Chocolate, Banana, and White Chocolate Chip Muffins

It's so good to be back!  We had a very busy last few weeks.  First we had friends come stay with us for the weekend before Christmas.  My sister, her husband, and two boys came the following week to celebrate Christmas with us in our new home.  Another set of dear friends came this last weekend to help us celebrate New Years Eve.  We have had a full house and it's been wonderful spending time with our close friends and family.  I hope you all had a fantastic holiday break too!

I found some VERY ripe bananas in the refrigerator while cleaning it out so my daughter decided to do some baking.  She made chocolate, banana, and white chocolate chip muffins.  She didn't add nuts because she's not supposed to eat them while wearing her braces.  I talked her out of adding marshmallows because they were already sweet enough.  The batter was really thick and the muffins took a bit longer to cook.  They turned out super moist and so amazing!  They reminded me of a cupcake without frosting.  Both of the kids loved them so much they chose them for dessert after dinner too.  I have a feeling these muffins won't last long.  My daughter was extremely proud of her creation and deemed it blog-worthy.  Needless to say I am quite proud of my little baker.

Chocolate, Banana, and White Chocolate Chip Muffins:

Recipe and photos by For the Love of Cooking

Recipe made by my daughter

• 1/2 cup of butter, softened
• 3/4 cup of brown sugar
• 1 tsp vanilla
• 2 eggs
• 3 very ripe bananas, mashed up
• 2 cups of flour
• 1/4 + 2 tbsp cocoa powder
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 1 cup of white chocolate chips

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees then coat a muffin pan with cooking spray.

In a large bowl, beat together the butter and sugar until creamy. Add the eggs, bananas, and vanilla then continue beating until well combined.

In a separate bowl, combine the flour, baking soda, and salt together, mix well. Add the flour mixture to the banana mixture and stir until just combined. Add the 3/4 cup of white chocolate chips then gently mix them into the batter.

Spoon the batter evenly into each muffin tin. Add the last 1/4 cup of the remaining  white chocolate chips  equally to each muffin, pushing them in gently.

 

Place into the oven and bake 22-25 minutes or until a tester inserted into the center comes out clean.

Let the muffins cool on a rack. Slather with butter, if desired, and enjoy!

Click here for a printable version of this recipe - For the Love of Cooking.net

Banana, Coconut, and White Chocolate Chip Muffins

I wanted to do something special for my kids so I made up a batch of these tasty muffins as an after school snack. I threw in some of my kids' favorite ingredients - banana, coconut, and white chocolate chips into these muffins. I think nuts would be a fantastic addition too but my kids don't like nuts in their baked goods. The muffins smelled amazing while they baked and needless to say my kids were thrilled to find the warm muffins waiting for them when they got home from school. These muffins were a huge hit with both of my kids and disappeared quickly.

Banana, Coconut, and White Chocolate Chip Muffins:

Recipe and photos by For the Love of Cooking.net

• ½ cup of butter, softened
• 1/2 cup of brown sugar
• 2 eggs
• 3 overripe bananas
• 1 tsp vanilla
• 1 1/2 cups of white flour
• 1/2 cup of whole wheat flour
• 1 tsp baking soda
• ¼ tsp salt
• 1 cup of coconut, divided
• 1/2 cup of white chocolate chips, divided

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees then coat a muffin pan with cooking spray.

In a large bowl, beat together the butter and sugar until creamy. Add the eggs, bananas, and vanilla then continue beating until well combined.

In a separate bowl, combine the flours, baking soda, and salt together, mix well. Add the flour mixture to the banana mixture and stir until just combined. Add the 3/4 cup of coconut and most of the white chocolate chips then gently mix them into the batter.

Spoon the batter evenly into each muffin tin. Add the last of the white chocolate chips and 1/4 cup of coconut equally to the tops of each muffin.

Place into the oven and bake 23-25 minutes or until a tester inserted into the center comes out clean. Let the muffins cool on a rack. Slather with butter and enjoy!

Click here for a printable version of this recipe - For the Love of Cooking.net

Roasted Garlic Whole Wheat Dinner Rolls

We had friends come over to our new house for dinner and I wanted to make a batch of fresh dinner rolls to go with our meal. I used my Whole Wheat Dinner Roll recipe but decided to add two heads of roasted garlic to the dough. I am still getting used to the new oven so the top of the rolls got a little extra brown but they were still light, fluffy, and delicious! The garlic gave the rolls a nice subtle garlic flavor that we all, even the kids, enjoyed.

