Halloween Special: Chocolate Banana Muffins

Are you planning to throw away those over ripe bananas?? Please don't, instead make this banana chocolate muffin... It tastes so good that i regret giving away those pretty 9 muffins to my husbands office friends... :D
And yes, Happy Halloween to all!! Today is 2015 Halloween, and my very first Halloween. I wanted to make something special for Halloween and cookies were in my mind for few days.. But I ended up making this banana muffin as i had some over ripe bananas at home and also some left over buttercream frosting too.
The recipe is adapted from Joy of Baking 

Ingredients:

1. Flour - 1 3/4 cup
2. Baking powder - 1 tsp
3. Baking soda  - 1/2 tsp
4. Sugar - 1/2 cup
5. Brown sugar - 1/4 cup
6. Cocoa powder - 3 tbs
7. Chocolate chips - 1/2 cup
8. Salt - a pinch
9. Egg - 3 (small or medium size)
10. Butter, melted - 1/2 cup
11. Banana, mashed - 3 large, about 1 1/2 - 2 cups
12. Vanilla extract - 1 tsp
13. Buttercream frosting - 1 1/2 cups (optional)

Note:

• I have used mini chocolate chips
• You  may mash banana manually or use a blender to do the same. I used a blender for mashing bananas
• Since i had problem with mixing baking powder and baking soda with flour last few times, i have put extra effort to make sure it is mixed very well with flour and other dry ingredients by putting all dry ingredients into a canister and giving nice shakes and stir :)
• I have used a 12 cup muffin tray and 4 silicone cups for baking

Method:

1. Preheat oven to 350F heat
2. Prepare a 12 cup + 4 cups muffin tray with paper cups
3. Mix all dry ingredients from 1 to 8 very well. Make sure there is no lumps
4. Mix all wet ingredients from 9 to 12 in another bowl
5. Fold in dry ingredients mixture to wet mixture until they are combined and not many lumps in the batter left
6. Spoon the batter in to each muffin cup to fill 3/4 or little more than that of the cup
7. Bake for 20-25 minutes or unitl skewer comes out clean when dipped at the muffin center
8. If you are frosting your muffins, you may do it after the muffins are cooled to room temperature. I have used blue color and white color frosting with star tip and round tip. And top it with wilton  sugar eyes. 

I am linking this post to Fiesta Friday

Old school muffin

What is a real muffin? A real muffin should be coarser and less sweet than a cake. Most of us often fail to see the actual difference between muffin and cupcake. The difference is not just in size. Cupcakes are softer, sweeter and moist than cupcake. After all, cup cakes are dessert. But muffin can be sweet or savoury, breakfast or snack..
The recipe given here is the basic old school muffin recipe. You can add your extra add ins like chocolate chips or dried fruits to it.
The above information and recipe is adapted from Alton Browns book, I'm Just Here For MORE FOOD, though I have made minor modifications to recipe.



Ingredients:

I made some cake pops using the same batter by using cake pop silicone pan

1. All purpose flour - 2 cups
2. baking powder - 2 tsp
3. Baking soda - 1 tsp
4. Salt - a pinch
5. Sugar - 1/2 cup
6. Oil - 1/2 cup
7. Egg -  2
8. Yogurt - 1 cup
9. Chocolate chips(optional) - upto 1 cup

Directions:

1. Preheat the oven to 175 Degree Celcius for a minimum of 10 min
2. Sift together ingredients from 1 to 4
3. Whisk ingredients from 5 to 8
4. Add wet ingredients mix to dry ingredients and just mix them using a whisk until they just come together.
5. Add in ingredient 9 and give a stir.
6. Make sure not to overmix.
7. Spoon the batter to muffin cups and bake in middle rack for about 18-20 min until tooth pick inserted to the muffin comes out clean
8. Remove the muffins from the oven and take out the muffin from pan immediately to wire rack for cooling.

Interesting Info:
It is possible to store the batter in airtight container in chill tray for up to a week. :)

Oats chocolate muffin

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup plain flour
• 1/3 cup oats
• 1 tbs sugar
• 1/2 tsp baking powder
• 1/2 tsp cinnamon powder
• salt to taste
• 1/4 cup black current jam( any jam)
• 1 egg
• 1 cup sweet or semi sweet chocolate chips/shavings
• 1/4 cup canola oil

For topping

• 1/2 cup melted sweet/semi sweet chocolate
• 1tbs butter
• 1/2 tsp instant coffee powder
• Icing sugar if chocolate is not sweet
• Milk (adjust milk and icing sugar to get the right consistency)

Procedure

• Mix all the dry ingredients.
• Beat egg , oil and jam.
• Mix the dry ingredients and wet ingredients with a spoon or spatula. ( You need not beat it for long)
• Pour the batter in to muffin cups.(Use paper cups within to get clean muffins) Do not fill the batter to the top as the muffin will rise. Fill only 3/4 cup.
• Microwave for about 2 min.(Depends on your microwave, so check in between so that muffins don't burn)

For topping

• Melt chocolate and mix butter and coffee powder to it.
• Add icing sugar if you have used bitter chocolate.
• Add milk to get the consistency of cream.
• Dip the top portion of muffin in the chocolate cream.