Delicious Books

We just got this book in at the library and I am now waiting for it to arrive in my mailbox!  This book has tons of easy recipes that are made with ingredients you can grow in your own garden.  There are also a bunch of preserving and canning recipes (my new obsession) and the fact that there are multiple lemon verbena recipes just seals the deal!

May 19, 2010: Banana Espresso Chocolate Chip Muffins

The first time I made these muffins, they came out great- crispy tops, moist centers, just gorgeous. The second time I made them, I forgot the butter, and they came out sticky- not bad, but obviously not as good as the buttery ones! The third time- sticky again, and I know I had the ingredients right. Or at least I'm pretty sure I had them right. Sometimes baking and taking care of a 5 month old cannot be done at the same time.

I got this book for my birthday- and it's really a winner. Look for more recipes from BAKED coming up soon.

Banana Espresso Chocolate Chip Muffins
from BAKED by Matt Lewis and Renato Poliafito

• 1.5 cups mashed, very ripe bananas (3 or 4)
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 1/4 cup firmly packed light brown sugar
• 1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, melted
• 1/4 cup whole milk (I used 1%)
• 1 large egg
• 1.5 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 tsp instant espresso powder
• 1.5 tsp baking soda
• 1 tsp salt
• 1 cup semisweet chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 350
Spray a 12-cup muffin pan or line it with paper cups

In a medium bowl, mix the bananas, sugars, butter, milk, and egg.
In another bowl, whisk together flour, instant espresso, baking soda, and salt.

Make a well in the middle of the dry ingredients. Pour the wet ingredients into the well and stir until just combined. Fold in chocolate chips.

Fill each cup about 3/4 full. Bake 20-25 minutes in the center of the oven until a toothpick comes out clean.

Cool the muffin tin on a rack for 15 minutes, then remove muffins and let them cool on the rack.

The Bakers

I've started this blog to serve as a chronicle of my baking adventures with my son, Charlie. We spend every Wednesday morning together, and on most of those Wednesdays, I bake while he supervises from the comfort of his blue bouncy seat. I'm not sure how much longer we'll have our Wednesday mornings, or for how long he'll fit in the blue bouncy seat, but I know our culinary escapades will continue for years to come.