Banana Sourdough Muffins

While my last recipe post had a ton of pictures, but lacked a recipe, this is exactly the opposite.  I've made these muffins 2 or 3 times now, and somehow I have managed to avoid taking a picture!  When I made them, I was searching for a recipe where I could use my sourdough starter in a quick bread, just like when I made the sourdough scones.  These muffins are delicious, and have a really great texture.  Just make them!

Recipe: Banana Sourdough Muffins (from The Fresh Loaf)
Ingredients:
1/3 cup butter, softened
1 cup sugar
1 egg
2 cups flour
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1 tsp salt (I always add less)
1 cup mashed banana
1 cup sourdough starter (mine is kept at a 1:1 ratio by weight, and this can be used before or after feeding)
3/4 cup chopped walnuts (I didn't use)
1 tsp vanilla or 1 tsp orange zest (I used vanilla)

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 F.  Cream together the butter and sugar until light and fluffy.  Add egg and mix until blended.  Stir in bananas and sourdough starter.  Whisk together the flour, salt, baking powder and baking soda.  Add the flour mixture to the wet ingredients, stir just until combined.  Pour either into a greased 9x5 loaf pan, or into muffin cups, either greased or with paper liners.  Bake the loaf for ~1 hr or the muffins for 20-30 minutes.  They are done when a toothpick comes out still moist.  The first time I made these, I overbaked them slightly because they still looked underdone.  They continue cooking in the pan after you take it out, trust me!

Banana Buttermilk Ice Cream

I still had some overripe bananas after making the pumpkin banana muffins, and I had leftover buttermilk from making ricotta last week.  I found this great recipe that used up exactly what I had leftover!  The ice cream is really good - it's nice and light and has a great tang from the buttermilk.  And it's so easy to make - what could be easier than blending and pouring?  I think next I'm going to have to try Nicole's caramelized banana buttermilk ice cream recipe.

Banana Buttermilk Ice Cream (from Baking Bites)
Ingredients:
2 large ripe bananas (1 cup puree)
1/2 cup vanilla sugar
2 1/2 cups buttermilk
2 tsp vanilla extract

Directions:
Puree the bananas and sugar in a blender.  Add in the buttermilk and vanilla and continue to puree.  Pour into the frozen ice cream bowl and mix according to manufacturer's instructions.

Keep in airtight containers in the freezer.

Pumpkin Banana Muffins

I used to make this bread all the time while I was in undergrad.  I have recently been craving pumpkin bread, and I had some overripe bananas to use up.  I halved the recipe, and made it into muffins instead.  It made 12 regular muffins and 12 mini muffins (that were a bit on the small side).  Now I just have to figure out what to do with the leftover pumpkin!

Pumpkin Banana Muffins (adapted from Spark People)
Ingredients:
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 cup whole wheat flour
1/2 tsp baking soda
2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tbsp pumpkin pie spice
2/3 cup sugar
1/3 cup packed light brown sugar
2 tbsp canola oil
2 eggs
1 overripe banana, mashed
3/4 cup pumpkin puree
1/2 cup buttermilk
Nonstick cooking spray

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 F.
Mix the flours, baking soda, baking powder, salt and pumpkin pie spice in a large bowl, and make a well in the center.
Mix the sugars, oil, eggs, banana, pumpkin and buttermilk well, in a medium bowl.
Pour the liquid into the dry mixture, and fold together with a spatula until just combined.
Spray a standard muffin pan and a mini muffin pan with nonstick cooking spray.  Using an ice cream scooper, fill the standard muffin pan.  If there is leftover batter, fill the mini muffin pan.
Bake regular muffins 20 minutes and mini muffins 10 minutes.

Chocolate Chip Banana Muffins

This is my go-to banana bread recipe.  I love it because it uses a TON of bananas, which both helps to clear out my freezer stash, and gives it a great banana flavor.  I've made it in every size imaginable - standard muffins, mini muffins, jumbo muffins, 9x5 loaf, mini loaves...I think you get the point.  Sometimes I do it with just chocolate chips, and sometimes I do it with cinnamon and pecans.  I got it from this great cookbook called "Muffins" (very appropriate).  I've used the recipe so many times that I should know it by heart, but the book automatically flips open to it.
Oh, and the recipe claims that it makes 12 muffins, but I always fill the batter to the top, and I get at least 18 muffins every time.  This time I got 20.

