Lemon Curd [Secret Recipe Club]

Today is the Secret Recipe Club reveal day.  I was assigned the blog Apron Strings, written by Donna and Anne, a birth mother and daughter reunited who have bonded over cooking and created a blog, a cookbook and more!  As busy mothers themselves, I'm sure they'll understand when I only ended up making half of one of their recipe.  I received the assignment about three weeks ago, but in the meantime, my job became temporarily (I hope!) more demanding, my family has been passing around every germ known to man, and to top it all off, we're hosting 15 college students at our house for a Central European inspired dinner today, the day of the reveal, which meant that I spent the weekend preparing for that instead of reading the directions on my chosen recipe.

So enough kvetching already!  Let's get to the recipe!  I chose Lemon Pie Parfait, which looked like an easy version of one of my favorite pies: Lemon Meringue Pie.  I've never made my own lemon curd, so I thought that this would be the perfect time to try it...ha!  I have all the ingredients on hand to make the parfaits, but then last night at 7:00pm when I was making the lemon curd, I read the following horrifying words: "Let cool and then refrigerate at least 8 hours, up to 24 hours."  My thoughts at the moment I read this aren't PG enough to write on this blog.  So I made a wonderfully silky and lemony lemon curd that's not ready for the big time--to be the star of the parfait.  Instead, I'm chilling most of the curd, but tested out a tiny bit in a crepe I was making for tomorrow evening.  Delicious!  I would suggest that if you're going to try it in a crepe that you fold it in with some whipped cream to cut the tanginess of the lemon, but since I love authentic tart lemon flavors, I liked it as is.  And I'm chomping at the bit to finally make the parfaits!

Lemon Curd
from Apron Strings

4 large eggs
1 cup sugar
2/3 cup fresh lemon juice
Zest from one lemon
4 tablespoons unsalted butter

Place a medium saucepan with about 1-2 inches of water in it on the stove to boil.  Whisk the eggs and sugar together in a large glass bowl until it turns light yellow and fluffy.  Place the glass bowl over the boiling water to create a double boiler.

Add the lemon juice and lemon zest and whisk.  Cook over simmering water, whisking frequently, for about 15 minutes or until the curd becomes custard like (almost like a soft-set pudding).

Remove the bowl from the heat and add the butter, whisking until completely melted.  Let cool and refrigerate for at least eight hours, or up to 24 hours.

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Slow-Cooker Shredded Beef Tacos

I absolutely love Mexican food!  One of the things I miss most about living in California is not being able to get mouth-wateringly good carne asada whenever I want.  There are good Mexican restaurants here in Kentucky, but they just don't compare to those hole-in-the-wall places I came to love in San Diego.  Mexican food has always been in my cooking repertoire, and it's one of those cuisines in which I feel confident when not using a recipe (except when making tamales!).  I make delicious green chile enchiladas (if I do say so myself), but I don't remember learning how to make them...I just know.

So, enter the humble taco.  I've always made tacos at home using hamburger meat, but last week while taking stock of my freezers (yes, I have multiple freezers), I realized that I have a ton of stew meat that I bought last fall from Marksbury Farm.  I immediately thought that done right, it could make some awesome taco meat...and I was right!  With five minutes of prep in the morning and about 10 minutes in the evening, you can have delicious and healthy tacos after a long day of work.  Who doesn't want that?!

Slow-Cooker Shredded Beef Tacos

Cook's Notes: I used a Porter as the beer of choice, but feel free to use any beer that tastes good to you.  Also, you can find queso fresco in the deli section or Mexican food refrigerated case at your local grocery store or at any Latin American specialty stores.  If you're not sure how to cut an avocado, see my tutorial.

Taco Meat:
2 pounds beef stew meat
1 bottle of dark beer
1 cup fresh or prepared salsa
1/2 onion, roughly chopped
2 large cloves garlic, chopped finely
1 heaping teaspoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon Kosher salt
Pepper, to taste

Toppings:
Corn Tortillas
Finely shredded cabbage
Sliced avocado
Thinly sliced radishes
Queso Fresco
Lime wedges

To make the taco meat:
Pat dry the stew meat and place in your slow cooker.  Add the beer, salsa, onions, garlic, cumin, salt and pepper.  Stir to mix.  If the meat isn't completely covered by liquid, add enough water to cover.  Set on low and cook for 8 hours.

