Double Chocolate Banana Bread

My grandchildren were coming for the week and I wanted to make something new and something special.  How can you miss with chocolate and banana?  I looked around and found this on a site called Smitten Kitchen.

This loaf is moist, dense, chocolatey with bits of melted chocolate and a lovely hint of banana.  It was a big hit and by the end of the week there was nothing left.  I will definitely make this again.  It does not dry out and was as delicious on day one as it was on day seven.

Ingredients
3 medium to large very ripe bananas
1/2 cup butter, melted
3/4 cup brown sugar
1 large egg
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 cup flour
1/2 cup cocoa powder
1 cup semisweet or bittersweet chocolate chunks or chips

Directions
Heat oven to 350 degrees and butter a 9x5 inch loaf pan or spray it with a non-stick baking spray.

Mash bananas in the bottom of a large bowl. Whisk in melted butter, then brown sugar, egg, and vanilla.

Place baking soda, salt, flour and cocoa powder, in a sifter or fine mesh strainer, and sift over wet ingredients.  Stir dry and wet ingredients with a spoon until just combined.  Stir in chocolate chunks or chips.

Pour into prepared pan and bake 55 to 65 minutes, until a toothpick inserted into the centre of the cake comes out clean.  (A melted chocolate chip smear is expected however.)  Cool in pan for 10 to 15 minutes, then run a knife around the edge and invert it our onto a cooling rack.

Coffee Cake Muffins

I must say, I would rather be playing in the sunshine!!  My grand daughter came in from playing in the snow and yelled "Where is summer!".  Out of the mouths of babes.  Although I was away from the cold for one month, it has not lessened my disappointment with the weather.

There, I got it off my chest! Whew!

The other day my lovely daughter asked where my next post was, after all, I was retired and what else did I have to do with my time?  There was also the utterance "You are old" somewhere in that stellar conversation.  Only a daughter could get away with this.

Well, I am ready to move on with business even though the weather isn't or before I forget what it is that I wanted to write about.

If I were the type of person who had lots of time and friends over for the never-ending coffee, I would chose this muffin to serve.  It is from my trusty Better Homes and Gardens Cookbook.

Ingredients
3 tablespoons flour
3 tablespoons brown sugar
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
2 tablespoons butter
3 tablespoons chopped walnuts or peanuts
1 1/2 cups flour
1/2 cup sugar
1 1/4 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ginger
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup butter
1 beaten egg
1/2 cup buttermilk or sour milk

Directions
Grease your muffin tins and preheat the oven to 400 degrees.

For the topping, mix the 3 tablespoons flour, brown sugar, and the cinnamon.  Cut in the 2 tablespoons butter until it resembles coarse crumbs.  Stir in the nuts.  Set aside.

In a medium bowl, stir together the 1 1/2 cups flour, the sugar, baking powder, cinnamon, ginger, baking soda and salt.  Cut in the 1/4 cup butter till the mixture resembles coarse crumbs.

In another medium bowl, combine the egg and buttermilk.  Add the egg mixture all at once to the dry mixture.  Stir just till moistened (batter should be lumpy).

Spoon half the batter into the muffin tins.   Top with half the topping, the remaining batter, and the remaining topping.

Bake at 400 degrees for 15-18 minutes or till golden.