BANANA CHOCOLATE CHIP MUFFINS (SF & WHOLE GRAIN)

 

It is hard for me to believe August is almost over and this time next week will be September. School has started so that says September to me even though school started the third week of August. The temperatures are gradually changing so our highs are maybe 90 but not a whole lot higher and our lows might get down in the mid 60s. The mornings are especially welcoming when the temps are that low.

For probably the last 20 years I have tried to be a more healthy baker and eater. If you follow me or at least checked out a recipe occasionally, hopefully you noticed if I made the dish (I do share recipes from my friends who make desserts with lots of calories and ever once in a while I might also.) I do some substitutions to make it more healthy and definitely less sugar calories.

About twenty years ago Wayne and I found ourselves wanting to lose some extra pounds and decided to try the Sugar Busters Lifestyle. We stayed true to it with an occasional "cheat" with a dessert. He lost more weight than I did (but he says he needed to lose from weight than I did) but I lost 12 lbs. I was a little concerned because that was two more pounds than I wanted to lose. A friend said when my body got to the weight it needed to be, I would stop losing. Right or wrong, I did gain the two pounds even though I wasn't trying to and I stayed at my desired weight for probably ten years. 

What happened? More cheats and more calories. 

A couple of days ago I decided I was going to try it again. I am hopeful that I can once again be successful at getting to my desired weight which is more than it was twenty years ago but a start. It is ten pounds again and I will keep you posted on my success.

For these muffins I substituted whole wheat flour for the all-purpose flour that is enriched, used stevia for the sugar, and no-sugar-added chocolate chips for semi-sweet. Another "biggie" is portion size. I made mini-muffins instead of regular size muffins. Of course you can use all-purpose flour, sugar, and semi-sweet chocolate chips if you prefer.

This recipe is from the Heartstone Inn, a Bed and Breakfast in Eureka Springs, Arkansas.

PRINT RECIPE

BANANA CHOCOLATE CHIP MUFFINS

1-1/2   cups sifted flour (I used whole wheat flour)

2         teaspoons baking powder

1/4      teaspoon soda

1         cup mashed ripe bananas (2 to 3 bananas)

1         egg, beaten

1/3      cup oil

3/4      teaspoon salt

1/2      cup sugar (I used stevia)

1         cup chocolate chips (I used no sugar added chocolate chips)

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Spray muffin tin for 12 regular muffins or 24 mini-muffins. Set aside.

(After spraying the pan, take a folded paper towel and wipe off the top of the pan.)

Sift flour, baking powder, and soda into a large bowl.

(After sifting I stirred the mixture to distribute the flour that fell through the sifter when I put it in the sifter.)

Mash the bananas and mix them with the beaten egg, oil, salt, and sugar/stevia together in a medium size bowl.

Add the banana mixture to the flour mixture and mix

just until ingredients are moistened.

Fold in the chocolate chips. 

Fill cups 2/3 to 3/4 full.

I made 24 mini-muffins and used my 1-1/2 tablespoon cookie scoop which worked out perfectly.

Bake 15 to 18 minutes for mini muffins or 25 to 30 minutes for 12 regular muffins.

Cool pan on a wire rack for about a minute.

Then using a small knife like a butter knife, remove the muffins to finish cooling on wire rack.

I hope your August ends on a high note and your September is even better.

PATRICIA'S AWESOME CHOCOLATE PIE

I know what you might be thinking... What does Patricia mean by her "mysterious" chocolate pie? Right? Well, maybe not. I'll explain anyway. (I did decide to change it to "awesome" instead of "mysterious by the time I finished writing this post.)

First of all I have to describe my oldest recipe collection. I started it back in the seventies. It is 7 x 9" and is a 3-ring binder. I don't remember where I got it from, but it also has a gold circle sticker that says RECIPE BOOK on the edge. Inside is a half light weight card stock sheet that says Central Recipe Book and then goes on to tell you how to use it. It also contains 5 section Mylar indexes and a envelope for printed clippings. It was made in the U.S.A. by the Northern Central Co., in MIL, WIS but doesn't include a date. It was definite for beginners since it has such detailed instructions. (I must admit I don't remember reading them until now as I sit here to write this post. It brought a smile to my face and even a small chuckle.)

The name of the recipe that I had copied down on one of the ruled 8.5" x 5.5" sheets of paper is called Chocolate Chess Pie. They should have instructed me to identify the source of the recipe which might have helped me with its name, but they didn't and so I have no sources except on the clippings I have in the envelop.

The thing is ... the recipe isn't like any Chocolate Chess Pie recipes I have made or found. Since it has cream cheese in it, I looked up Chocolate Cream Pie but couldn't find any recipe like it. Basically I'm saying, I could not find any recipe like it. 

I had thought about making it when I made my recent Creamy Chocolate Pie which is also one I had written down on one of the ruled sheet, but when I realized the eggs weren't cooked, I kept turning the page until I found the Creamy Chocolate Pie that didn't have any eggs. When I was looking for something to make for the canasta group that I hosted last Tuesday, that fact went right over my head.