Roasted Garlic Whole Wheat Dinner Rolls:

Adapted recipe and photos by For the Love of Cooking.net

Original recipe by my Mom

• 1 cup of water
• 2 tbsp of butter, melted; plus more for brushing on top of rolls
• 1 egg (hold under warm water before breaking it)
• 2 cups flour
• 1 1/4 cup of whole wheat flour
• 2 heads of roasted garlic, removed from skins
• 1/4 cup of sugar
• 1 tsp salt
• 3 tsp regular active dry yeast

Prepare the roasted garlic (click link above for instructions).

Place all dough ingredients in the bread machine in the order listed. Select the dough cycle and press start. Once the bread machine stops (it was one and a half hours on my machine). Grease a 9x13 glass baking dish. Divide dough into 12 pieces and shape each piece into a ball. Place 2 inches apart in the baking dish.

Brush with melted butter then cover with a clean dish cloth (don't use plastic wrap). Let rise in a warm place 30 to 4o minutes or until doubled in size.

Preheat oven to 375 degrees and bake 10-12 minutes or until golden brown. Let cool for a few minutes then serve with butter. Enjoy.

Click here for a printable version of this recipe - For the Love of Cooking.net

Baked Pumpkin Donut Muffins AND Giveaway Winner!

I've been seeing these muffins all over the web lately so I decided to make them as a breakfast treat for my kids and husband. I noticed a lot of the recipes online that made these donuts muffins with a mini muffin tray to make them more like donut holes. I have already packed my mini muffin tray away for our move so I was happy to find this recipe at My Madison Bistro that used the large muffin tray. These muffins were a snap to put together, smelled ultra delicious while baking, and tasted moist, flavorful, and extremely tasty!! My kids loved them - they said they were "awesome", "the best", and "SOOOOOOOOO good". Can't beat that.

Baked Pumpkin Donut Muffins:

Adapted recipe and photos by for the Love of Cooking.net

Original recipe by My Madison Bistro

• 2 1/2 cups of flour
• 1/2 cup of whole wheat flour
• 2 1/2 tsp baking powder
• 1 tsp salt
• 1/4 tsp baking soda
• 1 tsp ground cinnamon
• 1/4 tsp fresh nutmeg, graded
• 1/4 tsp cardamom
• 1/4 tsp ground cloves
• Dash of dried ginger
• 10 tbsp softened butter
• 3/4 cup of brown sugar
• 2 large eggs
• 15 oz can of pumpkin puree
• 1/3 cup of buttermilk
• 1 tsp vanilla

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Coat a muffin try with cooking spray.

Combine the flours, baking powder, salt, baking soda, cinnamon, nutmeg, cardamom, cloves, and ginger together in a bowl; mix well.

Beat the butter and sugar together until creamy; add the eggs, pumpkin puree, buttermilk, and vanilla then beat until well combined.

Add the flour mixture to the pumpkin mixture and mix until just combined. Spoon the mixture into eat muffin tin evenly.

Place into the oven and bake 25-28 minutes, or until a tester inserted in the center comes out clean. Let the muffins cool for a couple of minutes before moving to a wire rack.

Other Ingredients:

• 4 tbsp butter, melted
• 3/4 cup of white sugar
• 2 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon

Combine the white sugar and cinnamon together in a bowl until well mixed.

Brush the warm melted butter over the entire muffin then place into the sugar/cinnamon mixture and toss it around to coat evenly.

Set the finished muffins on a rack to cool for a few minutes. Serve and enjoy!

Click here for a printable version of this recipe - For the Love of Cooking.net

GIVEAWAY WINNER:

The winner of the Spicy Apron giveaway* is comment number 21:

Big Dude said...

You sure are turning your freezer and pantry items into some good looking dishes - the soup has got to be delicious.

Congratulations Larry! I know most of the aprons may not be your style Larry, but I bet your wife Bev would love them! Congratulations on winning! Please e-mail me with your mailing address, full name, and the apron of your choice so it can be mailed to you. Click here to view the aprons you can choose from.

