3 Mar 2014

Eat This: Coconut Oil Banana Nut Mini Muffins

by | posted in: food | 2

banana muffins

Muffins are a danger on our home. They are so easy to pick up, slather a butter of some sort on, eat for a snack, or three snacks.
I whipped these up in no time flat. In fact, it was a crazy weekend. I was attending a women’s conference in town that weekend, and wanted to leave some thing for the men in our home to eat on while I was away. Isn’t that nice? Really, I wanted to eat them too.
So, what better thing to do than to whisk up some banana muffins. And to make them healthier and easier to eat these are actually small bites of healthy goodness.
I tweaked the recipe from Heather, my neighbor and blogger of delicious recipes. My husband and older boy loved these and they are perfect for young kids because of their healthy benefits.

 

Print
Coconut Oil Banana Nut Mini Muffins
Author: 
Recipe type: Muffins
Cuisine: Breakfast
Prep time: 
Cook time: 
Total time: 
Serves: 24 mini muffins
 
Easy, healthy banana muffins
Ingredients
  • 3 bananas, mashed (I use the brown ones that I've frozen - thaw them, and mash them)
  • ½ cup coconut oil, melted
  • ¼ cup raw honey
  • 1 egg
  • 1¼ cup whole wheat flour
  • ½ cup chopped pecans
  • ½ T baking powder
  • scant ⅛ tsp kosher salt
Instructions
  1. Mix together the dry ingredients.
  2. Mix together the wet ingredients.
  3. Combine together.
  4. Fill mini muffin pan (sprayed with cooking spray) ¾ full.
  5. Bake 11 minutes at 375.
  6. Enjoy with milk!
6 Aug 2013

Peanut Butter Chunk Blondies

by | posted in: food | 0

The other day I was watching The Chew, the foodie talk show that comes on right during the lunch hour – making this pregnant girl even hungrier!  One of the chefs was making blondies – I thought, hmmm, blondies.  I knew I was going to the store later and just had to pick up a couple of things to make this.  So good – we were inhaling the crumbs (and gave some away to friends here in town).

Adapted from Hersheys, a book that sweet Louisville friends gave me a while back:

Makes 9-12 bars depending on how big you cut the bars (a 9×9 pan)

3/4 cup creamy pb (not all natural)

1/2 stick unsalted butter, softened

1/2 cup brown sugar

1/4 cup sugar

1 egg

2 T milk

1 tsp vanilla

1 cup flour

1/2 tsp baking soda

1/3 tsp salt

1 bag reeces mini cups

Preheat oven to 350 and grease pan.  Cream ingredients peanut butter through vanilla.  Add in dry ingredients. Fold in the reeces mini cups (wrapper-less, how kind are they)!

Bake for about 25-30 minutes until done. Serve and enjoy!

6 Jul 2013

Ruby Red Madeleines

by | posted in: food, Uncategorized | 0

image

The taste of summer.  Bright fresh citrus in the form of red grapefruits.  Pretty pinkish color throughout these delicate, sponge-like cookies.  Perfectly shaped into sea shells – which is another favorite of mine in the summer – the beach.  These cookies are perfect!

I borrowed a madeleine pan a few weeks ago from a friend at church.  Then I realized today that I had accidently not juiced a red grapefruit – then I hopped off the couch and ran to the kitchen to make these.  Glad I always have butter and eggs.

As long as you follow the directions and spray the pan – these are really fool-proof cookies and the entire plate will disappear shortly!

4 eggs

2/3 cup sugar

1/4 tsp kosher salt

1 tsp vanilla

1 cup flour

3/4 of a grapefruit – zested

1/4 cup unsalted butter, melted

Glaze:

powderered sugar

fresh squeezed ruby red grapefruit juice

 

In a mixer, mix together eggs, sugar, and salt for about 8 minutes on low-medium speed until thickened.  Then add the vanilla and zest.  Then the flour until well-combined.  Finally, add in the melted butter.

Well grease your madeleine pan (I used pam).  Use a cookie scoop to get the batter in the molds.  Bake at 375 for about 9 minutes, depending on your oven.  Let cool slightly, pop out of pan.

