Banana Bread Muffins with Chocolate Chips and Crystallized Ginger

I have been posting so many sweets lately. I think it is because it was the holidays and winter but also because it is so much easier for me to post baking recipes. When I cook I fly by the seat of my pants, rarely measure, substitute like crazy and rarely remember what I do. I actually prefer cooking over baking for precisely those reasons, although it makes it a little challenging to post the recipe. We hosted a beer tasting evening this weekend where people brought all different beers to try. Although my food choices weren't necessarily beer food, they were designed to be bite size party food. I made nutcups which were tasty but nowhere near as good as my moms; pizza with caramelized onions, goat cheese, and artichoke hearts; and mini banana bread muffins follow a recipe from the book I am currently reading by Molly Wizenberg, who has a Seattle based food blog. I didn't make any changes to the recipe except I added some pumpkin pie spice and made mini muffins instead of bread but the bread would be delicious too.

6 tablespoons unsalted butter
2 cups flour (I think I put 1/2 cup whole wheat and 1 1/2 cups all-purpose)
3/4 cup sugar
3/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup chocolate chips (I used bittersweet)
1/2 cup finely chopped crystallized ginger
2 eggs
3 large mashed bananas
1/4 cup well-stirred whole-milk plain yogurt (the recipe notes - not low fat or nonfat)
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1. Preheat oven to 350 deg F.
2. Grease a loaf pan (9 by 5 inches) or mini muffin pan or muffin pan.
3. Melt butter and set aside to cool slightly.
4. In a large bowl - mix flour, sugar, baking soda, and salt. Stir in chocolate chips and crystallized ginger.
5. In another bowl - mash the bananas and mix in eggs (beat eggs lightly together before mixing with the rest of the wet ingredients), yogurt, melted butter, and vanilla.
   
6. Add wet ingredients to the dry and gently stir until just combined. Careful not to over mix.
7. Pour batter into your baking dish of choice.
8. Mini muffins took about 10-14 minutes (lightly brown around the edges and clean toothpick - unless you stick the toothpick into a chocolate chip)
9. Loaf pan - bake 50 minutes to 1 hour.
10. Cool in the pan for a few minutes and then cool completely out of the pan. Be careful - melted chocolate is hot.
    

Zucchini and Basil Muffins

I have an excess of zucchini so have been searching for some recipes to make use of it. This is a savory muffin and doesn't have much sugar in it at all. I used soy milk and a 50/50 blend of white flour and whole wheat so they were probably a little denser then the original recipe. I don't think the basil came through much in the final product so I think I would add a little more next time. These are best warm right out of the oven and definitely benefit from reheating (I just popped them in the toaster oven for a few minutes). I had dreams of making them into savory little sandwiches but they would have been tiny. These are muffins so be careful not to over mix. Just blend the wet and dry until just combined and then add the zucchini and basil.

recipe from Just Hungry

• 2 large eggs
• 3/4 cup milk
• 2/3 cup extra virgin olive oil
• 2 1/2 cups flour
• 1/4 cup sugar
• 2 tsp. salt
• 1 Tbs. baking powder
• 2 cups grated zucchini (about 2 medium zucchini)
• 2 Tbs finely julienned fresh basil leaves
• 1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan or similar hard grating cheese

Blend the eggs, milk and oil in a large bowl. In a second bowl blend the dry ingredients. Add the dry to the wet and stir until just combined. Stir in zucchini and basil.

Fill greased muffins tins about half full. Sprinkle with cheese. (I put the muffins in the oven for 5 minutes before I added the cheese to let the heat level out the batter a little).

Bake in 425 degree oven for 20-25 minutes.