Chocolate Chip Banana Muffins

Every week I buy a bunch of bananas. Some weeks I get to the end of the week and I have a ton left, some weeks I get to the middle of the week and have to go buy more. Typically I eat one almost daily. Landon goes through spurts where he eats them constantly and spurts where he's not interested, so really he is the deciding factor here on what's left at the end of the week. I recently found myself with 5 or 6 black bananas at the end of the week and knew I couldn't just chuck them. Seeing as how Landon is obsessed with chocolate I knew these would be a great treat. My son really loves being in the kitchen with me and rarely lets me cook alone. If he sees me go in the kitchen he wants to come help. I love muffins/cookies/cakes... anything where he can really help with the pouring and stirring. Together we whipped up these muffins in no time. Well, to me it was "no time"... to Landon it was an eternity. Little man stood at the oven the whole time they were baking complaining that he wanted to eat them NOW and did not want to wait. What can I say... he is my son.

This recipe was wonderful. They tasted great, as was expected, but they also baked up so beautifully. I shared the batch with a friend and they enjoyed them as well! A great classic muffin recipe.

Source: Life and Kitchen

Ingredients:
1 1/2 cups all purpose flour
1/3 cup white sugar
1/3 cup brown sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 cup mashed ripe bananas (about 2 large)
1 large egg
1/2 cup unsalted butter, melted
1/4 cup milk
1/4 tsp pure vanilla extract
1 cup milk chocolate chips

Directions:

1- Preheat the oven to 350°.
2- Mix the flour, sugars, baking powder and salt. In a separate bowl, mix mashed bananas, egg, melted butter, milk, and vanilla. Stir the banana mixture into the dry ingredients until just blended. 

3-Stir in the chocolate chips.
4- Divide the batter among 12 lined muffin cups, filling each about 3/4 full. 

5- Bake the muffins until the tops are golden and a tooth pick inserted into the center comes out clean (other than melted chocolate), about 30-32 minutes. 

6- Transfer the muffins to a cooling rack and cool completely.

Toddler Tuesdays: Sunbutter and Honey Muffins

Yay for Toddler Tuesdays! Time to see what Landon's been eating lately... and surprise... it's a bread product! The kid lives on bread.

I'm still in a bit of denial that I have a child with peanut allergies, among other food allergies. I remember being pregnant and joking with a foodie friend that I'd die if my kid had food allergies since I live, breathe, and die food. Well, low and behold I have the most adorable and amazing boy who is highly allergic to so many things! I guess it's a blessing that I am a foodie though because I am able to take on the challenge of making him foods that are tasty and yet accommodate his needs.

If you have a child who goes to daycare or school you're aware that many schools are peanut free, and some are even tree nut free as well. I have discovered that Sunbutter is the alternative of choice to nut-free butters, and Landon is a fan! I mix Sunbutter in many things for him, but this was my first time baking with it. These were so easy to make and were tasty. They were soft and delicious. Perfect for school treats since they are nut free and easy to pack!

Source: Adapted from Becky Bakes

Ingredients:
1 cup all purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
pinch of salt
3 tablespoons sunbutter (sunflower seed butter)
2 tablespoons oil
3 tablespoons honey
1 cup milk 

Directions:
1- Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2- Whisk the flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt.
3- Add the sunbutter and oil and mix with a fork until crumbs form.
4- Add the milk and honey and mix until combined.
5- Pour into muffin tins (about 3/4 full) and bake for 10-12 minutes, until tops are golden brown and spring back when you touch them. (If making mini muffins adjust bake time to 8-10 minutes).

Mini Banana Muffins

Baking makes me happy. Something about mixing the ingredients, the fragrant smells that come out of your kitchen, not to mention the delicious treats you end up with in the end. I am a big fan of baking. And yet... lately, I've been barely doing it. Partly it's because I'm too lazy to drag out my Kitchen Aide (I know... lazzzzyyyyy) and partly because I just haven't found any recipes I've felt I needed to make. However with 3 black bananas on the counter I decided it was time to whip something up. These were perfect. The recipe was super easy and came together in a couple minutes- plus I didn't need my stand mixer- score! This yields a lot, I got over 30 mini muffins, so I froze over half of them for easy snacking once the baby gets here. I think the absolute best part is you probably have all the ingredients on hand!