Mix glaze until you get your desired consistency.  Drizzle over warm cookies.  Enjoy!

 

8 Dec 2011

Fruit and Bran make a wonderful muffin

by | posted in: food | 0

Moist, healthy, filling, fruit: what more could you want in a morning muffin?

I have tons of recipes that I’ve torn out of magazines over the years and I’m trying to actually cook through them.  Now that I have someone to cook for it makes it a little easier (and I always need ideas)!

These were very moist and have plenty of fruit and fiber in them.  And they are under 200 calories. 

1 1/2 cup all bran (the cereal)

3/4 cup whole wheat flour

3 T sugar

1/2 tsp baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon

1 egg

3/4 cup buttermilk

1/2 ripe banana, mashed

1/4 cup molasses

2 T oil

1 apple, tart, chopped

1/2 cup frozen blueberries (don’t thaw) – use you can use fresh

Combine first ingredients (through the cinnamon).  Mix the wet ingredients.  Mix together with dry.  Fold in apple and blueberries.  Bake in greased muffin tins, fill 3/4 of the way, bake at 350 for about 23 minutes, give or take.  Cook for 5 minutes, then cool on rack.  Serve warm.

22 Feb 2011

Tuesday Tools: GoldTouch Baking Pan (and recipe)

by | posted in: food | 2

Not only do I like writing tools, I also love baking tools.  I’m not a gadget person, but I do love quality products that I know will last.

During my previous stint in NC and part of my time in the Ville, I had the luxury of working at Williams-Sonoma during the holidays to earn some money, get to know non-believers, save some money for mission trips, and stock my kitchen.  It was for the most part a great p/t job.

I got this one pan early on and it is one of my favorite in my kitchen.  Last night I baked an apple cobbler in it so I thought I would post about the tool and give you the recipe as well.

This pan is versatile and pretty – even when it is baked in and everything.  The gold finish keeps its look even when you’ve had it for many years like me.  I also have  bar pan in this series and love it as well – these are my two go-to pans!

Here is a quick and easy cobbler recipe from my mentor.  I’ve had this recipe for 15 years or more now and love it and it always is a hit:

Easy Cobbler
3/4 cup self-rising flour
1 stick butter, melted
3/4 cup milk
1 cup sugar
cinnamon
1 can pie filling
1/3 cup sugar
cinnamon

In glass 8×8 pan (or microwave safe to make cleaning dishes easier), melt stick of butter. Mix in flour, milk, and 1 cup sugar. Sprinkle with cinnamon. Spoon on pie filling. Top with mixture of cinnamon and sugar. Bake at 325 for 1 hour. Serve with ice cream! 🙂

8 Feb 2011

Mini Nutella Cupcakes with Nutella Buttercream

by | posted in: chocolate | 0

World Nutella Day.  Isn’t it a great day!

Just in time for the Super Bowl too – so I could have a reason to make these wonderful bites of deliciousness and not eat them all.

Enjoy.

I searched the internet, then combined a couple of recipes.

1/2 cup self-rising flour

1/4 teaspoon salt

2 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened

1/2 tsp vanilla

1/4 teaspoon almond 

1/4 cup sugar

8 ounces Nutella –

2 large eggs

2 tablespoons skim milk

Cream eggs and butter and extracts, add in nutella.  Scrape sides.  Add in dry ingredients, alternating with the milk.  Mix until you get a smooth consistency. 

I used mini cupcakes liners – makes about 30-36.  Fill no more than half way.  Spray liners of course.  Bake at 325 for about 15 minutes, don’t overcook these babies.

Frosting:

1 1/2 sticks unsalted butter, softened

1/2 cup Nutella, mine was pretty heaping of a 1/2 cup

3/4 tsp vanilla

1 Tbs skim milk

1 cup sifted powdered sugar

Mix butter and nutella.  Then vanilla and milk – finish with sugar. 

Don’t eat it all before you get it on the cupcake.

14 Jan 2011

Delicious Wilmington: Coastal Cupcakes

by | posted in: chocolate, food, restaurants | 2

I think every other cupcake business in Wilmington needs to just close up shop and that Coastal Cupcakes needs to bake more cupcakes. 

