What is it about times of stress and banana desserts? I don’t know about you, but when life throws lemons at me, I like to throw some ripe bananas back at life [see an earlier edition of Going Bananas!]. Looks like this time was no different, as I bring you an inspired concoction. No time to dilly dally, so let’s put that hard earned free time to some good use:
Raw Materials
2 cups of flour
3/4 cup of sugar
6 tbsps of honey
3 ripe bananas
3.5-4 oz (1 bar) of bitter sweet chocolate
1/2 cup of Nutella
3 eggs
1.5 tspns of baking powder
1/4 cup of milk
Tools & Bakeware
microwave-safe bowl
mixing bowl
12 cup muffin pan
muffin liners
2 whisk (preparation whisk and regular)
What I did and what you should do given what I did:
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
2. In large bowl combine lightly beaten eggs, sugar, and honey, and whisk until well-combined.
3. Gradually add flour, baking powder, and milk to the mixture until well-combined.
4. Crush bananas in a separate bowl (you can use ripe bananas or bananas kept frozen for future banana breads) and add to the mixture.
5. Break the chocolate bar into pieces and microwave until melted (about 1 minute at 70% power). Whisk the melted chocolate using the smaller preparation whisk until uniform and smooth. Mix in the Nutella, until once again smooth and uniform.
6. Add 3/4 of the chocolate-Nutella to the flour mixture and whisk until well-combined. Reserve 1/4 of the chocolate mixture for the final step.
7. Pour muffin mixture into lined cups until almost full (to achieve that desired muffin top, no pun intended =] ). Once complete, place a dollop of the chocolate mixture on top of the muffins-to-be and swirl using a knife or fork.
8. Bake for 20-25 minutes, depending on your oven. And then:
The Starlet
The Supporting Cast
Don’t be alarmed by the smell of bittersweet chocolate and hazelnut invading your kitchen – or the muffin-starved populace knocking down your doors. It’s all very normal. In addition, if you fear this muffin may be too sweet for you, think again. The bittersweet chocolate cancels out what little sugar you add to this recipe, yielding a delightful refreshing muffin that could easily be made in a large batch as a breakfast banana bread with a twist. Enjoy – and of course:
Bon Appetit!
