp
Butter:1/2 cup
Brown sugar:3/4 cup
Eggs: 3
Overripe bananas: 2 cups(4 bananas),mashed
Walnuts:½ cup + 1/4 cup,chopped(optional)
Chocolate chips: 1/2cup

Method:

Preheat oven to 350 F degrees. Line a muffin tray with cupcake liners and keep aside. If you don't have liners, you could just grease it.

Mix 1/4 cup of chopped walnuts with 1 tbsp flour and keep aside.

Using a electric mixer,beat together the butter, sugar, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg  in a medium bowl until creamy.

Add the banana, and eggs, beating until smooth.

Now add the flour in little by little stirring with a wooden spoon.

Mix in the nuts and chocolate chips.

Let it rest at room temperature, uncovered for 10 minutes.

Spoon the batter into the prepared muffin tray.

Now sprinkle little bit of the dry flour mixed chopped walnuts on top of each muffin.

Place the tray on the center rack of the oven and  bake for 15-20 mins at 350 deg F. or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.

Take the muffin tray out and let it  cool for 10 minutes before removing  them out onto a rack to cool completely.

Enjoy them warm.

Cooking made easy:

Mixing the nuts with the flour prevents it from sinking into the batter.

To make muffins you don't necessarily need an electric mixer . You could just use a simple whisk. It will strengthen the arm muscles.;) Just kidding. The truth is there is not that much of mixing/ beating involved. The only thing that you have to worry about is making sure the butter is at room temperature, mixed with sugar and that the eggs are beaten well. The rest only need to be stirred or mixed gently. Over mixing the batter can make it hard.

Tip for healthy living:

Eating a banana first thing in the morning boosts your metabolism and kick-starts your day. It is a wholesome complete food containing all the essential  vitamins and minerals.Banana is rich in potassium and is a known prebiotic.

Food for thought:

Don't judge each day by the harvest you reap but by the seeds that you plant. Robert Louis Stevenson