banana crumb muffins

sometimes i'm just in the mood to bake something...anything. to see something through from beginning to end. from scratch. the husband and i came home yesterday from a nice little hike in malibu and i was craving the kitchen. i found this recipe on my fellow blogger friend, krista's blog, and i couldn't help but try it. it sounded delicious. turns out, it was. serve these babies warm and they are mouth watering good.  i'm not ashamed to say that the whole muffin tray was gone by this morning. i want to make more today.

banana crumb muffins

muffin ingredients:

1 1/2 cups flour

1 tsp. baking soda

1 tsp. baking powder

1/2 tsp. salt

3 bananas, mashed
3/4 cup white sugar

1/3 cup packed brown sugar

1/3 cup butter, softened

1 tsp. vanilla

1 egg

crumb topping ingredients:

1/4 cup sugar

2 tbsp. flour

3 tsp. ground cinnamon

2 tbsp. butter, softened

directions:

preheat oven to 375 degrees. line muffin pan with muffin papers (also works for mini muffins!).

in a large bowl, mix together flour, baking soda, baking powder and salt. set aside. in another bowl, beat together sugar, butter and eggs. add bananas and vanilla.

slowly add the banana mixture into the flour mixture until moistened. spoon batter into prepared muffin cups.

in a small bowl, mix together sugar, flour and cinnamon for topping. add butter and combine until mixture resembles course cornmeal. sprinkle over top of muffins.

bake for about 18 to 20 minutes (13-15 for mini muffins). let cool for 5 minutes before taking out of pan **.

**cort and i have never made it the 5 minutes for anything. the smell was too inviting and they were delicious scorching hot, even though they burnt our fingers. enjoy! xo. 

energy muffins

i'm trying to put a healthier spin on everything i eat lately...i love a good muffin - straight out of the oven and melt-in-your-mouth perfection. who said they can't be delicious and nutritious?

energy muffins

ingredients

2 cups egg whites

1 1/2 cups oats or 1 cup instant oatmeal or 1 1/2 cups quick oatmeal

1/2 cup whole wheat flour

1 cup unsweetened applesauce

1 cup 1% cottage cheese

1/2 cup whey protein powder

1 1/2 tsp baking powder

25 almonds

1 tbsp vanilla extract

1/8 tsp or pinch of salt

1 cup strawberries 

instructions

1. preheat oven to 350 degrees

2. pour ingredients into a blender and blend until smooth

3. mix in fruit by hand, if desired, or include in blender

4. pour into regular-sized stick-free muffin cups

5. cook until toothpick comes out clean (about 40 minutes)

nutrients per muffin:

calories: 120, total fat: 2 g, sat. fat: 0 g, cholesterol: 5 mg, sodium: 125 mg, carbs: 17g, fiber: 3 g, sugars: 3 g, protein: 9g, iron: 1.20 mg

makes 16 muffins

Fall Baking - Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Muffins

This is about the time of year I really start missing Utah and the changing of the leaves. Around fall and the holidays, I really get in the mood to bake all things Fall-related. Cort loves pumpkin chocolate chip cookies, but muffins are more "fall-ish" to me, so I decided to switch it up a bit. This is the original recipe, but I sprinkle in a little more nutmeg and cinnamon than asked for - a little trick my friend Lacey taught me. And I always add in more chocolate chips - almost 1 cup more.

INGREDIENTS:

3/4 cup white sugar

1/4 cup vegetable oil

2 eggs 

3/4 cup canned pumpkin

1/4 cup water

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

3/4 teaspoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1/4 teaspoon ground cloves

1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg

1/2 cup semisweet chocolate chips

DIRECTIONS:

1. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Grease and flour muffin pan or use paper liners.

2. Mix sugar, oil and eggs. And pumpkin and water. In separate bowl, mix together the flour, baking soda, baking powder, spices and salt. Add wet mixture and stir in chocolate chips.

3. Fill muffin cups 2/3 with batter. Bake in preheated over for 20 to 25 minutes.