Banana Crumb Muffins

This is a recipe that I found online this summer while visiting a friend in St. George.  She was gone to a dentist appointment and I wanted to use some bananas that I had brought with me.  I searched online and found this and it is a new favorite. 

Here's what you need:

2 cups flour
1 1/2 tsp baking soda
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
3/4 tsp salt
1/8 tsp cinnamon
4 mashed bananas
1 cup white sugar (I use about 2/3 cup)
2 medium eggs, lightly beaten
1/3 cup butter, melted (I use about 1/4 cup black bean puree, then top it off with the butter)

Crumb topping:
1/3 cup brown sugar
2 1/2 T flour
1/8 tsp cinnamon
1 T butter

Preheat oven to 375.  Lightly grease muffin pan.

Mix together flour, baking soda, baking powder, cinnamon, and salt.  Add all at once: mashed bananas, sugar, eggs, and melted butter/puree.  Mix just until moistened.  Spoon into 12 muffin cups.

In a small bowl, mix together brown sugar, 2 T flour, and cinnamon. Cut in 1 T butter until it resembles coarse cornmeal. Sprinkle over muffin batter and bake at 375 for 16-18 min.

Oatmeal Buttermilk Muffins

This is a new muffin recipe that I got off of New Nostalgia and it has replaced our old 50/50 muffins my mom always made when I was growing up! (Sorry, mom! ; )

I have changed the recipe so that it make 18 muffins.  With my size family, 12 is just never enough! ;)

Here's what you need:
1 1/2 c. oats
1 1/2 c. buttermilk
Soak these together about 30-60 minutes before you make these ( I rarely remember that far in advance and they always turn out! Mine probably soak for about 10 minutes most days. ; )

1/2 c. shortening/oil--I use FULL substitution with black bean puree
3/4 c. brown sugar
2 eggs
1 1/2 c. flour
1/2 tsp. cinnamon
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
1 1/2 tsp. baking soda

Cream together shortening (puree) with sugar and eggs.  Add in dry ingredients and stir.  Add buttermilk mixture.  Stir until moist.  Can add blueberries, if desired. 

Bake at 400 for 9-11 minutes.

These are so delicious right out of the oven with my favorite strawberry freezer jam.  My kids (who you might see as totally brainwashed ; ) think these are a total treat.  I make them a lot for their after school snack.

I do firmly believe that you can change your family's "sugar-meter"...if they aren't pouring Pixie sticks down their throats all the time, then something like this muffin can actually taste sweet to them. 
Just so you know...my kids do enjoy a Pixie stick every once in a while! ;)  Just not very often.

Black Bean Puree

{The best oil substitute around}   Trust me!!

Over the years, I have tried many different techniques for cutting fat out of my baking.  For years, I used a lot of applesauce...which I believe works fairly well, but sometimes I wasn't happy with the change in texture that resulted.

Then, a couple of years ago I came across an online post about making brownies with black bean puree.  I tried it and really liked it and then I just started experimenting with most of my recipes.

If you are using canned beans, you have two choices.  You can totally just take the whole can and dump it in a blender.  It works great.  Or you can drain off the thick liquid on the top and fill it with tap water...and throw it all in the blender.

Either works great.  It makes it just about the same consistency as oil.  I store whatever I have left in a jar in the fridge for up to a week.  After it sits in the fridge, it thickens up into a paste-like consistency.  I simply stir in a little water just before I want to use it to make it a little runnier again.

You can use your own soaked beans too...you just have to play around with the amount of water to get the right consistency.  I have had to learn how much water to put with my own canned beans...but it's all good in the end!

I use it in tons of recipes: brownies, cupcakes, muffins, cakes.  Each of them needs a little different substitution.  Some of them can take a full substitution and some of them can only take about 1/2 substitution.  I have just learned by trial and error which ones work well and I will be posting all my recipes that work great with this puree.  As I post each one, I will put a link on this post so they are all in one place.

I love using this puree.  I just LOVE cutting out so much fat in my recipes.  AND adding protein--but NOT adding sugar (like applesauce)!  Most of the recipes that I use it in actually turn out better than ever.  They are so moist and delicious.  Try it...and see how you like it!

Recipe Ideas:

Banana Crumb Muffins
Oatmeal Buttermilk Muffins