Easy Chocolate Banana Muffins

Easy food is good food.

That's why I try to make the bulk of the recipes of this site pretty simple.

But let me tell you, when you want some dessert, and you want it fast, sometimes even the easy recipes on this blog take too long to prepare.  But fear not, my fellow dessert lovers, for I have solved the problem.  This recipe for Chocolate Banana Muffins has six ingredients, comes together in less than 10 minutes, uses only one bowl, and tastes delicious to boot.

Total success!

Next time you're in need of a quick chocolate fix, look no further than these delicious muffins!

Easy Chocolate Banana Muffins

• 2 banana
• 2 cups flour
• 1/4 cup special dark cocoa powder
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 1/3 cup honey
• 1/2 cup milk
• 1/2 cup chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 350F.  Grease 12 cups in a cupcake pan, or line a muffins pan with cupcake liners.  In a large bowl, mash bananas until smooth.  Add flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, honey, and milk and mix until a smooth batter forms.  If you have trouble mixing it together, add some more milk by the tbsp. Mix in chocolate chips.  Scoop batter into prepared pan or liners until about 3/4 full.  Bake in preheated oven for 20-25 minutes, until firm.  Recipe makes 12 cupcakes.

Enjoy y'all!

Spiced Banana Bread

Chilly fall mornings call for tea and warm banana bread.

In my opinion, Banana Bread is one of the most comforting foods ever.  It's warm and sweet and this version is full of spices that will just wrap you up on a cold day.

Plus, this bread is super easy and made with natural ingredients which will keep you feeling good all day.  Dig in!

Spiced Banana Bread

• 2 cups oat flour (packed)
• 1 tbsp ground flax
• 2 tsp baking powder
• 1 tsp cinnamon
• 1/2 tsp baking soda
• 1/2 tsp ginger
• 1/4 tsp salt
• pinch nutmeg
• 3 large bananas, mashed (about 1 1/4 cups)
• 1/2 cup date paste
• 1/2 cup milk
• 1 tsp vanilla

Preheat oven to 350F.  Grease a loaf pan.  In a large bowl, mix together all dry ingredients.  Set aside.  In another bowl, mix together mashed banana, date paste, milk, and vanilla.  Add wet ingredients to dry and mix until a smooth batter forms.  Pour into loaf pan and spread into an even later.  Bake in preheated oven for 30-35 minutes, until a toothpick comes out clean.  Slice and serve.  Store in fridge.

Banana Chocolate Chip Muffins

I'm going to be completely honest.  I've got no clue what to write about this post.  At this point I've probably written and then erased four different beginnings.  Sorry?  Though delicious, I've got no sentimental connection to these muffins, and nothing weird happened while baking them.  In fact, as my recipes go these guys are pretty darn normal.  Maybe that's it.  I've got no clue what to write when I actually make something that's not weird.

Forgive me if this is somewhat boring, but I've got to find some way to use up the space between pictures.

Soooo... muffins!  Muffins with sweet banana and melty chocolate chips.  Muffins that, providing you're a frozen banana hoarder like myself, you probably have every ingredient for in your kitchen already.  Muffins that no one will ever be able to tell are non fat, whole wheat, and healthy.  That's the best type of muffins.

Make them, eat them, and then freeze any leftovers for later snacking (although i doubt they'll be any because these muffins are delicious).  It really is that simple folks.

Banana Chocolate Chip Muffins

• 1 3/4 cup spelt flour
• 3/4 cup whole wheat flour
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 1 cup mashed banana (3 large bananas)
• 3/4 cup milk
• 1/3 cup greek yogurt
• 1/3 egg whites (2 egg whites)
• 2 tbsp maple syrup
• 1 tsp vanilla
• 2/3 cup chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 350F.  Grease 2 muffins tins (you'll need all of one and one or two cups on the other).  Mix together flours, baking soda,  and salt in a large bowl.  In another bowl, mix together all remaining ingredients except chocolate chips.  Add wet ingredients to dry and mix until a smooth batter forms.  Mix in chocolate chips.  Scoop about 1/4 cup batter into prepared muffins tins.  You should get 12-14 muffins.  Bake in preheated oven for 16-18 muffins, until muffins are firm and a toothpick comes out clean (except for melted chocolate).  Store muffins in an airtight container for 3 days before freezing the leftovers.

Revisited Recipe of the Day:

Apple Currant Bran Muffins

Peanut Butter Banana Balls

It's snack time!

