Chocolate Banana Muffins

I'm very lucky that I know a lot of people IRL who love to bake and who also love to share recipes. This recipe comes from one of these wonderful friends, M. She posted a picture of these bad boys on FB and they looked so yummy, I had to try them. They were a huge hit in this house and when I plugged the ingredients in to find out the nutrition value, I loved that they were approx 190 calories each!
They were moist and delicious. My hubby has asked that I make them on a weekly basis lol. Again, thanks to M., I made a double batch and there are a bunch in the freezer. You need to make these!!

Chocolate Banana Muffins with Chocolate Chips
source: sallysbakingaddiction.com

Ingredients
3 large very ripe bananas, mashed with no large lumps
2/3 cup sugar
1 large egg
1/3 cup unsweetened apple sauce
1/2 cup whole wheat flour
1/2 cup all purpose flour
1/2 cup cocoa powder, unsweetened
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp baking powder
1 cup semi sweet chocolate chips, plus a few more to top your muffins

   Preheat your oven to 375F. Line the muffin pan with baking cups.
   If you haven't done so already, mash your bananas in a large bowl using a fork. Be sure to mash them well, there shouldn't be any big lumps remaining. Now stir in the sugar, egg and applesauce.
   Sift the flour, cocoa powder, salt, baking soda and baking powder into the wet mixture. It's very important to sift it in, this will ensure that there are no cocoa powder lumps. Lightly mix together. Fold in the chocolate chips, do not overmix. But don't worry, the mixture will be a little lumpy/chunky.
   Fill the 12 baking cups to the top and bake for 18 to 20 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the middle of a muffin comes out clean. Let them cool in the muffin pan for about 3 minutes before transferring them to a rack to cool completely.
   You can keep your muffins in an airtight container on the counter for up to 5 days (if they last that long) or put them in the freezer. When ready to eat them, I just take how many I need out and let them thaw or I pop them in the microwave for about 8-10 seconds.

Happy Baking!

Beat the Heat with No-bake oatmeal, peanut butter and chocolate chip bars

This recipe is a great option for some summer "baking". We do the same thing every year in our house, postpone putting in the air conditioner until it is unbearable. I don't know why we do it, but we do. We suffer and then when we crack, we put the a/c in. LOL. So yesterday was my cracking point. The kids and I were so crabby, and I couldn't do any baking because it was way too hot and sweaty. So my wonderful hubby put in the a/c. Ahhh. And what's great about where we live, it cools off nicely at night and is cool in the morning. So we don't need to run the air all the time. But before I had the a/c in yesterday, I was craving something sweet. I no longer buy baked goods so we needed something. I couldn't bring myself to turn the oven on, that would be a very cruel thing to do. So I found a great recipe from the Brown Eyed Baker (love her recipes - be sure to browse her site!) via Pinterest. The bars are great! They are on the sweeter side for me, but I just cut the bars into smaller portions which also means that they will last a little longer.

No-Bake Oatmeal Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip bars

source: http://www.browneyedbaker.com

Ingredients

3 cups old fashioned oats

2 cups semi-sweet chocolate chips, divided

1 cup creamy peanut butter

1 tsp vanilla

2 cups sugar

1/2 cup milk

1/2 cup unsalted butter

1/2 tsp salt

Line an 8 or 9 inch square baking dish with parchment and set aside. I used an 11x7 pan and it did a great job. You can also use 9x13 if you want them to be thinner bars.

In a large heat resistant bowl, stir together the oatmeal, 1 cup of chocolate chips, peanut butter and vanilla. Set aside. 

Combine sugar, milk, butter and salt over medium heat in a small saucepan. Bring to a full boil and boil for 2 minutes. The bubbles should be over the entire surface and it is best to put the timer on for the 2 mins. 

Immediately pour the hot sugar mixture over the oatmeal mixture and quickly stir to combine. Be sure that the oatmeal mixture has been moistened.

Put the oatmeal mixture in the parchment lined pan and press it evenly using the back of a spoon. Sprinkle remaining chocolate chips on top and gently press them into the mixture. 

