banana Archives - Page 3 of 3

Pumpkin Banana Bread

October 24, 2011 ·

An overabundance of overripe bananas is never a bad thing. We all know those little black bananas mean that in the near future, some sort of banana treat will be made. Banana bread is always a safe bet, but this time of year I find myself wanting to make something with pumpkin as well. What better way to combine the two than to make Pumpkin Banana Bread.

This Pumpkin Banana Bread is very easy to make. Made with part whole wheat flour and less sugar, it becomes a healthier option. The bananas add natural sweetness, which along with the pumpkin, yield a moist and delicious bread. It’s not quite banana bread and not quite pumpkin bread, but a delightful combination of the two.

Pumpkin Banana Bread
Yields 3 small loaves

1 cup all-purpose flour
1 cup white whole wheat flour
1/2 cup brown sugar, packed
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice
2 bananas, mashed
1 cup pumpkin puree
1/4 canola oil
2 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla

1 tablespoon brown sugar (for topping, optional)
1 teaspoon cinnamon (for topping, optional)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray 3 small loaf pans with cooking spray. Set aside.
In a large bowl, mix together the flours, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and spices.
In a medium bowl, whisk together the bananas, pumpkin, oil, eggs and vanilla.
Add the dry ingredients to the banana-pumpkin mixture, and gently fold until combined.
If using, combine sugar and cinnamon for topping.
Pour batter into prepared loaf pans. Sprinkle with cinnamon sugar, if desired. Bake 40-45 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Cool in pan for 5 minutes. Remove bread from pans to a wire rack to cool completely.

Adapted from Low Fat Cooking @ About.com

Filed Under: bread, breakfast, healthy, Recipes Tagged With: banana, brunch, easy, pumpkin, snack

Banana Cinnamon Chip Muffins

September 8, 2011 ·

If there is one thing we always have plenty of in this house, it’s bananas. Whenever we run low, Mike is quick to run to the store to replenish our stash. It didn’t take him long to learn that there is no such thing as too many bananas. A surplus of bananas means baking bananas, which means treats! As I write this, I have a bowlful of overripe bananas waiting to be mashed, whipped, mixed, baked into something delicious.

To completely change subjects – have I told you about my baking chip collection? I have a thing for baking chips. I love buying chips in anticipation of creating new and exciting treats, but life (i.e. a busy toddler) usually gets in the way of those plans. I decided it was time for a self-intervention. I must begin baking my way through this collection,…starting with these cinnamon chips.

So the two stories come together…in the form of Banana Cinnamon Chip Muffins. These muffins are a delicious and healthy option, made partly with whole wheat flour. They are also made using 3 bananas, which means you can use less oil. The cinnamon chips add just a little extra something that make these muffins special. But if cinnamon is not your thing, these would be great with chocolate chips (mmm, or even peanut butter chips!).

These muffins are moist and delicious. They are all I hoped for and more…yet I ended up doing more with them. I made half of the recipe as just Banana Cinnamon Chip Muffins. Tomorrow I will share with you what I did with the other half of the recipe! 😉

Banana Cinnamon Chip Muffins
Yields 12 standard muffins

1 cup all-purpose flour
1 cup white whole wheat flour
1/2 cup brown sugar
1 tablespoon baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
3 ripe mashed bananas
1/3 cup canola oil
1/4 cup buttermilk
2 eggs
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
1 cup cinnamon chips (or chocolate chips)

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Grease or line 12 standard muffins cups. Set aside.
In a large bowl, whisk together the flours, sugar, baking powder, and baking soda. Set aside.
In a separate bowl, mix the bananas, oil, buttermilk, eggs and vanilla until combined.
Fold banana mixture into flour mixture until just blended (do not over mix). Add cinnamon chips, and fold gently until combined.
Distribute batter evenly among muffin cups. Bake for 20 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Let cool in pan for 5 minutes and then move to a wire rack to cool completely.

Adapted from Keep Your Diet Real

Filed Under: bread, breakfast, Recipes Tagged With: banana, cinnamon, muffins, peanut butter

Zucchini, Banana, and Flaxseed Muffins

August 22, 2011 ·

Zucchini, Banana, and Flaxseed Muffins are a healthy muffin that tastes good too! They are made without any butter or oil, yet the are moist and delicious due to the zucchini and banana.

New magazine day is one of my favorites days of the month. Since I subscribe to several magazines, this translates into several favorite days a month! Actually, I think Mike might like new magazine day more than I do. Especially when after just one quick perusal, it looks like this…

10 flags after just a quick glance. Not bad, eh? Just wait until I get a chance to be more thorough!

It was hard to choose what to make first, but there was clearly no better way to kick off zucchini week here than Zucchini, Banana, and Flaxseed Muffins! Good thing too, because these might be the tastiest muffins ever! I know, I know, I’ve said it before, and I’ll say it again. But this time I mean it!