Snacks are super important, especially with back-to-school time just around the corner. There are times when I come home from school absolutely starving and all I can think is FOOD!  During those times it's nice to have healthy snacks to reach for instead of the chips, candy bars, and cupcakes others are eating at the time.  Some of my after school snacks include: yogurt/cottage cheese with fruit, toast with peanut butter and banana, a slice of some homemade healthy dessert, and as long as these Peanut Butter Banana Balls are around, they make a perfect afternoon pick-me-up.

This is one of the simplest recipes on this blog.  All you need is peanut butter, a banana, applesauce, kashi go lean cereal (or another favorite), and rolled oats.  Yep, that's it.  Mash the banana with the peanut butter and applesauce.  Measure the cereal and oats.  Mix it all together.  Stick it in the fridge for a bit and then roll into cute little balls.  Pop 'em into your mouth and enjoy the deliciousness.

Yay for Peanut Butter Banana Balls!  You so want these as your afterschool/afterwork snack!

Peanut Butter Banana Balls

• 1 1/2 cups kashi go-lean cereal (or try your favorite type)
• 1 cup rolled oats
• 1 large bananas (1/2 cup mashed)
• 1/4 cup peanut butter
• 1/3 cup applesauce (you may need slightly more or less depending on size of bananas)

Measure cereal and rolled oats into a large bowl.  In another bowl, mash banana.  Add peanut butter and applesauce and mix until incorporated.  Add banana mixture to dry ingredients and mix until combined.  Place mixture in a container and chill in fridge for at least an hour.  Once chilled, roll into balls.  Store in fridge until serving time.  Recipe makes about 25 small balls.

Revisited Recipe of the Day:

Chocolate Peanut Butter Sandwiches

Chocolate Layer Cake with Peanut Butter Banana Frosting

It's Sunday, tomorrows Monday, and do you know what will make your Monday like a billion times better?  This cake.

Early last week I got back from vacation.  It was a great break from normal life, and I loved lounging around outside without a care in the world.  The only problem was that at the place we were vacationing, it was significantly harder to bake, and even harder than that to take decent pictures.  I did bake one thing during the trip, but by the time we arrived home, I was itching to get back in the kitchen.

Naturally, the first thing I made had to be spectacular.

And what's more spectacular than a gorgeous Chocolate Layer Cake?  Not much, I can tell you that.

I took my Chocolate Beet Cake recipe, and modified it so that it didn't use beets. I added in some banana as well.  Once that was baking I made a quick frosting out of tofu, banana, and peanut butter.  Gah, so good!

If you decide to make this, which you totally should, I can guarantee that you won't be able to tell at all that this cake is healthy.  Nope, it looks and tastes like anything from a bakery, without the butter, without the oil, and without the multiple cups of sugar.

Yay!  How's that for a great start to the day?

Chocolate Layer Cake with Peanut Butter Banana Frosting
For Cake:

• 1 1/4 cup spelt flour
• 1/2 cup cocoa powder
• 1/4 cup arrowroot starch/flour (or cornstarch)
• 1 tbsp baking powder
• 1 1/2 tsp baking soda
• 1/2 tsp cinnamon
• 1/2 tsp salt (don't skip)
• 1 3/4 cup applesauce
• 3/4 cup buttermilk
• 3/4 cup egg whites
• 2/3 cup date paste
• 1/2 cup yogurt
• 1/2 banana, mashed
• 1 tsp vanilla

For Frosting:

• 1 package shelf stable tofu (can buy ar trader joes or online as Mori-nu tofu)
• 2 large bananas
• 2 tbsp salted peanut butter (if you don't use salted, add some salt)
• 1 tsp vanilla

For Cake:

1. Preheat oven to 350F.  Grease 2 8-in circle pans, and line a muffin tin with 3-5 cupcake liners.
2. Combine dry ingredients (flour, cocoa, arrowroot, baking powder and soda, cinnamon and salt) in a large bowl.
3. In another bowl, mix together remaining ingredients for cake.  Add wet ingredients to dry ingredients and mix until a smooth batter forms.
4. Fill both greased 8-in circle pans a little less than 3/4 full with batter.  Distribute the extra batter betweem prepared cupcake liners for some extra cupcakes
5. Bake in preheated oven for 20-22 minutes, until a toothpick inserted into the center of the pan comes out clean.  The cupcakes may require a bit less baking time.
6. Remove cakes from oven and let cool in pan completely.