Source: Very slightly adapted from  So Tasty, So Yummy

Ingredients:
2-3 over ripe bananas, peeled and mashed
1/4 cup brown sugar
1/3 cup applesauce (cinnamon, natural, whatever you prefer)
1 egg
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
1 cup flour

Directions:
1- Preheat the oven to 350. Line a mini muffin tin with liners or spray with nonstick spray.
2- In a mixing bowl combine the mashed banana, sugar, applesauce, and egg. Stir well.
3- Mix in the baking soda, baking powder, salt, and flour. Spoon into the muffin tins, bake about 15 minutes.

Easiest Pumpkin Muffins

I am almost embarrassed to post this recipe because it's so easy. I mean, do you need me to tell you how to combine three ingredients? Well... if you do, here it is! The other day I was feeling this burst of energy, which honestly never happens this late in the pregnancy game, so I decided I needed to capitalize. I whipped up a mini batch of these (I made 1/4 of the recipe) so we had 4 little muffins to snack on. They were delicious. A little sweet (as if that's a bad thing...) because the main ingredient is a cake mix and definitely very moist. But as long as you like sweets you certainly will enjoy this. Not to mention your whole house will smell incredible!

Source: Adapted from All Recipes

1 box yellow cake mix
1 15 oz can pumpkin
1.5 tsp cinnamon

1/2 tsp sugar
Cinnamon

Directions:
1- Preheat the oven to 350. Line a muffin tin with 12 liners, or spray with cooking spray.
2- In a bowl combine the cake mix, pumpkin, and cinnamon, mixing well. Divide into 12 muffins.
3- Top each muffin with a pinch of sugar and a dash of cinnamon. Bake 18-25 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Allow to cool before serving.

Lemon Poppy Seed Muffins

I'm not going to surprise you by telling you that when I think of muffins my mind quickly goes to chocolate chip muffins. Something about dessert disguised as breakfast is quite appealing! However, lately I've been craving fresh, spring-like flavors. I think it's the warmer days, the sunshine, and the lack of snow after a long, cold winter. I decided to make muffins recently and I knew I wanted something that encompassed the flavors of spring. Enter lemon.

I had never tried lemon poppy seed muffins before, so this was a new experience for me. When I took the first bite I was transformed out of my classroom and into a whole different world. I saw a red and white checkered cloth on a grassy field, friends in shorts and tank tops, tall shade-bearing trees, brimming glasses of lemonade with drips of perspiration on the cold clear side... I just felt *summer* and I knew these muffins were a winner. Shortly after my out of body experience John sent me a text expressing his experience with the muffins- "Babe, these are GOOD!" Yeah... so my experience was a bit more dramatic than his, but hey, we all know I'm the foodie in this couple.

 I never thought I'd love these as much as I did. They reminded me of a cross between pound cake and muffins. They were exquisite and I will be making them again very very soon. When I made these I cut the recipe in half, next time I think I'd just freeze the rest! Also, the original calls for a glaze which I left out, but if you want a glaze visit Annie's blog.

Source: Annie's Eats

Ingredients:
2 cups all-purpose flour
2 tbsp. poppy seeds
1¼ tsp. baking powder
¼ tsp. baking soda
½ tsp. salt
8 tbsp. unsalted butter, at room temperature
1 cup sugar
2 large eggs
Zest of 1 lemon
1 tsp. vanilla extract
1 cup yogurt (plain or vanilla)


Directions:
1- Preheat the oven to 350˚ F.  Line a muffin pan with paper liners.  Combine the flour, poppy seeds, baking powder, baking soda and salt in a medium bowl.  
2- Stir briefly to combine.  In a mixing bowl, beat together the butter and sugar on medium-high speed until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes.  
3- Beat in the eggs one at a time, blending well after each addition.  Mix in the lemon zest and the vanilla extract.  With the mixer on low speed, mix in the dry ingredients in two additions alternating with the yogurt, beating each addition just until incorporated.
4- Divide the batter between the prepared liners, filling each about two-thirds full. 
5- Bake 18-20 minutes, until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.  
6- Let cool in the pan 5-10 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.

