Banana Chocolate Chip Muffins |

Though I may have re-committed to my dinner once a week, I still prefer baking.

It just seems easier – and a lot more fun. Maybe because there isn’t usually a time crunch, a balance of several dishes, or constant movement. I can take my time, utilize child labor (aka my four-year old), and sample the tastiness as I go. And if I make a mistake, it doesn’t mess up our whole meal. It’s much, much less stressful for me.

This week I did something a little crazy (well, at least for me). Originally I wanted to make this recipe, but ironically, I did not have all the ingredients. I looked around blogland and couldn’t really find a recipe in which I had everything I needed… so… I made it up. From scratch (well, from looking at the common ingredients in about 10 recipes and going from there). And I remembered to write down what I used.

This is a first, folks. The very first official recipe from me!

The Recipe:

Banana Chocolate Chip Muffins

1 c milk

1/2 c oil

1 egg

2 1/4 c cake flour

1/2 c sugar

3 t baking powder

1/2 t salt

1 c semi-sweet chocolate chips

2 very ripe bananas, mashed

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Grease or line muffin pan. Combine all wet ingredients (except bananas), mix until smooth. In separate bowl, combine all dry ingredients, including chocolate chips. Add wet ingredients to dry until incorporated (but not overmixed). Add banana and mix gently. Bake for about 20 minutes or until tops are golden brown.

The Results:

I couldn’t be more thrilled or proud that this actually worked! And they even tasted good. Really!

I used Claudia’s tip from Idiot’s Kitchen about coating the chocolate chips with dry ingredients so they dont’ clump – and it worked.

This recipe made about 18 muffins, which in our house lasted about 2 days. (Another sign that they tasted good – or that we have no self-control. It’s a toss-up.)