For Frosting + Preparing Cake:

1. Place tofu, bananas, peanut butter, and vanilla in the bowl of a food processor.  Blend until completely smooth, with no banana or tofu clumps remaining.  It may look thin, but thats ok as the frosting will firm up once it's on the cake.
2. Prepare serving dish for cake (keep in mind that the cake must be stored in the fridge).  Once (8-in) cakes have cooled completely, flip one of them onto the prepared serving dish.  Spread a layer of frosting on top.
3. Carefuly flip the other cake out of the pan and on top of the layer of frosting.  Use remaining frosting to cover the outside of the cake.  Again, it may seem thin, but it will firm up in the fridge.
4. Place cake in fridge until serving time.  When it's time to serve, cut into 8-10 pieces and garnish with chocolate chips or chunks.  Extra cupcakes can be eaten with another frosting of choice (I don't reccommend eating them plain, because it won't be quite sweet enough without a frosting)
5. Store leftovers in fridge.

Revisited Recipe of the Day:

Chocolate Beet Layer Cake - another great recipe for chocolate cake!

Coconut Banana Sorbet

I have this problem with bananas:  I hoard them.

They're great for baking, so I like to have a bunch on hand all the time.  I wait for them to turn brown, then freeze them so they're ready whenever I could possibly need them.

The problem is, during that ripening time I get really cranky and don't let anyone eat any.  By now, my dad knows better than to even ask.  Although, I'm convinced he sometimes sneaks down in the middle of the night to steal a banana.

Things have gotten a bit better lately, because I've taken to buying 2 bunches of bananas, one for me and one for everyone else. That way, my dad can have his precious bananas, and I can have my brown and mushy bananas for baking.

It's a win, win situation.  Banana for all!

Anywho, I dipped into my banana stash to make this Coconut Banana Sorbet.  Sometimes I get so caught up in baking that I forget about simple summer desserts like ice cream and Popsicles.

Im beginning to fix that with this Coconut Banana Sorbet.  It's super easy and super delicious.  I know you're gonna love it!

Coconut Banana Sorbet

• 1 1/2 cups light coconut milk
• 3 large bananas, mashed (about 1/2 cup mashed)
• 2-4 tbsp honey (start with 2, then add more)
• 1 tsp vanilla

Place all ingredients in a blender.  Blend until combined.  Taste to check sweetness, and add more honey if needed.  Pour mixture into an ice cream maker.  Let sorbet churn until it as reached a thick ice cream consistency.  Pour into a container and freeze until compeltely frozen.  Scoop into bowl and serve cold.  Make 4-8 servings.

Revisited Recipe of the Day:

Coconut Ginger Cookies

Banana Yogurt, Cherry, and Blueberry Parfaits

There's something you should know about me:  I'm really bad at holidays.

Not as in that I forget them, or that I don't buy presents or something.  It's just that I'm so bad at being holiday-ish.  You know, like wearing green on St Patricks Day or remembering to make up some elaborate prank for April Fools Day.  I just flat out forget that stuff.

But this year I think I may be improving!  I made Cookie Dough Eggs for Easter, and Gingerbread Cake in November, and now these gorgeous Red, White, and Blue Parfaits just in time for the 4th of July.

These are super duper simple.  Remember what I said about simple being my friend?  That continues today.  

This right here is a 5 minute recipe.  It's perfect for summer, with no oven needed and fresh cherries and blueberries joining the mix.  I love fresh fruit in the summer!

Whip these parfaits up Thursday afternoon, or simply enjoy them any other day this summer.  I know I'll be making them again!

Banana Yogurt, Cherry, amd Blueberry Parfaits

• 1 cup plain yogurt
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 1/2 ripe banana
• chopped cherries
• fresh blueberries

Combine yogurt, vanilla, and banana in a blender.  Blend until fully incorporated.  Layer banana yogurt with cherries and blueberries in small glasses to make parfaits. Grab a spoon and dig in!  Recipe makes 2-4 servings, depending on size of parfaits

Revisited Recipe of the Day:

Cheesy Star Chips

4 Ingredient Chocolate Banana Cookies

I have been so incredibly busy lately.  It's been non stop action all day, every day.  But I'm not complaining.  It's been great to try new things and to work hard and push myself.  The only downside is not getting to spend as much time baking and working on this blog as I might have liked.

However,  not a lot of time in the kitchen means lots of super simple recipes!  Everyone likes those, right?

