Am I the only one that hears “Joy to the world, dtltltltltlt ” from that damn Christmas Vacation scene when I think about a drum roll?!….. OK, fine.
Drum roll!!!
These are my muffins that beat brownies!!! I looked at recipes for both banana and chocolate muffins, then blended and tweaked them to suit my tastes. Chunky Monkey ice-cream has walnuts, but I didn’t have any and I don’t really like them that much so they were omitted. Feel free to add some if you want. Hell feel free to add chocolate chunks too!!! YUM! I used mostly whole wheat flour because its way better for you and gives a good texture. Most recipes I found used entirely too much sugar so I cut that down a considerable amount. I used vegetable oil, but you can substitute applesauce for a lower fat version. A new trick of mine is to puree a whole seeded apple with skin in my magic bullet. Works like applesauce but has added fiber and no added sugar! I am sure Splenda will work as a sugar substitute as well. Hmmm let’s see, oh you can lower the fat again by using egg substitute! So see these can really be as healthy or as decadent as you want them. I just wanted some chocolate and didn’t get too serious about the health aspect. *Wink I hope you enjoy!!!
Preheat your oven to 350F
In a large mixing bowl add
1c mashed frozen bananas (about 2 medium bananas)
1/2 c veg oil
2 eggs
Mix well. In another bowl combine the following dry ingredients:
1/2 c all purpose flour
1 c whole wheat flour (you can substitute all purpose if you don’t have whole wheat)
3/4 c sugar
1/4 c packed brown sugar
7 T cocoa
1 t baking soda
1/2 t salt
1/2 t pumpkin spice (optional)
Use a whisk to blend the ingredients together (way easier than sifting!) If you chose to add walnuts or chcolate chips add them now; 1/2 cup each. But they are totally good without them.
Pour dry mix into wet and mix JUST until incorporated. Pour into a greased and lined muffin pan that makes 12 muffins. I spray the liners as well; they come off the muffins easier. Bake for 25-35 minutes depending on muffin size and temperature of batter from the bananas. My last batch took 30 minutes. I dare you to let them cool before eating! Oh and these guys freeze beautifully so you can always have some on hand. Hey, you could even bake this as a bread, probably two loaves for about an hour.