Cheerios Banana Muffins

Bananas- love them. Hate when they go from green to black in two days flat though. Ugh.

Black bananas do lead to baking though, which is always a positive thing. I was sick of my same ol' recipes, so I did some quick searching and came up with these muffins. You might be thinking it's weird, and admittedly it kind of is, but I bet you'll be pleased.

The Cheerios on top really do add a little bit of a nice crunch.... the contrast in texture is wonderful. The taste is spot on too. I'd bet these are very kid friendly as well, so give it a shot. What's not to love about bananas, sweet muffin, and Cheerios?! I'm a fan.

**Don't forget to follow me on facebook- click the link and hit "like."


Source: Adapted from Eat Better America

2	cups Honey Nut Cheerios
3/4	cup all-purpose flour
1/2	cup whole wheat flour
1/3	cup packed brown sugar
1	teaspoon baking powder
3/4	teaspoon baking soda
1	cup mashed very ripe bananas (2 to 3 medium)
2/3	cup buttermilk
2	tablespoons canola oil
2	egg whites

1.	Heat oven to 400°F. Spray 12 regular-size muffin cups with cooking spray, or grease bottoms only of muffin cups. Place cereal in food-storage plastic bag; slightly crush with rolling pin to make 1 1/2 cups.
2.	In large bowl, mix cereal, flours, brown sugar, baking powder and baking soda. Stir in remaining ingredients just until moistened. Divide batter evenly among muffin cups. Sprinkle with whole Cheerios if desired.
3.	Bake 18 to 22 minutes or until golden brown. Let stand about 2 minutes in pan, then remove from pan to cooling rack. Serve warm if desired.

Mini Maple Pancake Muffins

I used to be pretty diligent about baking for my husbands office. I love to bake but don't love having tons of highly fattening food in the house, so John's office has been the long time recipients of my baking love. However, over the past months I have began baking for a purpose. I'll make light muffins for us for breakfast, or cookies for us for dessert for the whole week. So needless to say, I haven't been sending much to work with John. He told me a few requests had been made and I decided to get in the kitchen and whip up a treat.

I randomly stumbled upon this recipe on Bakerella's blog and decided these would be perfect. And ooooh my, they were perfect. I seriously didn't even want to send them to work with John. They really did taste like little bite sized pancakes. Is there anything better than that? Better than pancakes AND muffins?! No... I think not. They were sweet without being overly sweet. They were light and airy. I swooned. I snacked. I begged John to "forget" them on the counter (which he refused to do BTW- bah humbug.) 

Make these- now. Go... go in your kitchen and whip these up. You can thank me later.

Source: Bakerella

Ingredients:

1 cup flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons sugar
2/3 cup buttermilk
1 egg
2 tablespoons pure maple syrup
2 tablespoons melted butter
1/2 cup milk chocolate chips

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Combine flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt and sugar in a medium bowl. Sift together with a wire whisk.

In another bowl, stir buttermilk, egg, maple syrup and melted butter until just combined.

Add wet ingredients to dry ingredients and stir with a spoon until combined.

Stir in chocolate chips. Reserve a few chips to sprinkle on the tops.

Bake for 8-9 minutes.

Whole Wheat Blueberry Muffins

Ok people... these muffins are heavenly. Last weekend I knew I wanted to make some type of healthy(ish) muffin for breakfast this week. I simply googled whole wheat muffins and these popped up. I love the website Eat Better America so I was thrilled to make their version of this classic muffin.

When I first tasted these muffins warm from the oven I thought "Meh... no flavor." But once they cooled and I tasted them again my mind completely changed. These were incredible! They are sweet yet satisfying. I paired one up with a banana every day this week and it held me until lunch. I will say I halved the brown sugar topping because it seemed excessive when I was making them but I wish I had kept it the suggested amount. They need that sugary sweetness because there isn't any in the recipe so definitely use all of it.

