Banana Chocolate chunk Muffins

The whole world is reeling under the "Corona scare" and all we can do is take precautions and keep ourselves and dear ones safe by social distancing.Here in Chennai,though people are yet to completely understand the gravity of the situation,we have stocked up on necessities if ever God forbid,there's a lockdown.When it comes to stocking up,how much is enough is a question we need to ask ourselves.Please stock sensibly and spare a thought for those who have no access to supermarkets and online shopping.Do your bit and we'll survive this together :)

These muffins were a result of some over ripe bananas which were waiting to be used up.I usually add it to milkshakes,or mix a banana into my chapathi dough or even better,make dough for Buns.But this time as Arjun has holidays,I made muffins to satisfy the hunger pangs every minute:)

My stash of chocolate chips got over,so chopped up some chocolate and added into the batter.These taste amazing if I may say so myself.Perfect with a cup of milk :)

Banana Chocolate Chunk Muffins

Recipe source

Ingredients

Ripe Banana - 2(I used 4 small)

Yogurt - 1/2 cup

Sugar - 1/2 cup

Melted Butter - 1/3 cup

Egg - 1,beaten

Vanilla - 1 tsp

Flour - 1 1/2 cups

Baking soda - 1 tsp

Salt - a pinch

Chocolate chunks - 1/2 cup

Method

Preheat oven to 180C.Prepare a Muffin pan with liners.

In a bowl mash the bananas.Add sugar,yogurt,melted butter,egg and vanilla and mix well.

Add the flour,baking soda and salt and fold lightly till the batter is thick and combined.Fold in the chocolate chunks coated in little flour.

Pour the batter into the prepared muffin cups till 3/4th full.

Bake for 20-22 minutes or until the muffins turn golden brown and a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.

Let it cool and serve it with a cup of milk :)

Step by Step Tutorial

Preheat oven to 180C.Prepare a Muffin pan with liners.

In a bowl mash the bananas.

Add sugar,

yogurt,

melted butter,egg and 

vanilla and mix well.

Add the flour,

baking soda and salt and fold lightly till 

the batter is thick and combined.

Fold in the chocolate chunks coated in little flour.

Pour the batter into the prepared muffin cups till 3/4th full.

Bake for 20-22 minutes or until the muffins turn golden brown and a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.

Let it cool and serve it with a cup of milk :)

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Chocolate Chip Muffins

Off late I have taken a back seat when it comes to baking.Unless I'm baking for orders{that too I have slowed down a little}I hardly bake unless it is for an occasion.I'd be lying if I said I don't miss baking,especially because Arjun loves to help me when I bake.Mixing,whisking and last but not the least,licking the bowl clean are among his favorite activities.

I am trying{trying being the word!}to cut back on sugar and if there's any home baked stuff at home,I keep reaching for it.So until I get some control on that,I decided I will bake only once in a while:) When I saw the recipe for these muffins on Le15 Sunday Baking club,I forgot all about my no-baking situation and told Arjun we'll bake these together.The joy on his face totally cheered me up if at all I had any second thoughts.

Simple bakes like these are the very reason I love baking.Fuss free recipe and such a homely feel to it.I made these into mini muffins so that I could send these in his snack box as well.Fudgy chocolate muffins with chocolate chips in every bite,delicious!!

Chocolate Chip Muffins
Recipe source - Le15 Sunday Baking Club

Ingredients

Flour- 200 gm
Castor sugar - 150 gm
Cocoa powder - 30 gm
Baking soda - 2 tsp
Chocolate Chips - 175 gm
Eggs - 2
Oil - 100 ml
Curd - 200 gm
Water - 50 ml

Method

Preheat oven to 175C.Prepare a muffin tin/cupcake tray with liners.
In a bowl mix together sugar,eggs and oil and whisk well.
Sift together flour,cocoa powder and baking soda and add into the wet ingredients.
Mix in the curd and water and whisk till you get a smooth batter.
Add one tbsp flour to the chocolate chips and mix well.Add that into the batter and fold.
Bake for about 15-20 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center of the cupcake comes out clean.

Step by step Tutorial

Preheat oven to 175C.Prepare a muffin tin/cupcake tray with liners.

In a bowl mix together sugar,eggs and oil and whisk well.

Sift together flour,cocoa powder and baking soda and add into the wet ingredients.

Mix in the curd and water and whisk till you get a smooth batter.

Add one tbsp flour to the chocolate chips and mix well.

Add that into the batter and fold.

Bake for about 15-20 minutes or 

until a toothpick inserted into the center of the cupcake comes out clean.

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Eggless Whole wheat Chocolate Muffins

While I was composing this post and contemplating on what to name this muffin,I was confused.I mean,it is a chocolate muffin,made with whole wheat flour and made eggless too but that is not the only thing which describes the muffin.For me,it is a complete revelation.To be honest,I never thought baked stuff with whole wheat would taste as good as its Flour counterpart.I mean,I have tried baking with atta/wheat flour but I never believed it was on par with flour and could ever take its place completely in baking.

