I love baking… it gets me into super-mama mode, I don my pinny, pop the radio on, crank up the oven and within half an hour or so the soothing scent of vanilla or most commonly chocolate, is wafting through my kitchen.
The baking I adore the most is unhurried, quiet and almost therapeutic… I’m home alone, Nina Simone is playing in the background and a perfect cup of coffee is perched on the worktop beside me…
Oh hang on a minute… that’s not my life, that’s my imaginary life!
The baking I do is frantic, excitable, messy, noisy, full of children poking their fingers in everything and fun, fun, fun!
But I love it… it makes me happy.
I find the best recipes to attempt with young children are the simple and quick ones. Too much hanging around or a complicated method will see my children smothered in cake mix and scrapping before I can say, “Now lets all pay attention whist Mama spins some sugar baskets!”
So mostly we make muffins…
Here is my current favourite and ‘so-damn-delicious-and-gooey-I-could-weep’ recipe for banana and double choc muffins, they are so easy I felt like I’d forgotten to do something when I first made them!
The recipe is an adaptation of a Nigella Lawson recipe from her book Feast. I tweaked it slightly, as I love a little choc chip surprise inside a muffin. But please do not make the same mistake as greedy old me and snuffle a hot from the oven muffin straight into your chops, only to burn your top lip on a molten-hot nugget of chocolate.
Makes 12
What you need!
3 over ripe bananas mashed
125ml melted butter or vegetable oil
2 eggs
100gm soft brown or white sugar
125g dark chocolate chips or my preference, dark chocolate chopped by hand
225g plain flour
3 x 15ml tablespoons pure cocoa powder (not chocolate milk powder)
1 teaspoon of bicarbonate of soda
1 x 12 hole muffin tin, lined with muffin papers or large fairy cake cases
What you do!
Preheat the oven to 200
- Put the mashed bananas into a large bowl or freestanding mixer, then add the melted butter or oil, eggs and sugar, beat well till combined.
- In a separate bowl, mix together the flour, cocoa powder and bicarb. Now pour into the banana mixture and fold everything together gently. Overzealous mixing will result in tough muffins, which is never good, so take it easy.
- Now gently fold in the chocolate chips.
- Spoon mixture into the muffin papers and bake in the preheated oven for 15 – 20 minutes. Leave to cool in the tin a little before removing to a wire rack.
Equally wonderful with a good cup of coffee or a big glass of milk.
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These were so easy and tasty and ofcourse didn’t feel really guilty as they contained banana right!!!!!
Put more baking on wen u can please as i am getting into this baking lark!!!!!
Xxxxx
So glad you liked them Charlotte, they are super easy aren’t they?
I’m going to post up another recipe tomorrrow ready for Mothers Day in the UK, so keep your eyes peeled! x
must say, did try and they were… fffaaaabbbbb
I didn’t have the cases so I made it as a cake for a BBQ on Sunday…….we had it with whipped cream.
Wow Oh I love this Wayne!!! Did it turn out ok? I am sooooo impressed! x
Oh i do wish i was more like you missy…… In the kitchen!!!! i need to cook more
but will def try these x
Claire these are soooo easy, great to make with your little girl x
Sarah,
They are fab and so yummy! My ladies at work all concur, Lucille enjoyed helping mummy make them and making a huge mess!
Keep up the good work
X
P.S. cooked the belly pork a month ago – went down very very well! Steve was impressed I’d managed to get a recipe right
Hi Claire, that muffin recipe is fab isn’t it, they really stay nice and moist inside. I’m a big fan of belly pork and I’ve got a few more recipes to share, I love the fact that it can be left to cook without fuss, whilst I get on with other things, and of course there’s the amazing smell wafting from the oven too! Yummy
It’s exciting to see you trying the recipes! Thank you so much for commenting! x
Sarah, I am going to make these with my daughter tonight. They look and sound amazing!
Claire x (Natalie’s sister in law)
Hi Claire, so lovely to see you here and big thank you for commenting! I really was suprised when I first made these, Iv’e made lots of muffins but these really hit the spot – easy, quick, chocolately & gooey. x Let me know how you get on x
Now I fancy one of those, gonna have to get the ingredients I think, a man baking!!
A man baking indeed, fabulous! Make these for your Mum, you’ll be elevated to superstar status I promise! x