Banana Blueberry Muffins

Banana Blueberry Muffins (adapted from: The Live-in Kitchen)

7 tbsp butter
1/3 cup milk
2 large eggs
1 tsp vanilla
1 1/2 cup flour
1/4 cup sugar
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 cup fresh blueberries
2 or 3 overripe bananas, smashed

Crumble topping:

3 tbsp butter, cold
1/2 cup flour
3 tbsp brown sugar

Preheat oven to 375. Prepare a muffin pan with muffin/cupcake cups.

I followed Lindsay's instructions on how to brown the butter:

Melt the butter in a small saucepan over medium heat. It will melt, froth, and begin to crackle. The crackling will subside and the butter will froth again and begin to brown. Remove from the heat when the butter solids become a medium brown color and the butter smells slightly nutty. Immediately pour hot butter into a small bowl to prevent further cooking and burning. 

In a small bowl, stir together milk, eggs and vanilla. Add the melted butter to the milk mixture. 

In another bowl, hand-mix together flour, sugar and baking powder.  Make a flour well by making a hole in the middle of the flour. Pour the butter mixture into the hole and gently fold it all together. Mix by hand to avoid over mixing. Gently stir in smashed bananas and blueberries. 

Pour mix into the prepared muffin cups. For the crumbly topping, combine butter, flour and brown sugar. Squish the ingredients together with your fingertips. Sprinkle the topping on each muffin.

Bake muffins for about 18-20 minutes. To get a nice lift on your muffins avoid opening the oven for at least 10 minutes. Muffins are ready when a toothpick inserted into the middle comes out clean. 

Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Muffins

Our family, with the exception of Boy2, loves the combination of peanut butter and chocolate. We're tempted to test the DNA of Boy2 due to the fact that he despises peanut butter. Pretty sure we could have a real life "switched at birth" story. At school one day, the class made no-cook peanut butter cookies. I received a note, which included a smiley face, from the teacher. Boy2 told the class: "My mom made these and I don't like them". Great... the kid is giving the impression that I'm horrible in the kitchen.

Darling has a mad obsession with it. She'll eat peanut butter straight from the jar. But who am I kidding... most of us do that. Right?

Today I'm bringing you peanut butter & chocolate chip muffins with a chocolate drizzle. These muffins will quiet the peanut butter beast within anyone. Well, for a few minutes anyway. Just until you realize you must eat another one before someone else nabs it.

Muffins:

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
3/4 cups white sugar
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1 egg, beaten
1/2 cup butter, softened
1/4 cup milk
1 tsp vanilla
3/4 cup peanut butter
3/4 cup chocolate chips

For drizzle:

1/2 cup chocolate chips
1 tbsp shortening

Combine flour, sugar, baking soda and salt. Set aside.

In another bowl, combine egg, butter, milk and vanilla. Mix well. Add peanut butter and mix well again. Gradually mix in flour mixture. Add chocolate chips and stir.

Preheat oven to 350. Prepare a muffin pan with olive oil or cooking spray. Pour muffin mix into pan (about 3/4 full). (You could also use a loaf pan and make a bread loaf. I'm guessing: preheat 350 and bake for 1 hour.)

Bake muffins for 20-25 minutes. Remove from pan and cool completely.

While the muffins cool, melt together chocolate chips and shortening. About 50-60 seconds in the microwave. Stir until smooth.

Drizzle chocolate on top of cooled muffins. Adding drizzle is like bedazzling your muffin! Transforms it from "looks good" to "looks irresistible".

Enjoy!