Peanut Butter, Banana, and Chocolate Chip Muffins

These easy and tasty muffins are a great way to start any day.  You can't beat combining the flavors of banana, peanut butter, and chocolate.

My mom sent me a recipe for peanut butter banana bread which served as my inspiration.  I modified it to add a few more ingredients and turned it into muffins.  Enjoy!

Peanut Butter, Banana, and Chocolate Chip Muffins
Makes 12 muffins

2 ripe bananas
1/3 cup plain yogurt (fat-free is okay)
1/3 cup creamy peanut butter (natural is okay)
3 Tbsp butter, melted
2 large eggs
1/3 cup granulated sugar
1/3 cup brown sugar
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
2 Tbsp flaxseed
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp cinnamon
1/4 cup dry-roasted peanuts, chopped
1/3 cup miniature chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

Add first five ingredients to mixing bowl and beat at medium speed.

Add sugars and beat until blended.

Combine flour, flaxseed, baking soda, and cinnamon in a small bowl.

Add flour mixture to banana mixture and beat until just blended.

Stir in nuts and chocolate chips.

Pour batter into greased muffin tin, filling each cup about 3/4 full.  Bake for about 25 minutes or until a tester comes out clean.

Remove from oven and cool about 10 minutes in the pan on a wire rack.

Remove from pan and finish cooling on rack.

Serve warm or at room temperature.  They will keep for about three days in an airtight container, and the muffins also freeze well.

Clear Out the Cranberries

I've talked about Thanksgiving leftovers for several posts, and I was quite pleased with myself for so efficiently using all the bits that remained from our feast.  One dish was a bit of a challenge to reinvent, however - the cran-orange-apple relish.  I can only eat it for so long before my palate tires of the tartness.

I knew there had to be a way to turn it into a baked good, but I wasn't sure how the consistency of the relish would effect the consistency of the batter.  Would I be able to figure out the ratios of dry ingredients to wet?  So, I turned to my cookbooks and the interweb for help.

Inspired by a recipe on the Washington Post's website and a spiral bound cookbook I inherited from my grandmother, I came up with this...

Cranberry Relish Muffins with Orange Glaze
Makes 12 to 14 muffins

1 1/4 cup leftover relish
3/4 cup sugar
1/2 cup vegetable oil
1 tsp vanilla extract
2 large eggs
2 cups flour
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 cup roughly chopped pecans

For glaze:
1/8 cup orange juice
3/4 cup powdered sugar
1 tsp orange zest

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.  Spray a 12-cup muffin tin, or 6 cup large muffin tin with nonstick cooking spray.

To make muffins, combine the relish, sugar, oil, vanilla extract, and eggs in a large bowl.  Stir to combine.

Combine flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt in medium bowl, then stir into relish mixture.

Add the chopped pecans and mix.

Fill muffin tin and bake on middle rack of oven for 25 to 30 minutes until tester comes out clean.

Let cool for about 10 minutes in tin, and then using a butter knife, loosen from the pan and finish cooling on a wire rack.

To make the glaze, combine orange juice, powdered sugar, and zest in a small bowl.  Smooth out any lumps and drizzle/spread on top of each muffin.

Serve warm or at room temperature.