Overall John and I both loved these. I've looked forward to breakfast daily this week so these just might be repeated again soon!

Source: Eat Better America

Topping
2	tablespoons packed brown sugar
1/4	teaspoon ground cinnamon
Muffins
3/4	cup skim milk
1/4	cup canola or soybean oil
1/4	cup honey
1	egg
1	cup all-purpose flour
1	cup whole wheat flour
3	teaspoons baking powder
1/2	teaspoon salt
1	cup  blueberries (fresh or frozen)

1.	Heat oven to 400°F. Spray 12 regular-size muffin cups with cooking spray, or place paper baking cup in each muffin cup. In small bowl, stir together topping ingredients; set aside.
2.	In large bowl, beat milk, oil, honey and egg with spoon until well blended. Stir in flours, baking powder and salt just until dry ingredients are moistened (batter will be lumpy). Gently fold in blueberries.
3.	Divide batter evenly among muffin cups (cups will be full). Sprinkle with topping.
4.	Bake 18 to 20 minutes or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean and muffins are golden brown. Immediately remove from pan.

Baklava Muffins

So for some reason my husband decided to give me a list of kitchen "challenges." On that list was crab cakes, something with portobello mushrooms, and baklava. I was kind of surprised by the list. With the exception of crab cakes, the other two were things I had never heard him order or even seen him eat! I looked at some baklava recipes and decided we really didn't need a big tray of this decadent dessert in our house. I dug through my google reader and stumbled upon these muffins and instantly decided to make this alternate recipe.

Honestly, I have never had baklava so I wasn't sure what to expect. I didn't even know what the flavors should taste like. Granted, this isn't baklava and it isn't in a flaky crust, but John said the flavoring was spot on. I am happy to report that these flew out of our house, and John wasn't the only one eating them! These were decadent and sweet, with a light muffin texture and a nutty inside. Perfecto- I will definitely try them again.

(The composition of this picture is meh, but I wanted you to see how amazing the inside is, so ignore the messy cut up muffin look and just gawk at the yummy nutty mixture)

Source: Adapted from Cate's World Kitchen

Ingredients:

Filling:
1/2 cup chopped walnuts
1/3 cup sugar
1 1/2 tsp cinnamon
3 tbsp melted butter

Muffins
3/4 cup whole wheat flour
3/4 cup cake flour
2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/4 cup sugar
1/4 tsp salt
1 large egg
3 tbsp melted butter
1 cup plus 2 tbsp buttermilk
1/2 tsp cinnamon

Topping:
3 tbsp honey + A dash of cinnamon

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 375 F.

Mix the filling ingredients together in a medium bowl and set aside.

Mix the flours, baking powder, baking soda, sugar, cinnamon, and salt together in a large bowl. Mix the buttermilk, melted butter, and egg together in a medium bowl. Make a well in the dry ingredients and pour the wet ingredients into it. Mix gently with a fork.

Line a 12-muffin tin with paper liners. Fill each 1/3 of the way with batter, top with a spoonful of filling, then top with more batter. Bake for about 15 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. As soon as the muffins come out of the oven, brush each with about the honey mixture, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.

Mini Cinnamon Oatmeal Muffins

A few months ago I decided I should be eating oatmeal for breakfast. It's healthy, filling, etc. I was sure I needed some of this in my life. So I went and bought a box of the instant flavored packets, figuring it was easy. Well... I'm just not a fan. I had one packet, thought it tasted sweet and wasn't super filling, and now have 9 packets left. Greeaaaatttttt. Then, like an answered prayer, this recipe popped up in my Google reader. I starred it, did a few happy jumps around the living room, and promptly made them.

These muffins are amazing. I had one (or two... but who's counting?) straight from the oven. I could have eaten them all! These were just so good. I am so excited for breakfast tomorrow... I'm almost tempted to go to bed early just so I can wake up and eat these. If you have packets of oatmeal laying around give them a shot.