Once the meat has cooked and is falling apart, remove to a rimmed baking sheet with a slotted spoon.  Taste the meat for any seasoning adjustments.  If you're happy with the texture of the meat, using a wooden spoon, press down on the chunks until the meat is shredded.  If you'd like the meat to be a little drier, place in a 400 degree F oven for about 15 minutes or until the meat is crispy enough for your taste.  If it gets too dry, add a little bit of the slow-cooker cooking liquid.  (When done, toss the remaining cooking liquid.)

To assemble the tacos:
Heat the tortillas on the stovetop (in a pan or on a griddle) or wrapped in foil in a hot oven.  To make each taco, layer two tortillas and add about two tablespoons of taco meat.  Top with crumbled queso fresco, radishes, avocados and shredded cabbage.  Serve with lime wedges to squeeze on top of each taco right before eating.

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Chicken, Apple and Gruyère Salad: A Light Meal for Beautiful Fall Days

Last week I was given a basket of apples by some friends.  My kids love to eat them as snacks, but I've been trying to incorporate them into our meals since there are just too many to eat before they start going bad.  This weekend, I was home alone with the kids, and since cooking while rounding up a five year old and an 18 month old can be dangerous, I decided to go simple with a salad.  It was a beautiful fall day...probably one of the last that a salad would be satisfying as a supper.  I came up with this salad with a chicken breast and leftovers in my fridge--the best kinds of meals in my opinion!  Feel free to add other goodies into the salad, but for this version, I kept it simple with lettuce, apples, gruyère cheese and chicken.

Chicken, Apple and Gruyère Salad
Serves 2 as a meal

1-2 chicken breasts (depending on how much you'd like to eat)
1 cup apple cider
1 tsp dijon mustard
1 Tbl red wine vinegar
1 tsp garlic salt
1 tsp dried thyme
2 Tbl olive oil
Lettuce, enough to fill a medium or large bowl (I used Red and Green Leaf, but use your favorite here.)
2 small apples, chopped
2 oz. gruyère cheese, shredded

Honey Mustard and Apple Cider Salad Dressing:
1 tsp dijon mustard
1 tsp honey
Salt and Pepper to taste
2 Tbl apple cider
2 Tbl red wine vinegar
8-9 Tbl olive oil

In a large ziploc bag or in a shallow dish, combine the apple cider, dijon mustard, red wine vinegar, garlic salt, thyme and olive oil until completely incorporated.  Add the chicken breast(s) and completely coat with the marinade.  Place in refrigerator for at least two hours, but up to overnight, turning the breasts a couple of times to marinate well.

Heat your oven to 350 degrees F.  Heat an oven-proof skillet over medium-high heat and spray the skillet lightly with oil.  Add the chicken breasts and brown on both sides.  When the chicken is browned, cover the skillet lightly with foil and place in the oven for about 5-10 minutes (depending on the size of the chicken breasts), or until the breast is done and reaches an internal temperature of 165 degrees F.  When the chicken is done, remove from the oven and place the chicken on a cutting board to rest and cool for at least 10 minutes.

While the chicken is cooling, combine the lettuce, apples and cheese in a large bowl.  Make the dressing by whisking the mustard, honey, salt, pepper, apple cider and red wine vinegar until they are completely combined.  Drizzle the olive oil slowly while whisking.  Taste.  If it's not sweet enough for you, add a little more honey.  If it's not tart enough for you, add a little more red wine vinegar.  If it's too tart, add a little more olive oil.  The flavoring on this dressing is up to you!

Toss the salad with the salad dressing until it is lightly coated, reserving a little dressing to drizzle over the completed salad.  Split the salad between the plates.

Slice the chicken and lay it nicely on each salad.  Drizzle with a little more salad dressing.  Serve immediately.

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Kentucky News

Did you miss me?  I know I've been MIA for a couple of weeks, but I've just been too busy to cook, let alone blog.  There are several Kentucky-related pieces of news and events I wanted to let everyone know about, though, so this will be a quick post dedicated to that.  Hopefully, I'll get back to blogging about food next week!

The first item up is to let you know that there was a great article written about the Kentucky Food Bloggers Association in this month's issue of the Chevy Chaser Magazine.  Go check out what the bloggers are saying about food, blogging and our community!

Secondly, I wanted to let those of you in the central Kentucky area (or those of you who would like to visit!) know that the Kentucky State BBQ Festival is happening this weekend in Danville, Kentucky.  If you're in the area, come check it out!  Pitmasters from all over the country will be here, and from what I've heard, this is one of the only BBQ contests where you actually get to taste the food being cooked.  It looks like it will provide fabulous food and entertainment for the entire weekend!