*Giveaway prize is one apron worth $28.99 or less

Parmesan and Black Pepper Biscuits

I found this recipe online at My Recipes and decided to serve them with a batch of soup I was making for dinner. I halved the recipe so it made six biscuits instead of 12. The biscuits didn't rise as much as I wanted but I think it's because I rolled them out way too thin, next time I make them, I will roll them out much thicker. Even though they were thin, they were fluffy and delicious. I loved the salty flavor the Parmesan and the kick the black pepper gave these biscuits. My family gobbled them up and we all enjoyed them - even my daughter, who doesn't like cheese, loved them.

Parmesan and Black Pepper Biscuits:

Recipe by For the Love of Cooking.net

Original recipe by My Recipes

• 1 cup of flour
• 1 1/4 tsp baking powder
• 1/2 tsp freshly cracked pepper
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 2 tbsp cold butter, cut into small pieces
• 1/4 cup + 2 tbsp of low fat buttermilk
• 1 1/2 tbsp honey
• 1/4 cup of fresh Parmesan, grated

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.

Combine the flour, baking powder, cracked pepper, and salt together in a bowl - mix well. Cut in the butter with a pastry cutter or 2 knives until mixture resembles course meal. Chill for 10 minutes.

Combine the buttermilk and honey together and whisk until well combined. Add the Parmesan cheese. Add the buttermilk mixture to the flour mixture, stir until just combined.

Turn dough out onto a lightly floured surface; knead lightly 4 times. Roll dough into a (1/2 inch thick) rectangle; dust the top of the dough with some flour. Fold the dough crosswise into thirds (like folding a piece of paper to fit into an envelope). Re-roll dough into an other (1/2 inch thick) rectangle; dust top of dough with flour. Fold the dough crosswise into thirds; gently roll or pat to a 3/4 inch thickness Cut dough with a biscuit cutter to form 6 dough rounds. Place the dough rounds, 1 inch apart, on a baking sheet line with a silpat mat. Bake for 13 minutes or until golden brown. Remove from the baking tray; cool on a wire rack for a few minutes. Serve warm with butter. Enjoy.

Click here for a printable version of this recipe - For the Love of Cooking.net

Pumpkin Muffins with Oatmeal Streusel Topping AND a Giveaway!

I love any baked goods that have pumpkin in them - especially muffins. My kids wanted me to make muffins for breakfast recently so I decided to surprise them with these tasty treats. I adapted the basic pumpkin muffin recipe I found at Smitten Kitchen. I found the oatmeal streusel recipe at Two Peas & Their Pod. The muffins smelled AMAZING while they baked and tasted even better! My husband and children really loved them and they made breakfast extra special. I took a bite of one and nearly swooned - it was so moist and flavorful!

Pumpkin Muffins with Oatmeal Streusel Topping:

Adapted recipe and photos by For the Love of Cooking.net

Original muffin recipe by Smitten Kitchen

Original streusel recipe by Two Peas & Their Pod

• 1 cup of flour
• 1/2 cup of whole wheat flour
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 1/2 tsp baking soda
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1 cup of canned pumpkin (not pumpkin pie filling)
• 1/3 cup of canola oil
• 2 large eggs
• 1 tsp pumpkin pie spice
• 1 cup of sugar

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Coat a muffin tin with cooking spray.

Combine the flours, baking powder, baking soda, and salt together and mix well.

In another bowl, mix with a beater the pumpkin, oil, eggs, pumpkin pie spice, and sugar together until creamy and smooth. Slowly add the flour mixture to the pumpkin mixture and mix until just combined.

Divide the batter equally into each muffin cup.

Streusel Topping:

• 1 1/4 cup of oats
• 1 tbsp flour
• 1/3 cup of brown sugar
• 1 tsp cinnamon
• Dash of fresh nutmeg, grated
• 6 tbsp cold butter, cut into chunks

Combine together all the ingredients in a bowl and mix with your fingers until crumbly. Sprinkle evenly on top of the muffin batter.

Place into the oven and bake for 20-25 minutes or until a tester inserted in the center comes out clean. Let the muffins cool on a rack for a few minutes before serving. Enjoy.

