Peanut Butter Apple Banana Mini Muffins

My mom keeps dropping off ripe bananas at my house.  This stuff is just sitting on the table in my kitchen.  The other day Baby Girl grabbed one and  squished it like the Hulk.  How can someone so cute be so annoying?

So I decided I needed to do something about these bananas.  The now over ripe ones ... the ones that my mom keeps bringing over ... the ones just sitting on my table ... the ones that Baby Girl can now reach.   

I am working on not making muffins with the KitchenAid.  I am starting to feel like this is the way to go to not over mix muffin batters.  The muffin making process is not that much slower with hand mixing.  But the muffins are so much more tender. 

Peanut Butter Apple Banana Mini Muffins
Ingredients:

• 1 egg, large room temperature
• 1/2 cup brown sugar
• 1/3 cup vegetable oil
• 1/4 cup granulated sugar
• 1/4 cup vanilla yogurt
• 1/4 cup crunchy peanut butter
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 1 1/2 cups all purpose flour
• 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 cup mashed ripe bananas (about 2 large or 3 small bananas)
• 1 cup grated apples ( about 2 small or 1 large)

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350F.  Spray mini muffin tin with cooking spray.
2. In a large bowl, add egg, brown sugar, oil, sugar, yogurt, peanut butter, and vanilla.  Wisk until smooth. 
3. In a separate bowl, mix the dry ingredients. 
4. Slowly add the dry mixture into the wet mixture with a rubber spatula.  Be careful to not over mix.
5. Add the bananas and apples.  I grated the apples with the peal on.
6. Fill the mini muffin tin.  Bake for about 10 minutes. 
7. Cool on a wire rack.  Enjoy!

These muffins were super yummy.  I used chunky peanut butter because that is all I had in my pantry.  I will say that I think creamy peanut butter will be much better for this recipe.  However, Baby Girl has been gobbling them up with no complaints. 

Keep baking my friends!
XOXO

Banana Bread

My mom dropped off a bag of frozen banana's on Sunday morning.  So what is a girl to do?  Make banana bread of course! 

The mini loves are banana chocolate chip and the medium loaves are banana apple cranberry bread. 

Banana Chocolate Chip Bread
Ingredients:
1 stick unsalted butter
1 cup sugar
2 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
3 ripe bananas, mashed
2 cup all purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon cinnamon
3/4 cup mini semi sweet chocolate chips

Directions:
1.  Preheat oven to 350F.  Grease a mini loaf pan.
2.  Mix together butter and sugar until fully combined.
3.  Add eggs and vanilla extract.  Mix well.
4. Add mashed bananas and mix until completely combined.
5.  In a separate bowl mix flour, baking soda, cinnamon.
6.  Slowly incorporate the dry mixture with the wet mixture.  Do not over mix!
7.  Pour batter into prepared mini loaf pans.  Bake for about 30-35 minutes or until top is golden and a toothpick test comes out clean.
8.  Cool in pan for about 10 minutes then remove and cool on a wire rack before serving.





Banana, apple, raisin, cranberry bread
Ingredients:
1 1/2 cup all purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup sugar
2 eggs
1/2 tablespoon + 2 tablespoon vegetable oil
4 tablespoons whole milk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
3/4 cup cranberries, dried
1 Fuji apple, grated
3 large bananas, mashed

Directions:
1.  Preheat oven to 350 degrees and grease a 2 medium loaf pan
2.  Combine flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt and sugar.  Mix well and set aside.
3.  Combine eggs, milk, oil, vanilla extract, grated apple, and mashed bananas.  Mix well.
4.  Add in the dry ingredients into the wet mixture.  Mix until combined.
5.  Add in dried cranberries.
6.  Pour into prepared baking pan.  Bake for about 45 minutes.

I haven't baked in a long time.  Felt good to bake.  Soothes the soul.  Now that baby girl is older I may start to bake again.

Keep baking friends!
XOXO

Banana Apple Raisin Cranberry Bread

So my banana apple raisin bread has become quite popular in my circle of family and friends. 

Since my mother in law loves dried fruit I decided to make it for Mother's Day Brunch.  Calm down!  Other items were served as well.  You didn't think the bread was the only item I served did you?