There are times when I swap one ingredient for another while I am baking.It maybe due to lack of ingredients or trying to include some healthy alternatives or likewise.But this is one recipe where I decided I would go all 'healthy' and replace all the main ingredients with their healthier counterparts.

I wasn't expecting a miracle.In fact,I made it using a small quantity so that I wouldn't feel guilty if it turned out inedible and I had to trash it.

I'll be honest here,it turned out good.I wouldn't say great because I felt there was something which could be improved(I would add it in notes).But yes,a tasty and healthy muffin which I could gorge on and let my toddler gorge on without feeling guilty.

Eggless Whole wheat Chocolate Muffins

Ingredients

Whole wheat flour/Atta - 1 cup

Cocoa powder - 2 tbsp

Baking powder - 1/2 tsp

Baking soda - 1/4 tsp

Organic Jaggery powder - 1/2 cup

Milk - 1/2 cup

Vinegar - 1/2 tsp

Vanilla - 1/2 tsp

Coconut oil- 1/4 cup

Chocolate chips - 1/4 cup

Method

Preheat oven to 170C.Line a muffin tray with paper liners.

Mix together milk,vinegar and vanilla.Keep aside.

In a bowl mix together the dry ingredients -atta,cocoa powder,baking powder,baking soda and jaggery powder.

Make a small well in the middle and add in the milk mixture and oil and mix well till you get a lump free batter.

Pour the batter into the prepared muffin tray and sprinkle chocolate chips on top.

Bake for 15-18 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center of the muffin comes out clean.Cool on a wire rack.

Step by step Pictorial

Preheat oven to 170C.Line a muffin tray with paper liners.

Mix together milk,vinegar and vanilla.Keep aside.

In a bowl mix together the dry ingredients -atta,cocoa powder,baking powder,baking soda 

and jaggery powder.

Make a small well in the middle and add in the oil and milk and mix well till you get a lump free batter.

Pour the batter into the prepared muffin tray and sprinkle chocolate chips on top.

Bake for 15-18 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center of the muffin comes out clean.Cool on a wire rack.

Notes

• The coconut oil I used was normal oil which I use for my cooking,so it had a teeny tiny after taste.I was told by friends who regularly bake with coconut oil that if you use  Extra virgin coconut oil,there wouldn't be this problem.
• I used unrefined,organic jaggery powder and it was a very good alternative to regular white sugar.You could use brown sugar instead if you can't find jaggery powder.
• The muffins were slightly dry the next day,so next time I'm planning to increase the liquid content a bit.Add a bit more milk and oil or mash one banana and add that along with other ingredients.

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Chocolate Chip Muffins | Easy Baking Recipes

Ever since I started baking,one thing I love to see is people relishing the bakes I make.I would say the joy is even sweeter than eating those bakes myself.I learned baking the hard way,with no one to guide and no prior baking experience whatsoever,so the joy according to me is immeasurable.

You can imagine my happiness when my toddler demands 'kekka'(that's how he says cake!)whenever he sees me mixing the batter and putting stuff inside the oven.Be it cake,cookie or a cupcake,he enjoys it all with a big smile on his face.In the beginning I was slightly apprehensive feeding him sugary treats,but who am I kidding? Homemade stuff is any day better than store bought and I am content knowing that only the best of the ingredients have gone into the stuff he eats,so what if it has sugar.

These muffins make for a perfect snack treat.I usually make a batch and refrigerate after a day(given the hot climate here,in Chennai).Before feeding Arjun,I keep the muffin outside for an hour or so and it would be perfect with a cup of warm milk.I added a combination of white and milk chocolate chips.You can add dried fruits or nuts to the batter instead of chocolate chips for variety.

The cinnamon-sugar topping is the star of the recipe if you ask me :) It gives the muffins a nice crunch and a distinct texture.

Chocolate Chip Muffins
Recipe source - JoB

Ingredients (Makes 12 regular size muffins)

Butter - 1/2 cup,unsalted - melted and cooled
Eggs - 2,large
Milk - 2/3 cup
Vanilla extract - 1 1/2 tsp
All purpose flour - 2 cups
Sugar - 2/3 cups
Baking powder - 2 1/2 tsps
Salt - 1/4 tsp
Chocolate chips - 1 cup (I used half white and half milk chocolate chips)

Topping

Sugar - 1 tbsp
Cinnamon - 1/2 tsp,ground

Method

Preheat the oven to 190C.Grease or line a 12 cup muffin tin.
In a bowl,whisk together eggs,milk and vanilla extract.In another large bowl whisk together the flour,sugar,baking powder and salt.Stir in the chocolate chips.
With a spatula fold the wet ingredients along with the melted butter,into the dry ingredients and stir only until the ingredients are moistened and combined.(over mixing will result in tough muffins)

Evenly fill the muffin cups with the batter, using two spoons or an ice cream scoop. 
In a small bowl combine the topping ingredients and then sprinkle a little topping on each muffin. Place in the oven and bake for about 18-20 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center of a muffin comes out clean. 

