If you remember from a previous post, we are expecting baby Wonkies. That post was from November 28, 2007, and we thought they would arrive any day. We also enlisted the help of a Wonkie Whisperer, and although she is still working with our Wonkie, we are still waiting for them to 'cross over'.
Our Wonkie appears to be quite miserable, however, she is enjoying a morning Bible study with Mommy each day, and she gets to stay inside almost all day. Her favourite spot is the 'Dora' chair.
Muffins
Daddy is on a muffin kick these days.
My favourite is the Double Chocolate Chip Mega Muffins! Daddy's more into the traditional flavours. His favourite is probably Banana Nut, since he makes those most often. I think he's trying to find the perfect recipe! He's tried making them from scratch, from a box, and a combination of both.
These two recipes have satisfied very well.
This first one is from Tyler Florence, from the Food Network. Tyler's from South Carolina, and you'd expect him to be from Florence, but he's from Greenville? Go figure.
Tyler Florence Banana Nut Muffins
2 Cups All-purpose flour
1 1/2 Teaspoons Baking soda
1/2 Teaspoon Salt
4 Over-ripe bananas
1 Cup Brown Sugar
3/4 Cup Unsalted Butter, melted and cooled
2 Eggs
1 Teaspoon Vanilla
1/2 Cup Pecans, chopped
Preheat oven to 375 degrees F and lightly butter 2 muffin tins.
In a large bowl, combine the flour, baking soda, and salt; set aside. Mash 2 of the bananas with a fork in a small bowl so they still have a bit of texture. With an electric mixer fitted with a wire whisk, whip the remaining bananas and sugar together like you mean it, for a good 3 minutes. Add the melted butter, eggs, and vanilla and beat well, scraping down the sides of the bowl once or twice. Mix in the dry ingredients just until incorporated. Fold in the nuts and the mashed bananas with a rubber spatula.
Spoon the batter into the muffin tins to fill them about halfway. Give them a rap on the counter to get any air bubbles out.
Bake until a toothpick stuck in the muffins comes out clean, 18 to 20 minutes. Let cool for a few minutes before turning the muffins out.
Serve warm or at room temperature.
These are very good and really easy to make. Bananas dont last very long at our house, so you have to set four aside someplace to let them get the proper ripeness. It doesn't make sense to me, however, the more brown and mushy the bananas get, the sweeter they are in the muffins. At some grocery stores you can get really ripe bananas at a discount price.
This recipe uses boxed cake mixes, and is a little more expensive. I think it makes the best tasting muffin, but they're not so much better than Tyler's to make them worth the extra cost. I think the reason I like them better is that they have walnuts rather than pecans. I dont like walnuts alone, but I do like pecans right out of the shell. That's why I thought the pecans would be better in the muffins. Maybe if you toasted the pecans a little first, they would work better, but the walnuts right out of the shell have just the right flavour and texture and are just the right nut. I found that chopped walnuts are a lot less expensive, too.
Next time, I think I'll use the walnuts in Tyler's recipe.
Otis Spunk Meyer Banana Nut Muffins
from CopyKat.com
2 Cups 2 C. Mashed Ripe Bananas (about 4 average size)
1 Box Yellow Cake Mix
1 Box Instant Banana Pudding
4 Eggs
3/4 Cup Vegetable Oil
1/2 Cup Water
3/4 Teaspoon
Ground Cinnamon
1 Teaspoon Banana Extract
1 Cup Finely chopped Walnuts
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Mix wet and dry ingredients separately, then blend all ingredients together until large lumps are gone. Fold the walnuts in last.
Fill baking cups 3/4 full and bake in a preheated oven about 20 minutes until done. Check for doneness with a toothpick inserted into top of muffin, if the toothpick comes out clean the muffin is done.
Store muffins, if there are any left in an airtight container. I use the extra large cups and this will make about 12.
Eat Muffins People, and let the Wonkies come!
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