All of my younger life I have loved Lemon Ice Box Pie. I don't know how many my mother made during her life and I even made. It is still a family favorite at gatherings. I don't have any idea when I quit making them but do enjoy it when I go back to my hometown. Eating raw eggs in desserts fits in the category of things we did but is not recommended anymore. You know the list that includes having kids secured in a car in a car seat, being secured in a high chair, a baby sleeping on its stomach, children just going out to play and told to be home for supper, leaving your kids in the car while you went in the store, etc. Older people laugh and say it's a miracle we are here today.

Saying all of that, when it finally hit me, I was concerned and notified everyone that I had made a pie that contained eggs that were not cooked. I offered to make something else to serve if that bothered them. Everyone felt like I did about growing up and eating desserts with raw eggs and they couldn't wait to enjoy the pie. 

I obviously haven't tried this but when I was looking for recipes online like mine, I read a post from Sally's Baking Recipes for a French Silk Pie that called for eggs that weren't cooked that she had modified so she could cook the eggs to 160 degrees F. She cooked the eggs with the sugar in a double boiler over simmering water stirring constantly until the temperature reached 160 degrees F. about 10 minutes. She allowed it to cool for about 10 minutes before adding the cooled chocolate. If you are concerned about eating my pie with uncooked eggs, you could try that with the brown sugar and after cooling the mixture, add it to the cream cheese and cream the mixture together. It's just a thought since I haven't tried it to see if the pie comes out the same.

Printable copy of just the recipe.

PATRICIA'S AWESOME CHOCOLATE PIE

1     package (6-ounces/1 cup) chocolate (I used Belgian 54% cacao chocolate chunks)

1   package (8-ounces) cream cheese, softened (I used 1/3 reduced fat Neufchatel at room temperature)

3/4  cup light brown sugar, divided

1/8  teaspoon salt

1     teaspoon vanilla

2     eggs, separated

1     cup heavy cream whipped (I used 2 cups thawed whipped topping)

1     (9-inch) prepared chilled graham cracker crust

Melt the chocolate over hot (not boiling) water,

then cool about 10 minutes.

Blend cream cheese, 1/2 cup of the brown sugar, salt, and vanilla.

Beat in egg yolks, one at a time.

Beat in cooled chocolate and

blend well.

Beat egg whites until stiff,

but not dry.

Gradually beat the remaining 1/4 cup of sugar;

beat until stiff and glossy.

(I had to transfer the egg whites into a large bowl, so beat them in a large bowl.)

Fold chocolate mixture into the beaten whites.

Fold in the whipped cream/topping.

Pour (spoon) mixture into crust

and chill overnight.

When ready to serve, you can add a dollop of the whipped topping you had left from the 8-ounce container.

The finished pie was so smooth and light tasting as well as making an awesome presentation.

CHOCOLATE CHIP YOGURT COOKIES

 My Pillsbury Healthy-Baking Fresh Approaches to more than 200 Favorite Recipes is currently my favorite new/old cookbook that I got at an estate sale. I love the healthy options and then I make my own healthy options so the recipe is even more healthy.

This cookie is so good! And we love the taste of it. I even took Friend Fran six of them and she loved them also. I think there are still a few in the cookie jar but not a whole lot. I might try some different flavored chips next time. They won't be miniature so I will chop them first. I do like the smaller chips in a cookie. It seems like you have more chips then in the small cookie.

I have another recipe from this cookbook to share with you in another post of some mini muffins I took to my dentist office when I got my teeth cleaned. I have several more already marked and I'm sure I will find more as I just look through it.

PRINT  just the recipe.

CHOCOLATE CHIP YOGURT COOKIES

1/2     cup sugar or stevia (I used stevia)

1/2     cup firmly packed brown sugar (I used 1/4 cup light brown sugar and 1/4 cup truvia sweet complete brown with a hint of molasses)

1/4     cup (1/2 stick) butter, softened

1/4     cup shortening

1/2     cup nonfat plain yogurt

1-1/2  teaspoons vanilla

1-3/4  cups flour (I used almost a full cup of all-purpose and the rest whole wheat flour.)

1/2     teaspoon baking soda

1/2     teaspoon salt

1/2     cup miniature semi-sweet chocolate chips

Heat oven to 375 degrees F. 

In a large bowl, beat sugar, brown sugar, butter, and shortening until

light and fluffy. (I let the electric mixer run while I measured out the dry ingredients.)

Add yogurt and vanilla;

blend well.

Stir in flour, baking soda, and salt that you have blended in a smaller bowl.

I added a little at a time since I was stirring by hand.

Mix well.

Stir in chocolate chips.

Drop dough by rounded teaspoonfuls

2 inches apart onto ungreased cookie sheets.

(I also made 12 cookies using the my cookie scoop, but the cookies stayed round and I preferred the looks of the rounded teaspoon cookie.)

Bake for 8 to 12 minutes (I baked mine 10 min.) or until light golden brown. Cool 1 minute;

remove from cookie sheets to a wire rack to finish cooling.

The cookies made using the cookie scoop.

HIGH ALTITUDE- Above 3500 feet: Decrease granulated sugar to 1/3 cup; decrease brown sugar to 1/3 cup. Bake as directed above.