Transfer to a wire rack and let cool for about 5-10 minutes before removing from pan.

Step By Step Procedure

Preheat the oven to 190C.Grease or line a 12 cup muffin tin.

In a bowl,whisk together eggs,milk and vanilla extract.

In another large bowl whisk together the flour,sugar,baking powder and salt.

Stir in the chocolate chips.

With a spatula fold the wet ingredients along with the melted butter,into the dry ingredients and stir only until the ingredients are moistened and combined.(over mixing will result in tough muffins)

Evenly fill the muffin cups with the batter, using two spoons or an ice cream scoop. 

In a small bowl combine the topping ingredients and then sprinkle a little topping on each muffin. 

Place in the oven and bake for about 18-20 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center of a muffin comes out clean. 

Transfer to a wire rack and let cool for about 5-10 minutes before removing from pan.

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Ultimate Chocolate Cupcakes with Coffee Buttercream

Knock..knock..anybody home?Lol,wishful thinking by me since I abandoned this space a while back and didn't peep in for the longest time.In fact,the longest gap ever since I started writing this blog in 2008.The blog's birthday went unnoticed,so did my better half's birthday cake and our anniversary cake.Well,what was supposed to be a small break got stretched into 4 long months and I have absolutely no excuses for the silence,rest assured all's well:)

Thanks to every single one of you who wrote in to ask me if anything was wrong and have I stopped blogging,gasp!

I haven't been baking much too,just the usual favorites when the baking bug strikes me bad.So just like the blog,the oven's been getting a long due rest as well.Not anymore,when blogging has resumed how can baking be left behind?I have a huge list of bookmarked recipes which would all find their way into the blog soon.I thought I'll start with something chocolate,what else!

The cupcakes are named Ultimate Chocolate cupcakes and I agree completely.Rich,dark,with a good dose of cocoa powder along with coffee,this cupcakes would make any chocolate lover go weak in their knees.The cupcakes taste great on their own but some coffee buttercream would make it more appealing.Since I made the cupcakes and frosting on a day the heat touched almost 44C,the frosting just wouldn't hold together,hence I've just dabbed it on top,you can try using different nozzles and make it look pretty!

Ultimate Chocolate Cupcakes with Coffee Buttercream
Recipe Source - Add a Pinch ;Baked as part of Fondbites,Bake Along

Ingredients

All-purpose flour – 1 cup
Granulated white sugar – 1 cup;I pulsed the sugar in my small mixie jar for about 2 seconds,just to break down the sugar crystals,it is an optional step though
Cocoa powder – 1/2 cup
Baking powder – 1 teaspoon
Baking soda – 1/2 teaspoon
Salt - 1/4 tsp
Milk – 1/2 cup
Cooking oil – 1/4 cup
Egg – 1
Vanilla Extract – 1/2 teaspoon
Boiling strong black coffee – 1/2 cup - Mix a tsp of Instant coffee powder and 1/2 cup boiling water

Method
Pre-heat oven to 175 degree C. Line a 12 muffin tray with paper liners.

Sift together flour, cocoa powder, baking powder,

baking soda and salt.

Once sifted add sugar and whisk the dry ingredients.

Into another bowl add egg, milk, oil and vanilla extract. Whisk it well until well blended.

Pour the wet ingredients into the dry flour mixture and whisk it well until combined. You can use your electric beater for this.
Now add boiling black coffee and first beat slowly until it has incorporated well. Now increase the speed and beat for 2 to 3 minutes on medium high to incorporate air into the batter.

Spoon the batter into the paper lined muffin trays and bake in pre-heated oven at 175 Degree C, for 20 to 25 minutes until the cupcakes have well risen and a tooth pick inserted into the center of one cupcake comes out clean. Remove cupcakes from the muffin tray once bearable to touch and let cool on wire rack until it comes down to room temperature.

Coffee Buttercream
 
Top thick film formed on boiled and cooled milk/Cream – 1 1/2 tablespoons
Icing sugar – 1 cup, sifted thrice
Butter – 1/2 cup, at room temperature
Instant coffee powder – 3/4 teaspoons
For the buttercream: In a bowl take the cream and whisk well. Add icing sugar little at a time and whisk well until it is combined. Beat for a minute or so on medium speed. Now add the butter and instant coffee powder and beat until the butter has incorporated evenly and the buttercream has lightened and airy. This process will take 2 to 3 minutes on medium high speed. Buttercream is now ready to be frosted.

Use a nozzle of your choice and pipe the frosting on top of the cupcake or just dab a tbsp of frosting on top and spread using a spatula.Dust the top with some cocoa powder.

The recipe is very similar(almost same)as the popular Hershey's Perfect Chocolate Cake,but uses half the recipe.Makes 12 cupcakes.
 

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