Banana Chocolate Chip Almond Muffins

The following recipe was featured in my Muffin Swap event. You can read about it and view other muffin recipes HERE.

Joelen’s Banana Chocolate Chip Almond Muffins

Recipe adapted from HERE

2 cups white whole wheat flour
3 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup white sugar
1 egg
1 cup Vanilla soy milk (Silk brand)
1/4 cup canola oil
1 rip banana, mashed
1/2 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
1/4 cup toasted slivered almonds

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

Stir together the flour, baking powder, salt and sugar in a large bowl. Make a well in the center. In a small bowl or 2 cup measuing cup, beat egg with a fork. Stir in milk and oil. Pour all at once into the well in the flour mixture. Add the mashed banana, chocolate chips and almonds.

Mix quickly and lightly with a fork until moistened, but do not beat. The batter will be lumpy. Pour the batter into paper lined muffin pan cups.

Bake for 25 minutes, or until golden.

Bananas Foster Bread Pudding

The following recipe was prepared for my Chef Spotlight Dinner highlighting New Orleans chefs. You can read about it and get other recipes from the event HERE.

Bananas Foster Bread Pudding
shared at the event by Joelen
inspired by this recipe & adapted from here

4 loaves – French bread, each 1’ long
1 qt – Heavy cream
1 ½ C – Whole milk
1 ½ C – Sugar
3 C – Light brown sugar
12 ea – Egg yolks
3 ea – Bananas
1 C – Rum
½ t – Ground cinnamon
4 T – Vanilla extract
Fresh mint for garnish

Slice French bread and dry in a 200° oven for 20 minutes. Combine remaining pudding ingredients in a large container and blend well with a hand mixer. Thinly slice dried French bread and place in an 8” x 10” x 2” pan. Pour pudding into pan and mush all bread by hand so that the liquid is absorbed and the bread becomes very soggy. Be sure to flatten all of the lumps. Cover pan with foil and bake at 300° for 2 ½ hours, or until a skewer inserted in the center of the pudding comes out dry. Remove foil and bake for an additional 20 minutes, or until golden brown. Set aside to cool.

Foster Sauce
4 ½ C – Unsalted butter
4 ½ C – Packed dark brown sugar
3 t – Ground cinnamon
2 ¼ C – Golden rum
2 ¼ C – Banana liqueur
8 – Bananas, sliced lengthwise and in half

Melt butter in a saucepot. Add the brown sugar and cinnamon and mix well. Add the rum and ignite. Allow the flames to subside. Then, stir in the banana liqueur. Add fresh bananas and simmer over medium heat for about 2 minutes or until the sauce coats the spoon.

To Serve: Cut bread pudding into 3 ½” x 3 ½” squares. Top warm bread pudding with Foster sauce and garnish with mint leaves.

Monkeying Around

I needed some culinary therapy today as a result of some very rough events. So today, I made banana chocolate chip bundt cakes. The recipe I used was inspired by my friend, Amber. I used her banana bread recipe and added 3/4 cup chocolate chips, 1/2 cup finely chopped walnuts and 1 tablespoon of vanilla extract… which I baked in a mini bundt pan for 25-30 mins. The outcome was a wonderfully moist and flavorful cake – just the sweetness I needed for the day.

Sarah’s Banana Cranberry Apricot Bread

We made the following bread during my Quick Bread Cooking Class, which you can read & view pictures of HERE.

Sarah’s Banana Cranberry Apricot Bread

3 cups flour

3 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup sugar
12 oz. ginger ale
1/4 cup dried cranberries
1/4 cup dried apricots
1/2 cup mashed bananas

Combine all ingredients.
Pour into greased loaf pan.
Bake at 375 degrees for 50-55 minutes

Eva’s Banana Nut Bread

We made the following bread during my Quick Bread Cooking Class, which you can read & view pictures of HERE.

Eva’s Banana Nut Bread

3 cups flour

3 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup sugar
12 oz. ginger ale
1 cup mashed bananas
1 teaspoon lemon juice
1/2 cup chopped walnuts

Combine all ingredients.
Pour into greased loaf pan.
Bake at 375 degrees for 50-55 minutes