Banana Maple Muffin Tippy-Tops

Breakfast on the go is how I roll. 

On my work days I'm usually up in plenty of time to enjoy coffee and breakfast, but I never do. For whatever reason I have my coffee but don't eat breakfast. I get lost online with email, Facebook, and YouTube instead of focusing on the most important meal of the day. So, I'm rushing last minute to grab breakfast on my way out the door. I usually end up with nothing in hand when I leave. One gets tired of toast, toaster pastries and the like. It was time to start brainstorming!

My first thought went to muffins because they are simple, delicious and easy to carry. One problem for driving, the crumbs. One night I was reaching in the cabinet for a pan to make din and saw the Whoopie Pie/Muffin Top pans (which I don't use for Whoopie Pies) I have. I had one of those Aha! moments! The next day I started searching for recipes for muffins. I knew I wanted Banana to be the focus and then I cam across this Banana Maple Muffin recipe. I knew it was love at first site. haha 

The recipe below is the one I came up with after the second time making them. The first batch turned out delicious, but they were a little tough. I decided I had to test the recipe with different alterations and then share it. They came out near perfect. The key the second time was how I folded the batter rather than mixing. I can't express enough how lightly you have to mix the batter. That is how you get the right texture in the final product. I also altered the amount of banana, I wanted just a little more flavor. A changed/added a few other ingredients as well. All resulting in a near perfect breakfast to go. 

I've included some step by step photos and then the recipe. Also, these work great from the freezer. I pop them in the toaster and off I go. They heat well in the microwave too, just a few seconds and they're good to go. 

Whoopie Pie/Muffin Top Pan

The finished batter.

Be sure to spread the batter out in each section.

Fresh from the oven!

Banana Maple Muffin Tippy-Tops

adapted from: bakingbites.com

Makes 20 tippy-tops

Ingredients:

2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour

1 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp baking soda

1/4 tsp salt

3 bananas, mashed

3 Tbsp vegetable oil

1 large egg

1/4 cup light brown sugar

1/2 cup Real maple syrup

1 tsp pure vanilla

1/2 tsp maple flavoring

Directions:

Place oven rack in the center. Preheat over to 350º and grease pans. 

1. In a medium bowl whisk together flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.

2. In a large bowl mash bananas. Once mashed add the remaining ingredients and whisk until mixed. 

3. In three batches lightly FOLD in the flour mixture. Do NOT over mix. It's ok if there is still a few streaks of the flour mixture. If you over mix the muffins will be tough. Fold, fold and fold.

4. Scoop a few tablespoon of batter in each section of the pan, flattening to cover the whole section. 

5. Bake for 10 minutes. Cool and enjoy!

[Printable Recipe]

Asparagus Mushroom Browned Butter Alfredo

Pasta, Vegetables, Heavy Cream and Cheese…sounds like a great dinner to me.

As you can see, a great dinner it was. 

At first bite, I decided this was a recipe that I just had to share. While I've tried to start gearing the blog back to the sugary treats, I can't help but share some of my savory dishes. In fact, I may start doing it more. After all, this IS a food blog about MY culinary journey.

Anywho, back to this deeeelicious dish. I had a craving for some fresh vegetables and pasta which led to this recipe. As I was thinking of what to make I figured why not throw them in some alfredo sauce. I've made an Alfredo sauce before, but I thought it was a bit heavy and missing something. I searched around the net at various recipes. I found it hard to settle on just one or find any real inspiration from what I did find. So, that made me get off my toosh and get in the kitchen and create my own. 

While I was in the midst of creating this recipe there was a slight, or so I thought, mishap with my favorite ingredient...Butter. I LOVE butter. When you sauté with butter, you must watch it…I didn't. When I turned back to the stove (I was chopping veggies. Be sure to do this step before you start cooking. haha) the butter had brown, verging on quickly becoming burnt butter. Thank goodness I had ninja reflexes and saved the butter. It had browned just enough to add that extra layer of flavor to the final sauce. Lessons learned and a better dish from a little scare. 

This recipe is very simple and quick. I urge you to give it a try and leave comment on your own cooking experience. Here's the recipe...

Asparagus Mushroom Browned Butter Alfredo

makes 3 servings

Ingredients:

2 Tablespoons Olive Oil

1 medium onion, chopped

1 clove garlic

8 oz mushrooms, sliced

1 cup fresh asparagus, cut

1/4 cup butter

1 cup heavy cream

1 1/2 cups Parmesan, shredded

1/4 cup Applewood Smoke Gruyere cheese, shredded

2-3 teaspoons dry parsley (1/4 cup fresh)

salt and pepper to taste

8 oz dry pasta (I used Fiori)

Directions:

1. Bring a saucepan of water to a boil. Salt and add pasta. Cook until al dente. 

2. Heat oil and add onions. Cook until almost translucent, then add mushrooms and garlic. Cook until liquid from mushrooms is reduced. Add Asparagus and cook until asparagus is just tender.

3. In a medium saucepan cook butter until browned, then add cream. Bring to a simmer then add Parmesan. Cook until melted. Add the Gruyere and cook until melted. Add parsley, salt and pepper. 

4. Assemble; place pasta in a bowl, add a layer of vegetable, and top with sauce. Enjoy!

OH AND Breadsticks! I didn't alter the ingredients in the recipe I found here from Over The Big Moon. I did, however prepare mine in two different ways. I made one large loaf after a little kneading and cut it into strips. I then twisted each strip a little and placed them, spaced apart, in a pan. To add some flavor I melted butter with garlic and parsley. I then brush the mixture on the dough just before placing in the oven. With 10 minutes left to bake I sprinkled the breadsticks with shredded Parmesan.