Click here for a printable version of this recipe - For the Love of Cooking.net

GIVEAWAY:

I was recently sent the most adorable apron (see their photo above) from Sophia Grace. It's trendy and cute while still being very functional. I love the Sophia Grace philosophy which is "enjoy life's simple pleasures by spending time with friends and family along with a great meal". One lucky winner will win a beautiful apron from Sophia Grace. All you have to do is comment on this post. Be sure to leave a name or e-mail address if you leave an anonymous comment so I will know who to contact if you are the winner. The contest ends on Sunday, October 23, 2011 at 7:00 pm Pacific Time.

Make sure to check Sophia Grace out on Twitter, visit their Facebook page, and head over to the Sophia Grace website to see their beautiful aprons.

Good luck!

Caramelized Onion, Tomato, and Asiago Cheese Focaccia

I loved the Olive and Tomato Focaccia that I recently made and I was excited to make it again using different ingredients. I decided to caramelize a little sweet onion and red onion together then top the foccacia with the onions, thin slices of tomatoes, and a sprinkling of shredded Asiago cheese. I loved this bread! My kids picked off some of the onion but otherwise liked it. My husband and both really, really LOVED this focaccia... I highly recommend this recipe.

Caramelized Onion, Tomato, and Asiago Cheese Focaccia:

Recipe and photos by For the Love of Cooking.net

Original recipe by The I love Trader Joe's College Cookbook by Andrea Lynn

• Pizza dough, at room temperature
• 2 tbsp olive oil (more if needed)
• 1 sweet yellow onion, sliced thickly
• 1/2 red onion, sliced thickly
• Large tomato, sliced thinly
• Asiago cheese, shredded
• Sea salt and freshly cracked pepper, to taste

Open the pizza dough and place it on a floured surface for 20 minutes.

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Coat a 8x12 glass baking dish with a bit of olive oil and spread around the dish. Season the dish with sea salt and freshly cracked pepper, to taste.

Heat one tablespoon of olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the onions and cook,. stirring often, for 20-25 minutes, until golden brown and very tender. Season with sea salt and freshly cracked pepper, to taste.

Gently need the dough a few times then stretch the dough out with your fingers and place it into the baking dish, pressing the dough down into the bottom of the dish. Use your fingers to punch tiny indentations into the top of the dough. Drizzle a little more olive oil on top of the dough then spread the caramelized onions evenly over the top, next sprinkle a bit of Asiago cheese over the onions, then finally layer with tomato slices and season with sea salt and freshly cracked pepper, to taste.

Bake until the focaccia is puffy and golden, 25-30 minutes. Cut into pieces and serve. Enjoy.

Click here for a printable version of this recipe - For the Love of Cooking.net

Blueberry and Banana Muffins AND a Giveaway

We had some VERY ripe bananas in the refrigerator that I had to use up and a huge bag of blueberries from my generous neighbor Jack. Both of my kids wanted muffins for breakfast so I decided to make some blueberry and banana muffins. They couldn't be easier to make, they smelled amazing while baking, and they were moist and so delicious. My kids gobbled up three each and loved every single bite.

Blueberry and Banana Muffins:

Recipe and photos by For the Love of Cooking.net

• ½ cup of butter, softened
• ¾ cup of brown sugar
• 2 eggs
• 3 overripe bananas
• 1 tsp vanilla
• 2 cups of flour
• 1 tsp baking soda
• ¼ tsp salt
• 1 ½ cups of frozen blueberries, divided

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees then coat a muffin pan with cooking spray.

In a large bowl, beat together the butter and sugar until creamy. Add the eggs, bananas, and vanilla then continue beating until well combined.

In a separate bowl, combine the flour, baking soda, and salt together, mix well. Add the flour mixture to the banana mixture and stir until just combined. Add the 1 cup of blueberries and gently mix them into the batter.

Spoon the batter evenly into each muffin tin. Add the last 1/2 cup of the remaining blueberries equally to each muffin, pushing them in gently.

Place into the oven and bake 20-23 minutes or until a tester inserted into the center comes out clean.

Let the muffins cool on a rack. Slather with butter and enjoy!