Banana, apple, raisin, cranberry bread
Adapted from Anncoo Journal

Ingredients:
1 cup all purpose flour
1/2 cup whole wheat flour
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup sugar
2 eggs
1/2 tablespoon + 2 tablespoon vegetable oil
4 tablespoons milk 2% fat
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 cup raisins
1/2 cup cranberries, dried
1 Fuji apple, grated
3 large bananas, mashed

Directions:
1.  Preheat oven to 350 degrees and grease a mini loaf pan
2.  Combine flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt and sugar.  Mix well and set aside.
3.  Combine eggs, milk, oil, vanilla extract, grated apple, and mashed bananas.  Mix well.
4.  Add in the dry ingredients into the wet mixture.  Mix until combined.
5.  Add in raisins and dried cranberries.
6.  Pour into prepared baking pan.  Bake for about 45 minutes.

I am normally not a big fruit fan in my bread but there is something about this bread that is so yummy.  I think it's a good snacking bread.  Does it fall under fruit cake?  I am not quite sure.  Make it and let me know!

So Khloe the pup has a little issue when playing fetch.  Don't get me wrong, she is a awesome fetcher.  The problem is getting her to let go once she brings the ball back.  El Hubby and I have been working with her by giving her a treat to get her to let go of the ball.  It's working.  For now.  But who wouldn't do something for a treat?  If someone held up a mini snickers bar and asked me to "let go" I would do it.  Oh well.

Bake on friends!

XOXO

Banana, Raisin and Apple Bread

I am always trying to find recipes that my Asian family and friends will like.  Not that I don't care about my other friends but lets be honest the Asians are more critical.  Especially when it comes to dessert or anything sweet.  The Asians like to complain a lot about if something is "too sweet".  So finding something sweet to satisfy these people can be really hard.

The banana, raisin and apple bread was pretty easy to make.  I will be honest.  The recipe originally called for dried cranberries but I was out (El Hubby has been eating oatmeal in the morning and apparently used up all the dried cranberries) so I substituted with raisins. 

This bread turned out amazing.  Seriously.  I brought it to Tzu Chi on Sunday and I came home with a empty container.  The Asian people all seemed very happy.  I think the only thing I would have to comment on is that the raisin kinda sunk to the bottom.  So I guess I need to save some flour to sprinkle on them next time to prevent all the raisin form sinking to the bottom.

Banana, raisin and apple bread
Adapted from Anncoo Journal

Ingredients:
1 cup all purpose flour
1/2 cup whole wheat flour
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup sugar
2 eggs
1/2 + 2 tablespoon vegetable oil
4 tablespoons milk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup raisins
1 apple, grated
3 large bananas, mashed

Directions:
1.  Preheat oven to 360 degrees and grease a mini loaf pan
2.  Combine flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt and sugar.  Mix well and set aside.
3.  Combine eggs, milk, oil, vanilla extract, grated apple, and mashed bananas.  Mix well.
4.  Add in the dry ingredients into the wet mixture.  Mix until combined.
5.  Add in raisins.
6.  Pour into prepared baking pan.  Bake for about 45 minutes.

Bake this bread friends.  I promise it is worth it.  I would not classify this as a dessert.  But it passes with flying colors for breakfast, brunch, or snack.

The pup loves her biscuits.  It's one of the few words she knows and knows well.

Keep baking friends!

XOXO

Spring Sangria

I feel like there is a sangria crazy going around. In the last few months every party I go to there is sangria served. So I decided to join the crazy. I am usually not one to follow crazes. But sangria is just too yummy to resist.

Ingredients:
1 orange
1 lime
6 pieces of fresh pineapple
6 strawberries halved
1 apple
1 cup 7up
1 bottle of white wine (any cheap-o kind will work)

Directions:
1. Slice up orange and line into thin slices. Cut up pineapple, strawberries, and apple.

2. Put all fruit in a big pitcher. Add 7up and wine. Mix and chill in the refrigerator.

This is nice and fruit on a warm spring day. Loved it! However, I enjoyed this while watching some NBA. I guess I am not as classy as I thought. Oops!

Enjoy!

XOXO

Poppy Seed Apple Salad

So this salad has become one of my favorite salads to serve at dinner time. This is also the salad I made for Thanksgiving dinner. It's super easy and super yummy!


1 apple
1/2 head of lettuce
1 small tomato
candied walnuts
poppy seed dressing

So ... chop up some lettuce. Cut some apple and tomatoes in cubes. Toss everything with some poppy seed dressing and top with a hand full of candied walnuts and serve. Could this be any easier? I think not!

XOXO