To enter, go to Only One Kentucky!

And finally, a non-food-related bit of news, but still Kentucky-related: The Kentucky Department of Tourism has kicked off its newest marketing campaign with the theme "Kentucky: There's Only One" with a Twitter contest that will run through November 23rd.  Just check out the website daily and tweet what you love about the day's Kentucky attractions.  Winners will be chosen daily to win prizes from t-shirts to an iPod Nano to a Nook Color.  I've already won a t-shirt and am hoping to win even more!

You have your homework now, so get to it!  :-)


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Baked Spiced Chickpeas [Secret Recipe Club]

This is my third month as part of the Secret Recipe Club, and I love it!  I've met new food bloggers and have been challenged to make new food.  This month was a challenge, but a fun one!  I was assigned Gretchen's blog Veggie Grettie.  A Certified Nutrition Specialist, Gretchen has been vegan for years because of health issues and also cooks gluten free because of her daughter's allergies.  Because my family is neither vegan nor gluten free, I thought that choosing a recipe that we'd like was going to be difficult, but it turns out that choosing a recipe was difficult because there were so many great ones to choose from!

I finally settled on her Baked Spiced Chickpeas Snack.  My family loves chickpeas, and I've seen recipes like this floating around and have made several mental notes to try one.  This one is great because it's sweet and spicy and salty all rolled into a crispy chickpea.  What's not to love?!

Baked Spiced Chickpeas
Adapted from Veggie Grettie

2 cups (or one can) cooked chickpeas
1 1/2 Tbl olive oil
3 Tbl spice mixture (below)

Spice Mixture:
2 tsp dark brown sugar
1 1/2 tsp ground cumin
1 1/2 tsp sweet paprika
1/2 tsp cayenne pepper
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1/2 tsp allspice
1/2 tsp Kosher salt

To make the spice mixture:
Mix all spice mixture ingredients well and place in an airtight container.

To make the chickpeas:
Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F.

Rinse the chickpeas.  Place the chickpeas on two layers of paper towels and then top with a third.  Rub the top layer of paper towels over the chickpeas gently to dry.  Remove the paper towel and discard any skins that have become loose.  Let air dry for a few minutes.

Place the chickpeas in a bowl and add the oil.  Mix until the chickpeas are well coated.  Add three tablespoons of the spice mixture and mix well.  Place the chickpeas on a cookie sheet lined with parchment paper in a single layer.  Place in the oven and bake 40-60 minutes until the chickpeas are golden brown and crispy all the way through. 

Eat immediately once they've cooled.  These do not remain crispy if stored in a container.

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How to Make Fresh Pumpkin Puree

I have never bought a can of pumpkin.  Before I started this blog, I just had never cooked with pumpkin, and when I did start using it in baking, I had nice, fresh "potirons" available to me in the French markets.  I learned how easy it was to make my own pumpkin puree and have never looked back.  Every fall, I stock up on pumpkins, make the puree, and then freeze it in one-cup portions to use in baking throughout the winter.  I love fresh pumpkin for its taste and vibrancy, so I thought I'd share how I make my own puree here.

You need to start with a baking pumpkin, not a carving pumpkin (which can have a bland flavor).  Cut your pumpkin in half.

Scoop out the seeds and membranes.  You can save the seeds to roast if you'd like.

Place your pumpkin halves cut side down on a baking pan.  I like to line the tray with foil since the sugars in the pumpkin can get kind of messy when roasted.  Place your pan in a 350 degree F oven and bake for about 45-60 minutes, depending on the size of your pumpkin. 

The pumpkins should get a little browned on the skin side.  You'll know they're done when a sharp knife slides easily into the flesh.  Take the pan out of the oven and let the pumpkins cool.

Scoop the flesh out of the skins and place in a food processor.  Blend until completely pureed.

Depending on your pumpkin, the puree may be watery.  If that's the case, layer a sieve with cheesecloth or coffee filters and spoon the puree into it.  Let drain over a large bowl, covered, in the refrigerator for several hours until your puree reaches the desired consistency.

Once you've pureed the pumpkin, you can freeze them in freezer bags, freezer-safe plastic containers or freezer jars.  Just defrost what you need when you're ready to use it!