After one bite, you will never guess that these are healthy and low fat! Sure there is zucchini and banana, but I’m sure you’ve noticed a lot of times muffins find some way to become glorified cupcakes. Not these. There is no butter and no oil added to these muffins, yet they are incredibly moist and delicious. For an additional nutrition boost, I subbed in some whole wheat flour. I also replaced whole milk with buttermilk since it seems everything is made better with buttermilk.

This week I will be featuring several zucchini recipes throughout the week. I hope you will all enjoy them as much as we have!

Zucchini, Banana, and Flaxseed Muffins

Yields: 12 muffins

Ingredients

1 cup all-purpose flour
¾ cup whole wheat pastry flour
½ cup ground flaxseed (flaxseed meal)
1 cup packed brown sugar
2 teaspoons baking soda
1 teaspoon baking powder
1½ teaspoons ground cinnamon
1½ cups coarsely grated zucchini (I used 1½ zucchinis)
1 mashed ripe banana (approx ⅓ cup)
¾ cup buttermilk
1 large egg, lightly beaten
2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
nonstick cooking spray

Instructions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Lightly coat 12 standard muffin cups with cooking spray. Set aside.
In a large bowl, whisk together flours, flaxseed, brown sugar, baking soda, baking powder and cinnamon.
In a small bowl, stir zucchini and mashed banana together. Add to flour mixture and stir to combine.
In medium bowl, whisk together milk, egg and vanilla. Add milk mixture to flour mixture and stir gently until combined (do not overmix).
Divide batter evenly among muffin cups. Bake until a toothpick inserted in center comes out clean, 20 to 25 minutes. Let cool for 5 minutes in pan and then transfer to wire rack to cool completely (about 30 minutes).

Notes

Adapted from Everyday Food, September, 2011

Filed Under: bread, breakfast, healthy, kid-friendly, Recipes Tagged With: banana, brunch, everyday food, flaxseed, low fat, muffins, zucchini

Banana Split Cupcakes

July 5, 2011 ·

For my husband’s birthday, I asked what he wanted for his treat. He said ‘whatever you want to make for the blog.’ Aww shucks… Well I was not about to choose his birthday treat. So after some pressing (and dropping subtle hints that we had nice overripe bananas to use) he asked for Banana Split Cupcakes. I was very excited about his choice because they are fun to make and just so gosh darn cute!

These are a family favorite, and we just happened to be visiting both of our families for a birthday celebration. When my mom saw them, she exclaimed ‘Are those Banana Split Cupcakes? Oh my! Those are my favorite!’ I’m sure Mike knew that…scoring points with the mother-in-law again.

These cupcakes are truly easy. The cake is quick to whip together, and using the chocolate square makes for a simple surprise filling inside the banana cake. With the smooth frosting, decorating is a cinch, and they look just like a mini sundae. You could certainly add any other sundae-inspired toppings you like (i.e. sprinkles, nuts, etc.) or stick with the classic chocolate drizzle topped with a cherry.

Banana Split Cupcakes
Yields 12 cupcakes

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 cup sugar
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt (optional)
1/2 cup mashed banana (about 1 medium)
1/2 cup butter, melted
1/4 cup buttermilk
1 egg, lightly beaten
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 chocolate bars, such as Hershey’s Special Dark*, separated, broken into squares

FROSTING:
1 1/2 cups confectioners’ sugar
1 tablespoon butter, melted
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 tablespoon milk

12 maraschino cherries with stems

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a bowl, combine flour, sugar, baking soda and salt.
In another bowl, combine the banana, butter, buttermilk, egg and vanilla. Add to the dry ingredients; stir just until combined.
Spoon 1 tablespoon of batter into each paper-lined muffin cup. Top with one candy bar square. Divide remaining batter amongst the muffin cups (approximately two-thirds full).
Bake for 20-25 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Cool for 10 minutes before removing from pan to a wire rack to cool completely.
In a bowl, combine the confectioners’ sugar, butter, vanilla and milk. The frosting will be smooth – if too stiff, add more milk, if too runny, add more sugar. Frost the cupcakes.
In a microwave, melt the remaining chocolate candy and drizzle over frosting. Top each cupcake with a cherry.

Tip: In order to get the cherry to stick, it helps to drizzle a little extra chocolate in the center of the cupcake prior to topping with the cherry.

*Note: I have used both dark and milk chocolate in this recipe, and either one is delicious.

Adapted from Taste of Home: Cupcakes and Muffins

This post is linked to Sweet as Sugar Cookies: Sweets for a Saturday, Screaming Sardine: Cupcake Party, A Well-Seasoned Life’s Sweet Indulgences Sunday