Allow the bars to cool for 30 mins at room temp, this will let them set. Using the edges of the parchment paper, lift the bars out of the pan and cut. Store in an airtight container for 1 week at room temp. Because of the heat in our house, I put these in the fridge and they were awesome cold!! Definitely an option. 

Happy baking!

Mini Chocolate Chip Pancake Muffins

I wanted to go out for brunch today but my hubby wanted us to go to a movie so we decided to eat somewhere close to the movie theatre. I opted, at the last minute this morning, to try a quick and easy recipe that I have been looking at for about 2 weeks now. It's quick in that you use a baking mix instead of complete "from scratch". I did find a "from scratch" recipe that I will try very soon, especially after trying these quick ones and loving them.
There are also recipes out there to replace the purchased baking mix, but until I use up my bought mix and try it out, I won't be posting it.
Ok, back to these cute, tasty and light mini pancakes. Love them. They took NO time to put together and baked up in 10 minutes. I will definitely keep these in mind the next time I don't know what to make the kids for lunch. The super fun part is dipping your mini pancake muffins into your bowl of pure maple syrup. We all enjoyed that LOL.

Mini Chocolate Chip Pancake Muffins
source: www.kirbiecravings.com

Ingredients
1 cup of baking mix (I use Bisquick)
1 egg
1/2 cup milk
1/2 cup mini chocolate chips (approx. I just sprinkled some on. A little goes a long way)

Grease a mini muffin tin with non-stick cooking spray. I used 1 pan with 24 mini slots. Preheat your oven to 350F.
In a bowl, combine the baking mix, egg and milk. Don't over mix, it should still have some lumps in it.
Pour the batter into the muffin tin, approx 2/3 full. Drop a few mini chocolate chips on each pancake muffin.
Bake for 10-14 mins or until a tester comes out clean.
Don't judge by the colour as the tops of the pancake muffins will be pale.

The mix made 23 mini pancake muffins for me. I'm sure I could have managed 24.
Next time, I will try a similar recipe totally from scratch. Can't wait!!

Happy baking!

Chocolate Chip Banana Bars

I came across this recipe while I was browsing Pinterest and it looked fantastic. I had some over-ripe bananas screaming to be baked, so this was perfect. I wanted something a little different to banana bread but still something soft and cake like (but not as thick as cake).

I had this recipe in the oven within 30 mins and it was baked and sitting on a cooling rack another 20 mins later. And it is incredible. Moist, soft and great banana taste. I think next time I will use mini chips like they suggest. I think my chocolate over powered just a little bit. I really love this recipe. You should definitely give it a try.

Chocolate Chip Banana Bars

source: verybestbaking.com

Ingredients
2 cups all purpose flour
2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
3/4 cup butter, softened
2/3 cup sugar
2/3 cup packed brown sugar
1 tsp vanilla
1 cup mashed ripe bananas (approx 2)
1 egg
2 cups mini chocolate chips (I used regular chips)

Preheat your oven to 350F and grease a 15 x 10 inch jelly roll pan with non-stick spray.
Combine flour, baking powder and salt in a medium bowl.
In a large mixer bowl, beat butter, sugars and vanilla until creamy. Beat in the bananas and egg.
Gradually beat in the flour mixture. Stir in the chocolate chips. Spread into jelly roll pan.
Bake for 20-30 mins. or until a cake tester comes out clean. Cool completely in pan on a rack before cutting into bars (or squares).
These were so moist and full of banana taste. Just perfect and yummy!
Enjoy!

Happy Baking!

Strawberry Chocolate Chip Scones

I think that this recipe is one of the first (if not the first) recipe that I tried from the www.onceamonthmom.com site. Their site offers so many different menus and recipes, such a great resource. This recipe was fantastic. It is fantastic!  I used it quite often during strawberry season last year. Since strawberry season is creeping up soon, I thought I would pass it along. Scones are so quick to prepare and bake. And of course these are freezer friendly. Can you tell that I'm slightly addicted to scones? I love them. It's a good thing that I put them in the freezer, otherwise, they wouldn't last longer than a day. Be sure to make a batch at the start of strawberry season so that you can take full advantage of the full season! This picture was taken with my phone, so it is not the best quality. As soon as I make a new batch and take a picture, I will update it!