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Kentucky Food Bloggers Association Inaugural Networking Dinner

Way back when I started this blog, I thought that the only people who would care what I was cooking up was my mom and maybe a friend or two.  I quickly realized that this food blogging thing was bigger than I ever imagined.  It's a whole community of people willing to cook and share and help whenever possible.  I was lucky enough to meet a fellow food blogger, Lori at Fake Food Free, in the infancy of my blog.  I was living in France and she in Brazil, but we connected over food and the fact that we were both ex-pats.  I returned to Kentucky and a few months later, she moved to the small town bordering mine.  Crazy! 

Last spring, we started to realize that there were quite a few food bloggers in Kentucky.  She knew Melissa at My McDonald Meal, and I knew Sami from A Teenage Gourmet.  We started talking about organizing a group of Kentucky food bloggers...because surely, if there were four of us in Central Kentucky, there would be more.  Sixty (yes, 60!) food bloggers later, we have a strong and talented group.  (Go check us out on Facebook if you haven't already!) And it doesn't stop there!  In the spring, Alltech, a Kentucky company, approached Lori to see if we would be interested in hosting a dinner sponsored by them.  Of course, we were!  And that dinner finally happened last Friday night.  At Jonathan's at Gratz Park nonetheless.  And there was food.  And swag.  And raffles.  And tickets to the Incredible Food Show.  And laughter, always laughter.

From left to right: Carolyn from Bourbon & Beans, Lori from Fake Food Free, and Jessica from Urban Sacred Garden.

Jonathan Lundy and his staff created an amazing menu for us, featuring Alltech products.  And man, was it good!  We started with a little appetizer of Kentucky Bourbon Barrel Ale Beer Cheese on Fried Cornbread.  Beer Cheese is something I had never had before moving to Kentucky, but I love it!  A cheese spread with a kick to it...what's not to love?!

Kentucky Bourbon Barrel Ale Beer Cheese on Fried Cornbread

The next course was a Pearse Lyons Reserve – Molasses Marinated Alltech Angus Flank Steak with Arugula & Crispy Sweet Potatoes.  I love arugula and I love steak...and now I love crispy sweet potatoes!

Pearse Lyons Reserve – Molasses Marinated Alltech Angus Flank Steak with Arugula & Crispy Sweet Potatoes

The next course scared me as I'm not a huge fan of shrimp.  Weird, huh?  But I ate this Shrimp Corn Dog (Kentucky Ale Beer Battered Fried Shrimp) with Hot Mustard down to the tail.  And if I could have licked that mustard off of the plate, I would have.  The sauce was amazing!

Shrimp Corn Dog (Kentucky Ale Beer Battered Fried Shrimp) with Hot Mustard

Now, I mentioned earlier that I was a steak girl, and the next course fulfilled my every steaky desire.  The Grilled Alltech Angus Ribeye with Horseradish Creamed Collard Greens was done to perfection, and I wish I could have taken a tub of those collards home with me.  This steak was so huge that none of us could finish it...but we had to save room for dessert, right?!

Grilled Alltech Angus Ribeye with Horseradish Creamed Collard Greens

And what a dessert it was!  Jonathan served us a Bluegrass Sundown Chocolate Pot Pie with Jonathan’s Vanilla Bean Ice Cream.  It was so pretty that I didn't want to break into it, but once I did, the crusty chocolate cake was filled with gooey chocolate filling.  It was messy and rich, but I managed somehow to finish the whole thing!

Bluegrass Sundown Chocolate Pot Pie with Jonathan’s Vanilla Bean Ice Cream

I came away from the whole experience with a renewed sense of food, blogging and just being with people who love the same things I do.  We're a diverse group, from college students to moms to professional chefs, but we're all in it together.  And I can't wait for our next get-together!

From left to right: Me, Carolyn (Bourbon & Beans), Megan (The Art of Homemaking), Amy (Pappardella), Fiona (Crazy Englishwoman Cooks), Candy (Candy Girl), Cavan (ManCaveCuisine), Sarah Jane (BraveTart), Melissa (My McDonald Meal), Stella (BraveTart), Danielle (A Day in the Life), Meagan (Meagan's First Kitchen), Lori (Fake Food Free), Jessica (Urban Sacred Garden), Jennifer (Kentucky Foodie)

We were also lucky enough to receive a signed copy of Jonathan's cookbook Jonathan's Bluegrass Table from Alltech, "swag" from Kentucky companies, and quite a few raffle items.  I can't wait to try all of this out in the kitchen!  (This picture is minus the beer cheese, which I ate before taking the picture!)  :-)