Best cupcake I’ve had, hans down.  I’ve had cupcakes in Chicago, RDU, Publix (which are a favorite of mine), TN,  CO.  Cupcake bakeries and “shoppes” are all the rage right now, so there seems to be one on every corner.  They do it right!

A friend and I share the coconut with cream cheese icing and coconut on top.  The most moist, fall apart, not dry at all cupcake.  Flavorful and just melt in your mouth.  Most cupcakes I’ve tasted in bakeries taste like they are frozen.  I would have though these were baked right before we walked in (though the icing wasn’t melting, so I know they weren’t).  The coconut wasn’t hard.  The cream cheese frosting was just bliss. 

I would love to have tried all of them, and the shop clerk that day was so kind and gracious to let me come behind the counter to not have the glass in all the pictures!

Thank you Coastal Cupcakes!  Keep baking!  I will return!

10 Jan 2011

Rice Krispy Chocolate Chip Cookie Muffins

by | posted in: chocolate, food | 2

 

I got to bring something to a birthday party this past weekend and had most of the ingredients for these, so I went with a new recipe.  I liked the crisp in them and of course the addition of a little hershey’s chocolate on top.

1 stick unsalted butter, softened

1 cup brown sugar, packed

1 egg

1/2 tsp vanilla

1 cup flour

1/4 tsp baking powder

1 cup rice krispies

4 oz semi-sweet chocolate chips

mini hershey bars

Tools: mini muffin pan, small cookie scoop, stand mixer, measuring spoons and cups, spatula

Cream butter, sugar, egg, and vanilla.  Mix dry together and add to wet.  Fold in cereal and chocolate chips. 

Spray muffin pans and bake at 350 for about 12 minutes.  Makes approximately 30.  Remove from oven when done.  Immediately put 1/2 of a miniature hershey bar in the top.  Let cool completely.

6 Jan 2011

Best Posts from 2008

by | posted in: Books, Women | 0

Finally getting around to bringing over more of the old posts.  Many of you have not been reading this since 2008, so this gives you a glimpse into what was going on on the blog back then.  Enjoy.

Hungry Adulterers: Thoughts on a JD Greear sermon

My Favorite Chili

My Go-To hummus recipe

Ruth – A review on quite possibly my favorite commentary ever

Ode to the Oreo (go with it, really)

Sacred Influence – one of my top 5 books every wife (or woman preparing to be married, or any female for that matter), must read.

When Sinners Say I Do – my top recommendation for all engaged/married couples

Some books are worth just their forward – but this book has a great forward and is a good read:

Easy Cobbler recipe

Interesting that in May of 2008, I read his book – now I work for the man.  Great boss.  If you are a youth pastor or pastor, read this book.

Do you like strawberries – you’ll love this! 

My favorite Jerry Bridges book, and I loaned it out and never got it back…hmmm…

Man, has it really been this long ago that I read and loved this book?

My favorite Ed Welch book – to date.

I’m really glad my photography has improved, but this trifle is amazing

Gender-Roles, Pre-Marriage

Great winter, holiday, special salad

23 Dec 2010

Triple Layer Brownies

by | posted in: chocolate | 0

My Mom does make some great things when she follows recipes. She knows I am kidding when I say this, but she also knows its partly true…her lack of following directions when she bakes – kinda whatever she wants to put in there is what goes.
Well, let me tell you – these were in the fridge when I got home, and they were so good…so here is her recipe!

2 brownie mixes (1 supreme, 1 regular)
mix according to directions – so you’ll need eggs, oil, and water)
4 cups mini marshmallows
1 1/3 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
3 T butter
1 cup peanut butter, creamy
2 cups rice krispies.

Brownies mixes to package, spread in 10×15 pan (sprayed and foiled) and bake according to directions, or about 15 minutes at 350.
While hot, sprinkle marshmallows on top (1 whole bag). Return to over for 3 minutes.
Take a knife, dipped in water, and spread out the marshmallows. Let cool.
Mix the pb and chocolate chips and butter, over low heat, till melted. Stir. Take off heat and add in rice krispies.
Spread over brownies.
Chill, cut, and serve at room temp.

Enjoy!