Double Chocolate Chip Banana Muffins

Doesn't the name of this muffin make you drool?? Yes, it is every bit just as delicious as it sounds, if not more!! There is a very interesting story about how I came to make them! My daughter was attending a educational workshop during Fall which ended just before the holidays and they had a class party for the culmination of it. I was told that there were 30 kids in her class and was provided with a list of stuff that she could choose from to bring for the party.

I always like to make something and send as opposed to store-bought, as it is much healthier and without any added preservatives and such. I also get to control the quality of the ingredients used and the amount of sugar in it. I decided to make something that was easy to carry, easy to serve and eat, would appeal to the kids and was nut-free. I decided to make muffins as it wad easy to carry, serve and eat.

Anything chocolate is usually liked by kids so I decided that I would make chocolate chip muffins. I made it healthier by adding bananas to it and added variety by making 2 dozen chocolate chip muffins and 2 dozen double chocolate chip muffins!! That was a lot of muffins I made that day! They were all gone by the end of the day!

The kids all wanted to eat the muffins and came back for seconds! I took some to work too. The recipe for the Banana Chocolate Chip muffins can be found here and the Banana-nut muffins here.

 Oh, by the way,did I tell you guys that this post is dedicated to Christina Angie from Fiesta Friday on the grand beginning of her 101th Fiesta Friday!! Bubbly Jhuls and Mr Fitz are the co-hosts this week! Iam also linking this post to two other blog parties Throwback Thursday and Saucy Saturdays!

Servings: Two dozen muffins

Ingredients:

All purpose flour: 2cups+ 1/2 tbsp
Baking soda: 1 tsp
Salt:1/4 tsp
Ground cinnamon: ½ tsp
Ground nutmeg: ¼ tsp
Vanilla extract:1 tsp
Butter:1/2 cup
Brown sugar:3/4 cup
Eggs: 3
Overripe bananas: 2 cups(4 bananas),mashed
Cocoa powder: 4 tbsp
Milk: 1/2 cup
Chocolate chips: 1/2cup + 1/2 cup

Method:

Preheat oven to 350 F degrees. Line a muffin tray with cupcake liners and keep aside. If you don't have liners, you could just grease it.

Mix 1/2 cup of chocolate chips with 1/2 tbsp flour and keep aside.

Mix the cocoa powder in warm milk and keep aside.

Using a electric mixer,beat together the butter, sugar, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg  in a medium bowl until creamy.

Add the eggs one at a time,beating well after the addition of each egg.

Add the mashed bananas and mix  until smooth.

Add the cocoa and milk mixture. Stir.

Now add the flour in little by little stirring with a wooden spoon. Mix until all the flour has been incorporated. Do NOT overmix. Over mixing results in tough muffins!

Stir in 1/2 cup of chocolate chips into the batter.

Spoon the batter into the prepared muffin tray.

Now place 3-4 chocolate chips on top of each muffin.

Place the tray on the center rack of the oven and  bake for 15-20 mins at 350 deg F. or until a toothpick  comes out clean when inserted into the center of the muffin.

Take the muffin tray out and let it  cool for 10 minutes before removing  them out onto a cooling rack to cool completely.

Best when served warm with a glass of milk.

Enjoy!

Cooking made easy:

The best way to store muffins is to individually wrap them in cling film and store them in an airtight container. You can keep them outside for 2 days. If you intend to store them for 2 days, it is best to refrigerate them. You can warm them lightly in the microwave before eating/serving.

Tip for healthy living:

Whenever possible feed your children food that has been the least processed. This mean avoiding anything that comes in a packet! If readymade, look for stuff that is in the refrigerated section or in the deli or bakery section of the supermarket. Of course, home-cooked food is the best!

Food for thought:

The bitterest tears shed over graves are for words left unsaid and deeds left undone. Harriet Beecher Stowe

Please do share your thoughts. Your opinion matters!

Eggless Mango Mousse with fruits; Fiesta Friday Anniversary Special!!

I wanted to be here bright and early for the anniversary gala at Fiesta Friday, week 2!!  Judi, Mollie, Steffi, and Suzanne, have been working hard all week! It is also the NEW YEAR!! Happy New Year to all of you my dear blogger friends!This time I have brought you all a light and fluffy, melt-in-the-mouth, loaded with fruits dessert! I cannot make cream-art but tried to write a message for this event.

This dessert is the result of modification of my good friend Sarika's recipe. I loaded her recipe with tons of fresh fruits to make it relatively healthy and renamed it! You can find the original recipe here.

This is a dessert that would appeal to all age-groups, vegetarians and those who observe gluten-free diet or are allergic to nuts. Kids would love it! It is a great way to get kids to eat fresh fruits ! This is a very simple recipe that can be made the previous night of the party. It only has 4 main ingredients.Basically, I took equal quantities of whipping cream, mango pulp and fruits and half the quantity of powdered sugar.You whip the cream and the powdered sugar and then add the mango pulp and whip it. Lastly fold in the fruits of your choice! Voila!! A beautiful dessert is ready!!

Servings: 8-10 ( 1 cup per person)

Ingredients:

Mango pulp: 1 cup ( room temperature).
Whipping/heavy cream: 1 cup
Powdered sugar: 1/2 cup
Canned fruits in juice: one 8 oz can
Plum: 1, peeled and diced
Peach: 1, peeled and diced
Strawberries: 8-10, washed and sliced into 2.
Raspberries: 8-10
Blackberry: 1
Clementines/mandarins: 4-5, peeled and sections separated.

Method:

Chill the bowl and beaters into which you are going to whip the cream in the freezer for 15 mins .

Drain the canned fruits and keep aside.

Using a hand-blender, whip the cream until soft peaks start to appear, around 4-5 minutes.Do not over whip.

Now add the powdered sugar and mix on low.

Fold in the mango pulp.

Add in the drained fruits and fresh cut fruits.

Decorate using berries as you wish.

Serve chilled!

Enjoy! Happy New Year Everyone!! I am not only bringing this to Fiesta Friday but also to Throwback Thursdays.

Cooking made easy:

You can make this dish using all fresh fruits making it even more healthier!
You can use your choice of fruits based on availability and individual preference.

Tip for healthy living:

It is recommended to eat 4-5 servings of fruits per day. This provides with the much needed essential vitamins,  minerals and dietary fiber!!

Food for thought:

The new year stands before us, like a chapter in a book, waiting to be written. We can help write that story by setting goals. Melody Beattie