Recipe: Chocolate Chip Banana Muffins (from Muffins)
Ingredients:
1/2 cup softened butter
1 cup firmly packed light brown sugar
2 eggs, lightly beaten
5-6 ripe bananas, mashed
2 cups flour
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp baking powder
3/4 tsp baking soda
3/4 cup chopped nuts (optional)
3/4 cup mini chocolate chips (I didn't have minis, so I used 2/3 cup regular sized chips)

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Spray muffin cups with nonstick cooking spray (or use liners).
In large bowl, cream together butter and brown sugar.  Add eggs and bananas; mix well.
in separate bowl, combine flour with salt, baking powder and baking soda.
Stir in creamed mixture just until moistened.  Fold in nuts and chocolate chips.
Fill muffin cups 2/3 full.  Bake for 20-25 minutes or until golden brown.

Cinnamon Chip Banana Coffee Cake

I was supposed to go to a Superbowl party last night. Then, because of 1.) my car being covered in snow and a lack of a shovel, 2.) the fact that I hadn't done any work the entire weekend, and 3.) sheer laziness - I didn't go. I'm sure I missed some great snacks because Jess is a great cook, but I was pretty content at my place. I was planning on making cinnamon chip banana cake to bring to the party, so I figured I might as well make it. This is my current favorite use of leftover bananas. I started seeing it on multiple blogs - first Two Peas and Their Pod, then many others. The first few times I made it, I used chocolate chips. I can't even tell you how long it took me to find cinnamon chips. I've been hearing about them on all of the blogs, and most are in the same boat I was in. I looked for them every time I went to the grocery store. Finally, once I moved to Cville and started using the lovely Kroger, I found them! I didn't know how long they would be available, so I think I bought 5 bags the first time I saw them. But back to the cake - it is amazing. It's so easy to make, with basic ingredients you'll always have around (except for maybe those cinnamon chips). It is delicious with the chocolate chips, and even more amazing with the cinnamon chips. Sometimes I do a combination of chocolate and cinnamon, so I can get my chocolate fix. I have made it in both an 8x8 pyrex and in a 9-inch cake pan. The cake pan is a bit too small to fit the whole recipe, but I made it work the first time I made the cake. I usually add in an extra banana. I think it makes it even more moist. And I wanted to make an attempt to call this "healthy" so I used 1/2 cup whole wheat flour in place of the same amount of AP flour. And you know what? I don't think it changed the taste at all. It might just be a little more dense. So the next time you have overripe bananas (or your stockpile in the freezer starts to overflow), MAKE THIS CAKE!

Cinnamon Chip Banana Coffee Cake (adapted from Two Peas and Their Pod):

Ingredients:

4 ripe bananas

2 large eggs

1 tsp pure vanilla extract

1 cup all-purpose flour

1/2 cup whole-wheat flour

1 1/3 tsp baking soda (use only 1 tsp if using only all-purpose flour)

2 heaping tsp ground cinnamon

1/2 cup granulated sugar

1/2 cup Splenda

3/4 cup cinnamon chips (or chocolate/peanut butter chips)

Topping:

3 tbsp granulated sugar

1 tsp ground cinnamon

1/4 cup cinnamon chips (or chocolate/peanut butter chips)

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 350 F. Spray pan of your choice (8-inch pyrex works well) with cooking spray. Mash the bananas well with a fork or potato masher. Beat in the eggs and vanilla and mix until combined. Gently stir in the flour, baking soda, cinnamon, sugar and Splenda. When the mixture is about halfway combined, stir in 3/4 cup cinnamon chips. Be careful not to overmix! Pour the batter in your prepared pan. For the topping - stir together the cinnamon and sugar. Sprinkle the 1/4 cup chips on top of the batter, and then sprinkle the cinnamon sugar on top of that. Bake for ~30 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Let cool in the pan on a wire rack for at least 15 minutes before serving. It tastes great when it's still warm!