Chocolate Chip Banana Bread Muffins

Several years ago I was on a quest, a quest for a banana bread recipe without oil.  A good one.  Finally I found one I liked, and after years of tweaking I have come up with this.  I think it's pretty great and my family loves it too.  Thus, my long journey, over roads of bland tasting bread and valleys of hard as a rock muffins, is finally complete.


Chocolate Chip Banana Bread Muffins
Recipe by Kathee Clifford

Ingredients:

4 tbsp. butter, softened
1/4 cup applesauce
2 eggs
2 tbsp. milk
3/4 cup brown sugar
1 cup mashed bananas (2 to 4 medium bananas)
1 cup all purpose flour
3/4 cup whole wheat flour
2 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1/4 tsp. salt
1 tbsp. ground flaxseed
1/2 cup mini chocolate chips


Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Beat butter, applesauce, eggs, milk and brown sugar in large bowl until smooth.  Add bananas and blend at low speed; then beat at high speed for 2 minutes.
In a seperate bowl, combine flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt and flaxseed; mix into batter.  Add chocolate chips and stir until combined. Pour batter into muffin tins.

Bake in preheated oven until toothpick inserted into center comes out clean, about 18-20 minutes.
(this can be made as a loaf also, just put it in a loaf pan and cook it for 55-60 minutes).

Breadsticks

This is a quick and easy breadstick recipe!

Breadsticks

Recipe from Siggy Spice


Ingredients:

1-½ cups warm water
1 tbsp. instant (rapid rise) yeast from a jar. Sorry, the packets don't hold a full TBSP
2 tbsp. sugar
3-½ cups all purpose flour
½ tsp salt
2-4 tbsp. Extra Virgin Olive Oil
1 tbsp. garlic salt
1-2 tsp herbs/seasoning of your choice. I am using an herb blend that is for mixing with olive oil and dipping bread, but any herb or combo of herbs that you like would work well.
4 tbsp. melted butter
1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese

Directions:

Mix together water, yeast, sugar, flour, and salt in a large bowl or electric mixer and knead for three minutes. Let the dough rest for 10 minutes.

Heat oven to 375 degrees. Spread 1-2 tbsp. olive oil (just enough to coat) onto the bottom of a 16"x14" cookie sheet. Roll out the breadstick dough about 1/4 to 1/2-inch thick and large enough to fit onto baking sheet. Place whole sheet of dough on baking sheet, then brush 1-2 tbsp. olive oil over top of dough making sure it is all lightly covered. Sprinkle garlic salt and herbs of choice over top of olive oil. Using a pizza cutter, cut breadsticks into desired length and width. Cover loosely with plastic wrap and let rise for 30 minutes.

Remove plastic wrap and place in preheated oven and allow to bake for 15-17 minutes until golden brown. Remove from oven and brush melted butter all over top and sprinkle with Parmesan cheese.

Glenn's Banana Bread with Chocolate Chips and Candied Ginger

This recipe is from Molly at Orangette.  Just the way she described it forced me into making it.  It is amazing.  There is a distinct possibility that I ate the entire giant loaf BY MYSELF in ONE DAY.  I ate it for breakfast, lunch and morning/afternoon snacks.  I'm not even sorry either.

Ingredients:

3/4 cup white sugar
2 large eggs
6 tbsp unsalted butter
1 1/2 cups mashed ripe bananas
2 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
3/4 tsp soda
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 cup well stirred whole milk plain yogurt
1 tsp vanilla
3/4 cup chocolate chips
1/3 cup finely chopped candied ginger


Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Grease a 9- by 5-inch loaf pan with butter or cooking spray, and set aside.  Melt the butter.  In a large mixing bowl combine flour, sugar, baking soda and salt.  Add chocolate chips and ginger and set aside.  In Medium bowl beat eggs.  Add banana, yogurt, butter and vanilla.  Pur banana mix into dry ingredients and stir.  Pour into loaf pan and bake for 50-60 minutes.
Allow to cool for a few minutes; then remove bread from pan and cool on a wire rack.


Recipe courtesy of Orangette.

Divine Breadsticks

I know the name is goofy, but heck, they ARE pretty great (I can't bring myself to call hardly anything divine.)  The kids went CRAZY for these, they really are really d..., nope, I can't do it.

Ingredients:

1-½ cup Warm Water
1 Tablespoon Instant Yeast
2 Tablespoons Sugar
3-½ cups Flour
½ teaspoons Salt
3 Tablespoons Butter, For Melting In The Pan


Mix all ingredients (except melted butter) in a large bowl or electric mixer and knead for three minutes. Let the dough rest for 10 minutes.
Heat oven to 375 degrees. Spread melted butter onto an 11×17-inch baking sheet. Roll out the breadstick dough about 1/4 to 1/2-inch thick and cut into strips with a pizza cutter. Twist slightly if desired and place about 1/2-inch apart on the baking sheet. Sprinkle with garlic salt, herbs of choice (I vary this depending on my mood, but it usually consists of rosemary, basil, or thyme in some form and crushed finely) and parmesan cheese. Cover with greased plastic wrap and let rise for 30 minutes.
Bake for 15-20 minutes at 375 degrees until golden brown.


Recipe courtesy of Tasty Kitchen.

Zucchini Bread

I've been trying a lot of zucchini bread recipes lately and so far I like this one the best.

Ingredients:

3 cups all purpose flour
1 tsp. salt
1 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. baking powder
3 tsp. ground cinnamon
3 eggs
1 cup vegetable oil
2 1/4 cups white sugar
3 tsp. vanilla
2 cups grated zucchini

Grease and flour two 8X4 inch pans. Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Sift flour, salt, baking powder, soda, and cinnamon together in a bowl. Beat eggs, oil, vanilla and sugar together in a large bowl. Add sifted ingredients to the creamed mixture, and beat well. Stir in zucchini until well combined. Pour batter into prepared pans.
Bake for 40 to 60 minutes, or until tester comes out clean. Cool in pan on rack for 20 minutes. Remove bread from pan until completely cool.


Recipe from Allrecipes.

French Bread

This recipe is from our family friend, Denise, who is pretty much my parents adopted daughter and a fantastic cook. I love this recipe because you only have to use the one bowl and not knead the bread!!

Ingredients:

2 1/2 cups warm water
2 tsp. sugar
2 pkg. yeast
1 tbsp. salt
2 tbsp. cooking oil
6 cups flour

First of all, you must use a silver metal bowl and a wooden spoon, go get them now!!! Put yeast and sugar in the bowl, stir. Pour water over and let stand until it bubbles. Add salt, oil and 1 cup of flour. Mix together. Stir in remaining flour. Leave spoon in bowl and cover with towel. Let it rest 10 minutes. Stir again. Let rest for 10 minutes. Repeat this two more times. After that is completed, put the dough on a floured surface and knead for just about 1 minute. Divide dough in half. Roll each half of the dough into a rectangle. Roll the rectangle of dough up and tuck the ends underneath. Grease a cookie sheet and sprinkle it with corn meal, place dough on top. Let the dough rise for 1 hour with towel on top. Bake at 400 degress for 25 minutes, with a pie pan on the bottom rack filled with water. After removing from oven, put some butter on the top for shine and tastiness!!!

Recipe courtesy of Denise Giles