Chunky Banana Bran Muffins

Without a doubt, February has been the banana month. I think it's something about the weather (not that it's been particularly wintry this month but bear with me): when it's cold, I crave sweets. Not sugar so much but definitely fruits. And heavier foods. And spices (especially cinnamon). All of these lead me to baking, hence the influx of muffins.

So when the end of the month rolled around and it was time for our Monthly Cooking Adventure, I knew I wanted to make something with bananas. I was inspired by a recipe from Ina Garten's Barefoot Contessa at Home. I wanted to make the flavor more complex, however, so I added a sour undertone with creme fraiche and lemongrass. Not wanting the sour to be overpowering, in went some sweet cinnamon and nutmeg. That led us to "theme" the evening "Breakfast for dinner" so some Beet Pancakes with Pomegranate Syrup came along for the ride. To round it all out, we drank the vegetarian's Pomegranate Mimosas. Bon appetit!

Chunky Banana Bran Muffins
inspired by Barefoot Contessa at Home

• 2 cups wheat bran
• 2 cups buttermilk
• 8 tablespoons unsalted butter
• 1/2 cup light brown sugar
• 4 tablespoons creme fraiche
• 3 medium eggs
• 2/3 cup blackstrap molasses
• zest from 1/2 orange
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 1/2 teaspoons lemongrass, minced very finely
• 1/2 teaspoon safflower oil
• 1 1/2 teaspoons cinnamon, ground
• 3 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 teaspoon nutmeg, freshly ground
• 2 cups raisins
• 2 bananas, diced
• 2 cups walnuts, chopped

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. If desired, fill muffin pans with paper liners. In a medium-sized bowl, stir together wheat bran and buttermilk. Set aside. In a food processor, cream together butter and sugar for 5 minutes.

Add creme fraiche, eggs, molasses, orange zest, vanilla extract, lemongrass and safflower oil, pulsing 1-4 times and then scraping down the sides after each addition. Add the bran-buttermilk mixture and pulse another 4 times. In a clean large bowl, stir together cinnamon, flour, baking powder, baking soda and nutmeg. Add to food processor in three stages, pulsing 5 times and scraping down the sides after each addition. Don't overmix! Fold in raisins, bananas and walnuts. Fill muffin pans full with batter and bake 25 minutes. Makes 24 muffins.

Links to other banana cinnamon delicacies:

• Banana Muffins with Cinnamon Sugar Streusel from OliePants
• Cinnamon Swirl Banana Bread from Big Mama's Home Kitchen
• Banana Vanilla Cinnamon French Toast from Mama to 4 Blessings
• Cinnamon Banana Bread from Man and Van Moving Blog
• Banana, Blueberry, Cinnamon and Strawberry Yogurt Muffins from Bakersbeans

Blueberry Oat Muffins

I have a confession to make: I'm on a muffin binge lately. And, since I don't know how to make muffins without bananas in them (they bind the muffins and add natural sweetness -- what's not to like?) I guess I'm on a banana binge too. See, it's a vicious cycle, really -- I buy bananas, then have some left over, so I make muffins but I don't have enough so I buy more bananas and, since I always buy them in bunches, a few days later, I have more brown bananas so I make more muffins ... you get the picture. And, while I could buy single bananas or just eat them raw before they turn brown, that really doesn't interest me as much as making all kinds of muffins.

I must admit, though, that, so far, these are my favorite. I used only one banana so you can't taste it at all. I also used sweet potato puree and that, mixed with various warm and wintry spices (cinnamon, allspice and brown sugar to name a few) and just a bit of butter makes these deliciously reminiscent of sweet potato pie. But with blueberries as well. Really, what's not to like? Enjoy these with some sparkling wine and ginger almonds. Bon appetit!