Strawberry Chocolate Chip Scones
source: www.onceamonthmom.com

Ingredients
1 1/2 cups all purpose flour
2 tbsp sugar
2 1/4 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
6 tbsp butter
1 large egg yolk
1/2 cup buttermilk
1/2 cup strawberries
1/2 cup chocolate chips
1/2 cup almonds chopped (optional - I don't use)

Begin by preheating your oven to 425F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
In a large bowl, sift together the dry ingredients. Next, cut in your butter using a pastry blender until it resembles a coarse meal. You could also use to knives to cut the butter in.
Whisk the egg yolk and buttermilk in a smaller bowl. Now add the wet ingredients to the dry and stir until the dough begins to come together.
Fold in the chocolate chips and strawberries (gently) and place onto a floured surface.
Shape and pat dough into a large square (I always end up with a rectangle for some reason LOL) and cut into to squares again. Then cut into triangles.
Put them on your lined baking sheet and then into the oven. Bake for about 12-15 minutes.
Let them cool before eating or transferring to a freezer bag.
To reheat, I prefer to pop them in a low heat oven. You can also pop them in the microwave.
Makes 8 servings

Happy baking!

Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Cheesecake bars

I love anything chocolate chip.  When I found this recipe on Pinterest (I can send you an invite if you're interested in joining), I had to make them ASAP.
Now, I love all desserts but when there are chocolate chips added, it just seems to make the dessert that much better LOL. After making this dessert and sharing it with my family, I realized that I have officially passed on my love of chocolate chip anything to my DD. She's only 3 and already knows how these little bits can make any dessert wonderful. She told me after having her piece that she LOVES chocolate chips. I told her, "so does Mommy" hehe.

These will not disappoint. They were fantastic and a definite share.
And they taste as amazing as they look.

Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Cheesecake bars
source: Brandy's Baking

Ingredients
Crust:
1 1/2 cups graham cracker crumbs
5 tbsp unsalted butter, melted

Chocolate chip cookie dough:
5 tbsp unsalted butter, room temperature
1/3 cup packed light brown sugar
3 tbsp granulated sugar
1/4 tsp salt
1 tsp vanilla extract (I use pure over artificial)
3/4 cup all purpose flour
2/3 cup chocolate chips (I used mini chocolate chips)

Cheesecake filling:
10 oz cream cheese, room temperature
1/4 cup sugar
1 egg, room temperature
1 tsp vanilla extract

   Preheat the oven to 325F. Line an 8 inch square baking pan with parchment paper or foil allowing a little overhang and spray with a non-stick cooking spray. Set aside.
   Mix the melted butter and graham cracker crumbs until thoroughly combined. Press mixture into the prepared pan. Bake in the preheated oven for 6 minutes. Remove pan to a cooling rack. Leave your oven on.
   While the crust is cooling, prepare the cookie dough. For the next step you can either use a stand mixer or an electric mixer. If using a stand mixer, please use the bowl that comes with it along with the paddle attachment. In a bowl, beat butter, brown sugar, granulated sugar, salt and vanilla until smooth and thoroughly combined, about 1 minute. Mix in the flour on low speed and mix until just incorporated. Mix in the chocolate chips. Set aside.
   In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment or in a large bowl with an electric mixer, cream together the cream cheese and sugar until smooth. Mix in the egg and vanilla on low speed just until incorporated. Pour the cheesecake batter onto the prepared crust. Using your hand to form teaspoon-sized clumps, distribute the cookie dough on top of the cheesecake batter. Be sure to use all of the dough.
   Bake for about 30 minutes, until the top (cookie dough) feels fry and firm and the entire pan looks set if given a gentle shake. Move bars to a cooling rack and allow to cool completely. Chill in the refrigerator overnight or for at least a couple of hours.
   Lift the bars out by the overhang and cut into squares for serving.

Happy baking!

Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Muffins

Just after Christmas, I purchased The Looneyspoons Collection cookbook. It is a combination of old but updated recipes and some new ones.
I made these mostly for my kids but of course my DH and I eat them as well. The only thing that I changed was instead of regular muffin tins, I used my mini muffin tins. The larger muffins were just too much for my kids. And I also have a great stash in the freezer!!
These muffins taste amazing and are very moist. And you can't go wrong with chocolate chips now can you!

Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Muffins
from the Looneyspoons Collection cookbook

Ingredients
1 1/4 cups quick cooking rolled oats (not instant)
1 cup 1% milk
1/2 cup puréed canned peaches (see * below)
1 egg
1/4 cup butter, melted
1 tsp vanilla
1 1/2 cups Nutri Flour Blend (see ** below)
1/2 cup firmly packed brown sugar
2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 cup mini semi-sweet chocolate chips
* Drain the canned peaches well and purée them using a blender, hand blender or food processor.
** Nutri Flour Blend is made by Robin Hood. If you don't have any, you can use a mix of 1 cup of all-purpose flour and 1/2 cup of whole wheat flour.

   Preheat oven to 375F. Spray your muffin tins (regular or mini) with some cooking spray and set aside.
   Pour the milk over the oats and stir. Let it sit for 20 mins. Once 20 mins have passed, stir in the puréed peaches, egg, butter and vanilla. Set aside.
   Combine the flour, brown sugar, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon and salt in a large bowl. Add oat mixture and stir just until the dry ingredients are moistened. Fold in the chocolate chips. The batter should be thick.
   Divide the batter in your 12 muffin cups or your mini muffins. I was able to make 48 mini muffins this last batch.
   Bake for 20 minutes (or approx 10 minutes for the mini muffins), or until a wooden pick inserted in the center of the muffin comes out clean. Once cool enough to touch, remove muffins from pan and let cool on wire rack.
   If you are lucky enough to have some leftover after the first wave of trying them (over and over again), I suggest freezing some. Just pop 'em in the microwave for a quick warm and they taste like they are fresh out of the oven all over again!

I can't tell you enough how much I love the Looneyspoons books. A definite purchase!! Healthy recipes full of taste makes a great cookbook.

Happy baking!

I'm a baking addict at the moment

Scones are what I'm addicted to making at the moment.

I loved them when I made them in cooking school but then it seems that I forgot about them. How I forgot about these light and flaky delights I'll never understand. But I have found them again thanks to a few internet sites that I browse often. They are so quick and easy to put together, that they are perfect for a busy mom, heck a busy anybody! They take minutes to mix up and 15-20min in the oven and they are done! Great as part of your breakfast or a snack at any time of the day. Can you tell that I love them? The first recipe that had me lovin' these again was Strawberry Chocolate Chip Scones from onceamonthmom.com. Truly a wonderful site where I have never been steered wrong on a recipe. Every one of their recipes turns out great and tastes even better!! I made these when strawberries were in season or when they are on sale. But then I needed a replacement for when I didn't have strawberries. Lo and behold, while searching tastykitchen.com, I found a recipe for Banana Chocolate Chip Scones. At this point, I must share with you that I love {LOVE} anything with chocolate chips. I think it's one of those things that always brings me back to being a little girl and baking with my mom. So when I see a recipe with chocolate chips, I usually have to try it. And these scones were definitely no exception. The scones are a hit with anyone who tries them! So jump right in and give 'em a try!

Light tasting with a touch of golden crunch!

Banana Chocolate Chip Scones
by thesimplenest via tastykitchen.com

Ingredients
2 cups flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
3 tablespoons brown sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
6 tablespoons cold butter
1 teaspoon vanilla
9 tablespoons milk
1/2 cup mini chocolate chips
1 whole banana, not too ripe

Preparation
Preheat your oven to 400F and line 1 or 2 cookies sheets with parchment paper.
In a large bowl, whisk together your flour, baking powder, brown sugar and salt. Cut the butter into small cubes and then use a pastry cutter to blend into the flour mixture. Using a wooden spoon, stir in the vanilla and milk until the dough begins to come together. Now, stir in the chocolate chips. Cut up your banana into small chunks but be sure you don't mash it because it will add too much moisture to the scones. Mix in the chopped banana until just blended. Form the dough into a rectangle on a clean counter or work surface and then cut into triangles. Try not to overwork the dough as it will become a little tough.
Bake for approx 15-20 minutes or until golden brown.
Let cool and eat! Or you can freeze them once they are completely cool and then pop them in the microwave for a quick warm up before eating.

Happy baking!