Source: Carrots 'N' Cake

Ingredients:

5 packets of cinnamon instant oatmeal (or any flavor)
1/3 cup all-purpose flour
1 tsp baking powder
2 eggs
1/4 cup canola oil

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350*F
Combine all ingredients in a large mixing bowl
Coat a mini muffin tin with non-stick cooking spray
Pour batter into muffin cups
Bake for 15-20 minutes
Allow to cool and enjoy!

Banana Oatmeal Cups with Chocolate Chips

I eat my breakfast at work daily, usually while I run from the copy room to the office, or while picking up the crayons that have inevitably hit the floor since the prior day. With that said I really prefer portable breakfasts that I can eat while on the go. In an effort to eat less processed foods I am finding that breakfast can be quite challenging since I don't eat too many granola bars anymore. When I found this recipe for baked oatmeal muffins I knew it was perfect. I really liked these. I found they were pretty dense and oatty tasting but the chocolate chips really gave them an exciting kick. If you make these do not expect them to be light and fluffy like muffins- they aren't. They are little baked oatmeal cups of deliciousness. If I make them again I would add a healthy dose of cinnamon to spice them up a bit- but as you know if you have been reading my blog for a period of time I think everything is better with cinnamon. Pair one of these guys with a serving of fruit and you have a delicious breakfast!

Source: Adapted from GreenLiteBites

Ingredients:

3 mashed bananas (the more ripe the better!)
1 cup 1 % milk
2 eggs
1 tbsp baking powder
3 cups (240g) Old Fashion or Rolled Oats
2 tsps vanilla extract
3 tbsp (42g) mini chocolate chips

Directions:

Preheat oven to 375 degrees

Mix all ingredients except the chocolate chips together, and let sit while you prepare the muffin pans.

Spray a muffin pan and/or liners with with non-stick spray.

Stir the chocolate chips into the oatmeal batter.

Divide batter into 15 muffin cups. They should be just about filled.

Bake 20-30 minutes, you’ll see the edges just starting to brown and they will be firm to the touch.

The muffins may stick when hot but are removed easily when cooled for a bit.

** 2 points per oatmeal cup

Raspberry Cream Cheese Muffins

Muffins you buy at bakeries, Dunkin Donuts, or anywhere similar are huge and laden with calories, fat, and unhealthy ingredients. I wanted to make a healthier option for myself and was excited to find this recipe on Cooking Light. I changed the recipe a lot to make it healthier, less sugar, 1/2 whole wheat flour, etc. Next time I would do all whole wheat flour to make them even better. Even with these changes these things tasted full fat and delicious. I love the cream cheese taste to them and the berries perfectly contrast the sweetness since they are semi-tart. My only complaint is that they are small. They are 3 points and don't yield very much food. However, when you eat them with yogurt and some fruit it's a filling and healthy breakfast. A real must try!

Source: Adapted from Cooking Light

Ingredients:
1/3 cup 1/3 less fat cream cheese
2.5 tablespoons butter, softened
1/2 cup light brown sugar
3/4 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 large egg white
1/2 large egg
1/2 cup whole wheat flour
1/2 cup all purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/8 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup low-fat buttermilk
1 cup fresh or frozen raspberries
1/8 cup walnuts

Directions:
Preparation
Preheat oven to 350°.

Combine cream cheese and butter in a large bowl. Beat with a mixer at high speed until well blended. Add sugar; beat until fluffy. Add vanilla, egg whites, and egg; beat well.

Lightly spoon flour into dry measuring cups; level with a knife. Combine flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. With mixer on low speed, add the flour mixture and buttermilk to cream cheese mixture, beginning and ending with flour mixture. Gently fold in raspberries and walnuts.

Place 12 foil cup liners in muffin cups. Spoon batter evenly into liners. Bake at 350° 25 minutes or until a wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean. Remove from pans; cool on a wire rack.