Blueberry Oat Muffins
inspired by Snack Girl

• 1 banana, mashed
• 1 15-ounce can, sweet potato puree
• 1/4 cup maple syrup (I recommend Grade B)
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 tablespoon butter, melted
• 2 cups oat flour
• 1/2 teaspoon allspice
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon brown sugar
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon, ground
• 1/2 teaspoon nutmeg, freshly ground
• 1/4 teaspoon ginger, ground
• 1 cup frozen blueberries

Preheat oven to 375. In a large bowl, mix together mashed banana, sweet potato, maple syrup, vanilla extract and melted butter. In a medium-sized bowl, combine oat flour, allspice, baking soda, baking powder, brown sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg and ginger. Add mixture in two stages to the larger bowl, stirring until just-combined (you don't want to overwork the batter; just stir until there are no streaks of flour). Fold in blueberries. Fill muffin pan (use removable liners for easy clean-up) 3/4 way with batter. Bake 20 minutes.

Remove from oven and let cool 5 minutes. Enjoy warm or at room temperature. Makes 12 muffins.

Links to other banana cinnamon delicacies:

• Cinnamon Banana Bread from One Touch Weather
• Cinnamon Pancakes with Nutella, Banana & Pecans from Channel Ten
• Banana Donuts with Cinnamon and Sugar Coating from Whatcha Makin' Now?
• Warm Banana and Maple Syrup Pancakes with Cinnamon Cream from Fabulicious Food
• Banana Cinnamon Bread from Madison Makes

Not Box Muffins

I'm not a baker. See, when I'm cooking, I like allowing myself to just be seized by the moment and, while reaching for the allspice, allow my gaze to travel down to the vanilla and think ... maybe I'll throw that in too! And I can't experiment like that with baking. Oh, sure, I can play around with spices but it's when I start getting really adventurous and swap out eggs or add in buttermilk that things can get dicey. Because, when I'm baking, I have to keep track of the ratios of solids to liquids and acids to bases and, well, I never took chemistry for a reason!

But, somehow, all those insecurities go out the window when I make muffins. For some reason, I can't mess them up. (Oh, look, now I've gone and jinxed myself. Silly omnivore.) Seriously, though, as long as I have a leavening agent(s), I'm good. And whether they rise a lot or a little -- it's fine. As long as they're cooked through and over the top of the muffin pan, I'm happy.

These muffins are very much made from scratch. So much so that, while they were in the oven I kept turning on the light to check and make sure they were ok! The primary impetus was two bananas left over from my frappe that were turning dangerously brown and splotchy. But I didn't want them to taste terribly bananaey (especially since the vegetarian doesn't much care for their taste) and I wanted a little kick so some chile peppers went in as well, along with buttermilk, allspice, vanilla and, to round everything out, Armagnac. They're not quite savory but also not quite sweet. In fact they taste to me like mild banana muffins but with a little unexpected kick at the end. Perfect to wake you up in the morning or the afternoon. Enjoy with ginger almonds and a glass of Armagnac. Or buttermilk, depending on your preference. Bon appetit!

Not-Box Muffins
inspired by Food.com

• 8 tablespoons butter
• seeds from 1 vanilla bean
• 4 jalapeno peppers, seeds and white membranes removed, grated
• 3 bananas, the riper the better
• 1/2 cup light brown sugar
• 1/4 cup buttermilk
• 1/2 teaspoon Armagnac
• 1 1/2 teaspoons allspice, ground
• 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 cup quick oats

Melt butter (easiest in a microwave) and stir in vanilla seeds. Set aside.

Preheat oven to 350 F. In a large mixing bowl, mash bananas and jalapeno peppers together with a potato masher until well-combined. Add sugar (microwave briefly if hard and lumpy) and buttermilk. Stir in butter and vanilla seeds and Armagnac. In a medium-sized bowl, combine allspice, baking powder, flour and oats. Add dry ingredients to wet and stir until just combined. Butter muffin pan or fill with muffin liners. Fill at least 3/4 way (they won't rise much so it's fine if you fill them higher). Bake for 20-25 minutes, until a chopstick inserted into the biggest muffin comes out clean. Let rest 2 minutes, then enjoy warm or at room temperature.

Links to other banana delicacies:

• Bananas Foster Shortcakes from Inspired Taste
• Banana Nutella Pops from The eMeals Blog
• Chocolate Yogurt Puddings with Strawberries, Bananas and Cocoa Nibs from The Teacup Chronicles
• Butterscotch Pudding with Caramelized Bananas and Cream from Joy the Baker
• Banana Blast from Redman Family Favorites