Click here for a printable version of this recipe - For the Love of Cooking.net

GIVEAWAY:

The Little Baker Necklace

Adorable miniature muffin tin and measuring spoons in an antiqued copper finish hang from a simple matching copper 17" chain. The muffin tin measures approximately 1" long. Perfect gift for a baker or a fun treat for yourself!

How cute is this necklace?? Now, I know this is a necklace that mainly women would wear but that shouldn't stop my male readers from trying to win. You may not want to wear this necklace but your wife, sister, daughter, mother, grandmother, girlfriend, or friend may love it. In order to enter this giveaway simply leave a comment on this post.

Don't forget to check out Jennifer's other cute jewelry on her Etsy page. Also make sure to become a follower on her Twitter page and LIKE her Facebook page.

Contest ends on Sunday, September 4th, 2011 at 7:00 p.m. Pacific time. I will announce the winner on Monday, September 5th, 2011. GOOD LUCK!!!

Olive and Tomato Focaccia

I was recently sent a great little cookbook called The I love Trader Joe's College Cookbook. You don't have to be in college to enjoy this cookbook because it's filled with quick, easy, and inexpensive recipes using Trader Joe's products. If you read my blog you know I LOVE Trader Joe's and I use many of their products on a daily basis. I found this recipe while perusing the cookbook and couldn't wait to make it. This recipe is simple, quick, and it uses very few ingredients. I adapted it by using homemade Three Olive Tapenade instead buying some (it's so easy to make and I had all the ingredients on hand). This will be on our table many times in the future because we all loved it.

Olive and Tomato Focaccia:

Adapted recipe by For the Love of Cooking.net

Original recipe by The I love Trader Joe's College Cookbook by Andrea Lynn

• Pizza dough, at room temperature
• 1 tbsp olive oil (more if needed)
• 3-4 tbsp Three Olive Tapenade (or store bought)
• Roma tomato, sliced thinly
• Sea salt and freshly cracked pepper, to taste

Open the pizza dough and place it on a floured surface for 20 minutes. Make the tapenade unless you are using store bought.

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Coat a 8x12 glass baking dish with a bit of olive oil and spread around the dish. Season the dish with sea salt and freshly cracked pepper, to taste.

Gently need the dough a few times then stretch the dough out with your fingers and place it into the baking dish, pressing the dough down into the bottom of the dish. Use your fingers to punch tiny indentations into the top of the dough. Drizzle more olive oil on top of the dough then spread the tapenade evenly over the top, next layer tomato slices Season with sea salt and freshly cracked pepper, to taste.

Bake until the focaccia is puffy and golden, 25-30 minutes. Cut into pieces and serve. Enjoy.

Click here for a printable version of this recipe - For the Love of Cooking.net

Blueberry Coffee Cake Muffins

These muffins literally disappeared within 10 minutes after taking them out of the oven. Seriously. We all really loved them, especially the kids. The muffins were filled with sweet and juicy blueberries and topped with a tasty streusel crumb topping - perfection! Simple to make and a delicious and tasty breakfast treat. I look forward to baking these again!

Blueberry Coffee Cake Muffins:

Adapted recipe and photos by For the Love of Cooking.net

Original recipe by A Cup of Sugar...A Pinch of Salt

• 1 1/2 cups of flour
• 3/4 cup of sugar
• 2 tsp baking powder
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/3 cup of butter, melted & slightly cooled
• 1 egg, lightly beaten
• 2/3 cup of milk
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 1 1/2 cups of fresh blueberries

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Coat a muffin tin with cooking spray.

Combine the flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt together in a bowl and mix well.

In another small bowl, combine the melted butter, egg, milk, and vanilla extract. Mix well. Slowly add the egg mixture to the flour mixture until just combined. Gently fold in the blueberries. Fill muffins cups to the top (mine only filled 10).

Streusel Topping:

• 1/2 cup of sugar
• 1/4 cup of flour
• 1/4 cup of butter, cubed
• 2 tsp ground cinnamon

Combine the ingredients together in a bowl using a fork or hands. Mix until it is crumbly. Sprinkle evenly over each muffin.

Place into the oven and bake for 20-25 minutes or until a tester inserted in the center comes out clean. Let the muffins cool for 5 minutes in the pan before moving to a rack. Serve slathered with butter or plain - either way is good! Enjoy.

Click here for a printable version of this recipe - For the Love of Cooking.net