** 3 points per muffin
Nutritional Information
Calories:
142 (32% from fat)
Fat:
4.7g (sat 2.4g,mono 1.3g,poly 0.7g)
Protein:
2.7g
Carbohydrate:
22.6g
Fiber:
1.1g
Cholesterol:
19mg
Iron:
0.7mg
Sodium:
138mg
Calcium:
31mg

Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Muffins

I am going to go out on a limb and say that my favorite baked good scent is pumpkin. I love the way pumpkin smells when it is cooking. Straight out of the can leaves something to be desired, but as it's baking away with spices and other delicious ingredients it is just so aromatic. I decided to make these more so out of necessity than anything else. I had 1 cup of pumpkin that needed to be used immediately and this recipe looked pretty good. I should have trusted my instincts when I saw that it called for nutmeg as the only spice. I don't like nutmeg. Bleck. However when it's combined with cinnamon, all spice, cloves, etc. I can deal with it. But alone it's just not my thing. I should have omitted it or substituted cinnamon because the nutmeg killed these muffins for me! John still liked them a lot but I just couldn't get past the nutmeg.

The muffins were so easy to make and didn't need the stand mixer which is a bonus- less clean up! They are dense and hearty yet still somewhat moist. I like the base of this recipe but would make some modifications. I think I'd add 1/4 cup of vanilla yogurt to give them some additional moisture. I'd also swap the nutmeg for cinnamon or omit it all together. I look forward to making them again with these alterations.


Source: Adapted from All Recipes

INGREDIENTS

1-2/3 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1-1/3 cups white sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1 cup canned pumpkin puree
2 eggs, beaten
1/3 cup water
1/3 cup semisweet mini chocolate chips

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Grease 12 muffin cups or line with paper muffin liners.

In a large bowl, stir together flour, baking soda, sugar, salt and nutmeg. In a separate bowl, beat together pumpkin, eggs and water. Stir pumpkin mixture into flour mixture; beat until well blended. Fold in chocolate chips.

Bake in preheated oven for 20-25 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into center of a muffin comes out clean. (The original directions say 30 minutes. Mine were done around 22.)

Blueberry Oatmeal Muffins

For someone who loves cooking I have the hardest time coming up with lunch options for work. I don't love leftovers, I am getting sick of frozen meals like Lean Cuisines, and I get tired of sandwiches. This leaves me with very few options! Add to it that I am having stomach surgery soon and need to follow a low-fat diet from now on and I have been feeling lost when it comes to healthy, quick lunch options.

I decided to bake up a batch of healthy muffins to accompany my lunches. I have been scouring the internet for tasty low-fat recipes for my new lifestyle and these seemed promising. They were quite tasty. They have a very earthy, healthy taste. They don't have the typical cake like taste of muffins- rather an oatty taste that is quite appealing. The original recipe calls for raisins but I switched it up to blueberries... you could always substitute raisins if you prefer!

Source: Adapted from About.com

Ingredients:

1 cup whole wheat flour
1/4 cup all purpose flour
1 1/4 cups oats
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1 cup cinnamon applesauce
1/2 cup low-fat buttermilk
1/2 cup firmly packed brown sugar
2 tbsp canola oil
1 large egg, lightly beaten
3/4 cup blueberries (or 1/2 cup of raisins)

Preparation:

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
Line a 12 cup muffin tin with paper cases or spray with nonstick cooking spray

In a large bowl combine flour, oats, baking powder, baking soda, salt and cinnamon. In a medium bowl combine applesauce, buttermilk, sugar, oil and egg. Make a well in dry ingredients and add applesauce mixture. Stir until just moist. Fold in blueberries. Fill muffin cups 2/3 full.

Bake for 16-18 minutes.

Chocolate Marble Muffins

These muffins are really good. They almost taste like a cupcake- if you put some frosting on it nobody would ever know it was a muffin (although really- muffins and cake are one in the same anyways!) Mine were a little over done in 20 minutes- I would probably do 17-18 minutes next time. Very tasty and fun to make!