A big thank you to all of the organizations and companies who sponsored and supported this event:

Alltech
Jonathan's at Gratz Park
Incredible Food Show

Swag:
Alltech
Bourbon Barrel Foods
Bauer's Candies
Herb'N Renewal
Weisenberger Mill
Whole Foods Lexington
Howard's Creek Authentic Beer Cheese
Elmwood Inn
Holly Hill Inn

Raffle Items:
Whole Foods Lexington
Lexington Chocolate Company
Americandy
Marksbury Farm
Lori Rice
Kentucky Cutting Boards
Bleugrass Chevre

Disclosure: The foods and products reviewed in this post were given to me free of charge. I was under no obligation to post about them and received no compensation for doing so.

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Bourbon Pumpkin Spice Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting

A couple of weeks ago, one of my newfound Kentucky food blogger friends, Judy from The Southern Lady Cooks, posted an awesome-looking recipe for a Bourbon Pumpkin Spice Cake.  I had just bought a beautiful pumpkin from Marksbury Farm and thought, "This would be perfect!  I have all of the ingredients on hand.  I can whip it up this weekend!"  Two weeks later I finally found the time and energy to make it, but when I did, I found that I hadn't held enough pumpkin out for the frosting, that we were down to our last dregs of bourbon, and that my toddler son had finished off the raisins.  Not to be deterred, I forged ahead with what I had, and lo and behold, the cake was still delicious! 

Now Judy calls it a cake, but in my family, it's called breakfast.  We've been eating these mini bundt cakes all week for breakfast, and three days later, they are still moist and scrumptious.  If you want the version with bourbon-soaked raisins and a pumpkin and bourbon frosting, then head on over to the original recipe, but if you're like me and only have the basic staples, this is your cake!

Bourbon Pumpkin Spice Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting
Adapted from The Southern Lady Cooks

Cake:
1/2 cup bourbon
3 eggs
1 1/2 cups sugar
1/2 cup canola oil
1/2 cup buttermilk
2 cups all-purpose flour
2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
2 tsp vanilla extract
1 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp nutmeg
1 tsp ground cloves
1 tsp allspice
1/2 tsp salt
1 cup pumpkin puree

Cream Cheese Frosting:
3 Tbl cream cheese, softened
3 Tbl buttermilk
1-1 1/2 cups powdered sugar

Cake:
Place the bourbon in a small saucepan and heat over medium heat.  Reduce to about 1/2 of the original amount.  Turn off the flame and set aside to cool.

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.  Spray your pan with cooking spray or butter and flour it.  Set aside.

In a large mixing bowl, mix the eggs, sugar, oil and buttermilk until well mixed.  Add the flour, baking powder, baking soda, vanilla, cinnamon, nutmeg, ground cloves, allspice and salt and mix until everything is incorporated.  Add the pumpkin and the reserved bourbon and mix well.

Pour the batter into the mini bundt molds (about 2/3 of the way full) or pour all of the batter into a full-sized bundt pan.  Bake mini bundts for about 20 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean.  Bake a full-sized cake for 45-50 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean.  Remove from the oven and let rest for about 25 minutes in the pan.  Remove carefully and drizzle frosting over cake(s).

Cream Cheese Frosting:
Whisk the cream cheese and buttermilk until smooth.  Add about one cup of powdered sugar and whisk.  Taste for sweetness.  If you'd like it sweeter, add a little more sugar until desired sweetness.  If it's too thick, add a tiny bit of milk until it's thin enough.  If too thin, add a little powdered sugar until you reach the desired thickness.

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Butternut Squash Risotto

Butternut squash is one of those ingredients that I'm learning to love.  I've never liked squash in general (as I've mentioned a thousand times on this blog), but since I get them from my CSA, I have always felt an obligation to keep trying the different squashes so I don't waste what we're given.  Last year, I came up with a soup that my husband and I love and then I froze the rest to be used in quick breads in lieu of pumpkin. 

Last week we received our first butternut squash, and I struggled to suppress a groan.  I know, I know, I'm crazy, but I just haven't been feeling creative in the kitchen over the past couple of weeks.  The slump is due to my crazy busy life, I know, but just thinking about figuring out what to do with the squash was exhausting.  Then inspiration struck...I was going to make some risotto!  I have about ten different rices in my cupboard, and had just been thinking about how to get them into my repertoire more often when the butternut squash crisis happened.