These cookies are crazy.  Crazy simple, crazy good, crazy fast.  You need bananas, cocoa powder, quick oats, baking soda and 15 minutes.  That's it!

Mix it all together in a big bowl, sneak a spoonful, and shape some cookies.  You may want to sneak multiple spoofuls, actually, because the batter tastes really good.  If you've got any batter left, then you can shape your cookies.

Soon after they're ready to eat!  Because of the super awesome ingredient list, these cookies can be eaten for breakfast, snacktime, or dessert.  They are so perfect for satisfying chocolate cravings in a healthy way.

Busy days?  Bring it on!  I've got Chocolate Banana Cookies to help me through.

Four Ingredient Chocolate Banana Cookies

• 1 1/2 cups quick oats
• 1/4 cup special dark cocoa powder
• 1/2 tsp baking soda
• 2 ripe bananas

Preheat oven to 350F.  Mix together oats, cocoa powder, and baking soda in a large bowl.  Place bananas in a small bowl and microwave for about 45 seconds, until soft and mushy.  Mash completely, and add the bananas to the large bowl.  Mix together until a batter forms.  Shape batter into cookie shaped patties and place on a lined baking sheet.  Bake for 6-10 minutes, until cookies are firm.  Let cool and then transfer to an airtight container.  Recipe makes about 10 thick cookies.

Revisited Recipe of the Day:

Chocolate Banana Cups

Banana Soft Serve with Blueberry Chia Jam

... and a honey drizzle.

Whew!  Did you get through all that?

Despite the very long title, this is actually a super easy dish to prepare.  It's got only four natual ingredients and there is almost no hands on time.  This is also my Recipe ReDux recipe for this month.

The theme this month was to add some sort of seed to a dish that reflects the current season in the place you're living.  I thought this was a great oppurtunity to play around with some chia seeds.  I bought them a while back and so far I've only used them in two or three things.  It was time they get some use again!

The creaton of this dish was centered completely around the Chia Seed Jam I wanted to make.  I'd seen the concept all over, and I couldn't wait to try myself.  Guess what?  It worked perfectly!  With only blueberries and chia seeds I was able to make a thick jam.

I then swirled the jam into some banana soft serve.  I'm sure you've heard of this before, it's just frozen banana blended until they reach an ice cream like consistency.  My plan wasn't to reinvent the wheel with this dish, it was just to put together delicious flavors to create an awesome dish.  The whole thing was topped off with a quick drizzle of honey.  See?  Totally simple.

And that's not to mention, it was sooooooo good.

I served it up for Father's Day dessert, as it's the kind of dessert my dad loves, and every family member devoured it!  They couldn't believe there was no milk, and that only four ingredients were in the whole thing.

With the first day of summer officially being today (!!!), what better way to celebrate than with some completely clean ice cream?

Banana Soft Serve with Blueberry Chia Jam and Honey Drizzle

• 3 ripe bananas
• 3 cups frozen blueberries
• 3 tbsp chia seeds
• honey

1. Peel and slice your bananas, put them in a plastic bag or container, and stick them in the freezer until they're frozen.
2. In a large saucepan, bring blueberries to a boil.  Once the juice starts to bubble, reduce heat and add chia seeds.  
3. Continue to cook, stirring often, until mixture has thickened to a jam-like consistency, about 15 minutes.  If desired, stir in a bit of honey.  Transfer jam to a container and place in fridge.  The longer you keep the jam in the fridge, this thicker it will become.
4. As close to serving time as possible, place frozen banana slices in the bowl of a food processor or high power blender.  Blend until mixture is smooth, and reaches an ice cream like consitency.
5. If you will be serving right away, scoop Banana Soft Serve into 3 or 4 bowls to be served.  If not, place in a a large container and freeze until serving time. Place soft serve in 3 or 4 bowls when time to seve.  This will make it a bit firmer, but it still tastes good. 
6. Take a dollop of Blueberry Jam and place it on top of the soft serve.  Swirl it in if desired.  Add a drizzle of honey and it's time to eat!

Notes:

• You will definitely have leftover jam.  Use it as you would any other jam.  If you like things pretty sweet, I reccommend topping it with a drizzle or two of honey as well
• This recipes makes enough for 3-4 people.  This is because it only uses 3 bananas.  To make more servings, simply freeze more bananas.  Easy peasy!
• To make this entire recipe vegan, simply replace the honey with agave.

Revisited Recipe of the Day:

Banana Split Bowl