OK, I’m just going to get this off my chest. I’m a wuss. A wimp. And I’m not afraid to admit it (my strategy is to point out my shortcomings to others before they beat me to it!). My friend, Pia, posts so many gorgeous ethnic dishes that I would love to serve at my own table, but do I make any of the recipes she posts? Of course not–I’m either too lazy or too intimidated (probably both) to break out of my comfort zone enough to make my own Kimchi (which my hubby would much appreciate) or even something as American as General Tso’s Chicken (another of Dennis’ favorites) . But yesterday she posted a recipe for Banana Nut Chocolate Chip Muffins and guess what I did? That’s right, I made them immediately. These babies were exactly the kind of thing I love whipping up, but they offer no challenge. If the muffins weren’t so delicious, I’d be disgusted with myself.
Once again, I’m promising myself that I will, I WILL, make something from her blog that is not American and is not a dessert. And there is plenty to choose from. In the meantime, however, lets talk about these muffins.
They are soft & moist. So moist. They are flavorful–the banana complimented by chocolate and nuts. They are irresistable, especially when they’re still warm and the chocolate is all melty. Hold on, I think I need to grab another one while they’re still hot…
Banana Nut Chocolate Chip Muffins
adapted from Inato lang Filipino Cuisine and More
2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
2 large eggs
1 cup ripe mashed banana (about 4 bananas)
1/4 cup vegetable oil
1/3 cup granulated sugar
1/3 cup brown sugar
2/3 cup sour cream
2 tablespoons milk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup pecans, finely chopped
1 cup mini semi-sweet chocolate chips
Preheat oven to 425 degrees F and line 12 muffin cups (you might need 14 as I did) with paper liners or grease them well. In a medium bowl, mix the flour, salt, baking powder and baking soda together. In another bowl, whisk the eggs and stir in the remaining ingredients one by one, including the nuts and chocolate chips (reserve a couple tablespoons of both if you want to sprinkle them over the top like I did). Using an ice cream scoop with a lever, fill muffin cups about 2/3 full and sprinkle nuts and chocolate chips over the center of each muffin (they will spread as the muffins rise).
Bake for 8 minutes, then reduce the temperature to 350 and continue baking for another 6-10 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean. Let the muffins sit in the pans for a few minutes before removing them to wire racks to cool.
Tip: The burst of heat in the initial high temperature helps dome the muffins.
Veronica’s Notes: I used bananas that I froze several months ago, just as I always do with anything calling for mashed banana. I constantly replenish my stock of frozen bananas because I like to have extra-ripe bananas at the ready–you never know when you’ll have a hankering for banana bread or cupcakes! I have a whole post devoted to the subject of over-ripe bananas and freezing them and you can find it here.
Veronica's Cornucopia 