Source: The Crepes of Wrath

Ingredients:

1 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon baking powder
1/8 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup granulated sugar
2 eggs, room temperature
1 cup milk
6 tablespoons butter, melted and cooled a bit
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 tablespoons cocoa powder

Directions:

1. Preheat the oven to 400 degree F. Grease or line a muffin tin or line it with muffin cups.
2. Combine the flour, baking powder, salt, and sugar into a large bowl.
3. Beat together the eggs, milk, butter, and vanilla. Make a well in the center of the dry ingredients and mix the wet ingredients in until just moistened.
4. Divide the batter into two bowls. Add the cocoa powder into one of the bowls and mix it together.
5. Alternate adding in the chocolate and vanilla batter into the muffin cups. Add a teaspoon of chocolate or vanilla, then a teaspoon of vanilla or chocolate, then another teaspoon of chocolate or vanilla. When they bake, they will melt into each other and “marbleize”.
6. Bake for about 20 minutes or until just barely golden brown on top. Allow to cool completely before removing. Makes about 12 muffins.

Chocolate Chip Oatmeal Muffins

Ugh. Sorry about the picture... it's horrible, I know. For some reason all of my pictures of these muffins came out horrible and this was shockingly the best one.

But anyways, these muffins were way to good to not post. I made them for John's breakfast meeting and I loved them. They were so moist yet had a slight dense composition from the oats. I will definitely make them again. I highly suggest using muffin liners though because I had a miserable time getting them out of my pan. I never have trouble, everything usually just pops out. I think something about these muffins texture made them impossible to get out!

Source: All Recipes

INGREDIENTS
1/2 cup butter or margarine
3/4 cup packed brown sugar
1 egg
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup applesauce
1 cup rolled oats
1 cup semisweet chocolate chips

Directions:
In a large mixing bowl, cream butter and sugar. Beat in egg. Combine dry ingredients; add alternately with applesauce to the creamed mixture. Stir in oats and chips. Fill greased or paper-lined muffin tins 3/4 full. Bake at 350 degrees F for 25 minutes.

Whole Wheat Cinnamon Muffins

This weekend was beautiful! It was in the mid 80's, sunny, and not humid. Perfect if you ask me. John and I were in the Catskill Mountains for the weekend and we had a great time, ate great food, and just relaxed. Now it's back to reality and that means work tomorrow and eating better than I have all weekend. To jump start this I decided to make a low fat, low calorie muffin to take to work for the week. I am low on fruit and am out of nuts, chocolate, etc... so my choices of muffins were slim. I discovered this recipe for muffins and decided to give them a shot.

Overall, pretty good. What I find with lighter muffins is that they often have a different consistency than the full fat ones. Full fat muffins are usually full of sugar, butter, and egg- making them very cake like. These are slightly more dense on the outside but just as light and fluffy on the inside. When you try to rip the muffin in half it has a little bit more elasticity to it then your normal muffins but it doesn't lack in taste. These will be a great addition to breakfast this week for the two of us.

Ingredients:
11⁄4 cups whole wheat flour
• 1 cup all-purpose flour
• 1⁄2 cup granulated sugar or Splenda granular
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon (I used 2- we loooove cinnamon)
• 3⁄4 teaspoon salt
• 3 heaping tablespoons unsweetened applesauce (chunky or smooth) (I was out of applesauce so I subbed vanilla yogurt)
• 1 large egg, lightly beaten
• 11⁄2 teaspoons vanilla
• 11⁄2 cups fat-free milk
• 1 tablespoon canola oil

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 400 ̊F and spray a 12-cup muffin tin with cooking spray.
2. In a large bowl, mix together both flours, sugar, baking powder,
cinnamon, and salt.
3. To dry ingredients, add vanilla, applesauce, oil, and egg.
4. Add milk; mix until all ingredients are moistened (do not over mix; may
need to add slightly more milk if batter is too dry).
5. Fill muffin cups with batter and bake 20 to 25 minutes or until golden.
6. Let muffins sit 5 minutes, then remove to a wire rack to cool or serve
warm.

** 3 Weight Watchers points per muffin

Corn Muffins

I love corn muffins. They are by far my favorite type of muffin. I particularly love them toasted with cream cheese (hey- don't knock it until you try it!) I wanted to make some type of bread to go with dinner and decided to go with corn bread. I made corn muffins so they would be perfectly portioned. I got this recipe from Lauren so I knew it would be excellent. She definitely has my favorite food blog and I constantly use/bookmark her recipes. These were really very good. My husband and I both loved them. The directions say 20-25 minutes but mine were a tiny tiny bit over done at 20, next time I think I would do 18 minutes and check them then. Overall very good and I will be making these again!