And that's how a delicious recipe and side dish was born out of the ashes of my worn-down self.  Make it...you won't be disappointed!

Butternut Squash Risotto

Butternut squash "puree":
1 medium butternut squash, quartered into wedges and seeded
3-4 sage leaves, chopped
1/2 tsp Kosher salt
1/4 tsp pepper
Olive oil

Rice:
1 Tbl unsalted butter
1 Tbl olive oil
1/2 medium onion, diced
2 cups arborio rice
3 sage leaves, chopped finely
1/2 cup dry white wine
4 cups chicken stock
Butternut squash puree from one medium squash
4 Tbl grated parmesan cheese, plus extra for garnish
Salt and Pepper, to taste

To make the butternut squash "puree":
Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.  Lay the butternut squash wedges in a rimmed baking sheet, skin side down.  Sprinkle the flesh with the sage, salt and pepper.  Drizzle a little olive oil over the squash, and using a pastry brush, brush the oil all over the flesh so that it's completely coated.  Place in the oven and bake for 30-50 minutes or until the flesh is soft.

When the squash is cooked, remove from the oven and allow to cool slightly.  Scoop out the flesh into a bowl and smash with the back of a fork until it is broken down.  There should be some chunks left.  Set aside.

To make the risotto:
Heat the chicken stock in a saucepan until just simmering.  In a larger pot, heat the butter and oil over medium heat until the butter is melted.  Add the onions and saute until the onions start to wilt, about 5-10 minutes.  Add the rice and sage and stir to coat with oil.  Saute, stirring often, for a couple of minutes, or until the rice starts to become translucent.  Add the wine, stirring constantly until the wine is almost completely absorbed.  Add 1/2 cup chicken stock and stir until it's almost completely absorbed.  Continue adding chicken stock, 1/2 cup at a time, until the stock is used up or until your rice is done.  (Risotto should be done "al dente," which means that there should be some chewiness to the rice.  It should not get mushy.)  If you use up all of the stock and the rice is not completely done, add a little hot water until it is done. 

Add the butternut squash "puree" and parmesan cheese to the rice.  Stir well and taste.  Add salt and pepper to taste.  Serve hot with a sprinkling of parmesan.

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Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Banana Muffins [Secret Recipe Club]

This is my second month as part of the Secret Recipe Club, and I was lucky enough to draw Rebecca from A Dusting of Sugar.  I thought last month's SRC pairing was perfect for me because of the international connection, but this month worked out great too!  Rebecca is a college student, and I work at a college!  I love it when the students I work with get into the kitchen, and if they were half as talented at Rebecca, our campus would be constantly wafting with the smell of goodies from the oven.

I had a hard time choosing a recipe, so I let my coworkers choose for me.  I'd been promising them some baked goods for some time, and this was the perfect opportunity to let them get involved a little with my blog.  They voted for three finalists: Banana Streusel Muffins, Flourless Chocolate Cookies, and Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Banana Muffins.  Obviously, the Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Banana Muffins won, but not without a fight.  It turns out that one of my coworkers is a picky eater and had never had banana and peanut butter together!  She was a little wary, so I had to promise that I would make her top choice--the flourless chocolate cookies--if she didn't like these.  Luckily, they were fabulous and won over my coworker's taste buds.

These were perfect for breakfast as well as mid-morning and mid-afternoon snacks at the office.  The amount of peanut butter, banana and chocolate chips created a perfect balance of flavor...no one flavor outshone the other.  I'll definitely be making these again in the near future!

Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Banana Muffins
Adapted ever so slightly from A Dusting of Sugar

2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 cup white sugar
1/2 cup packed dark brown sugar
1 Tbl baking powder
3/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp cinnamon
3 large ripe bananas, mashed
1 cup whole milk
3/4 cup chunky peanut butter (I used all-natural here to great success.)
3 Tbl canola oil
1 tsp vanilla
1 large egg
1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

In a large bowl, sift together the flour, white sugar, brown sugar, baking powder, salt and cinnamon.  Stir to combine.  (There will be little bits of brown sugar left in the sifter...just go ahead and toss that in with the flour mixture.)

In another bowl, mix the mashed bananas, milk, peanut butter, oil, vanilla and egg.  Add the wet ingredients into the flour mixture and stir until just combined.  Stir in the chocolate chips.

Spray a muffin tin with cooking spray or place liners in the tin and fill each about 3/4 of the way full.  This will make roughly 1 1/2 dozen muffins.  Bake for 20-25 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean.

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