Ingredients:
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 cup yellow cornmeal
2/3 cup white sugar
1 teaspoon salt
3 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1 egg
1 cup milk
1/3 cup vegetable oil (I used apple sauce to make them lighter)

Directions:
Preheat oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C). Spray or lightly grease a 12-cup muffin pan.In a large bowl, combine flour, cornmeal, sugar, salt and baking powder. Stir in egg, milk and vegetable oil until well combined. Pour batter into prepared pan. Bake in preheated oven for 20 to 25 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center of the loaf comes out clean.

** 2 Weight Watchers points per muffin when made with applesauce and 2% milk

Whole Wheat Strawberry Banana Muffins

Today John asked me if I would mind making breakfast for his meeting tomorrow since the person who was supposed to bring breakfast would be out. I had no idea what to make but decided on a quiche and some type of healthy muffins. This muffin recipe was perfect- It comes out to only 212 calories per muffin which is pretty good for muffins! While the title on Allrecipes calls these giant muffins I used my normal muffin tin and it yielded 12.

I tasted one and they were great. My only change would be next time to not add sliced strawberries to the top. While it makes them pretty it made it hard for the batter underneath to cook. I had to bake them 2 extra minutes and I think 2 of them still aren't up to par and won't be making it to the breakfast. However the ones with tiny slices of strawberry on top cooked evenly. I will definitely be making them again because the taste is amazing for such a healthy muffin.

INGREDIENTS:

2 eggs
1/2 cup unsweetened applesauce
1/4 cup vegetable oil
3/4 cup packed brown sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
3 bananas, mashed
2 cups whole wheat flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 tablespoon ground cinnamon
1 cup frozen sliced strawberries

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C). Grease 12 large muffin cups, or line with paper liners.

In a large bowl, whisk together the eggs, applesauce, oil, brown sugar, vanilla and bananas. Combine the flour, baking soda and cinnamon; Stir into the banana mixture until moistened. Stir in the strawberries until evenly distributed. Spoon batter into muffin cups until completely filled.

Bake for 20 minutes in the preheated oven, or until the tops of the muffins spring back when pressed lightly. Cool before removing from the muffin tins.

Banana Chocolate Chip Muffins

I find that no matter how hard I try to eat all of my bananas I am often left with 1 or 2 that need to be trashed or used. I had bookmarked this recipe some time ago and was glad to have a reason to use it. Most excitingly I had an excuse to use my mini muffin tin that I didn't even know I owned! I received a Wilton cake/cupcake carrying case at my bridal shower and never opened it until the other day. When I opened it I saw there were various cake/muffin tins inside, one being for mini muffins. I was thrilled- you would have thought I found 50 dollar bills in there.

Anyway, on to the muffins.... These are great. When I tried the batter I knew they would be good- but I REALLY like these. I also like how there isn't any butter in the recipe, making them SLIGHTLY lighter then my usual muffin recipes. They were so incredibly light and fluffy and I felt it was the perfect balance between the chocolate and banana taste. Give this recipe a try!



Ingredients:
1 3/4 cup flour
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 cup sugar
1/4 cup brown sugar
1 egg
1/2 cup of vegetable oil
1/2 cup of vanilla yogurt
1 tsp vanilla extract
2 large, very ripe bananas
1 cup semisweet chocolate chips (I used mini chips)

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Coat a muffin tray with cooking spray. In a large bowl, mix the flour, baking powder, salt, baking soda, white sugar and brown sugar until well combined. In another bowl, mix the egg, oil, yogurt, vanilla and mushed bananas until mixed thoroughly. Slowly combine the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients without over mixing. Add the chocolate chips and fold them into the batter. Bake for 20-22 minutes or until golden brown and a tester inserted into the muffin comes out clean. Cool on a rack then serve with butter. Enjoy!

** For mini muffins I baked them 12 minutes and they were perfect.