Well the long weekend is over and it's back to the grindstone. However I'm still basking in the warm glow of three whole days with nothing to do but hang out with my sweetie! These muffins are a great example of why I love a long weekend; when else can you laze in bed before heading to the kitchen to whip up something hot and tasty for breakfast? So in honour of long weekends, I'm giving away a copy of the cookbook that this recipe came from. It's called 'Baked: New Frontiers in Baking', and it's an amazing collection of decadent recipes from the Brooklyn bakery of the same name. All you have to do is tell me your favourite breakfast to enjoy on a lounge-about morning! I'll randomly draw a name on Thursday and announce the winner Friday.
Of course you didn't think I'd leave you hanging without the recipe for these beautiful muffins, did you? As sweet treats go, these verge closer to cupcake territory but don't let that stop you from eating them for breakfast! Moist and heady with fragrant banana, they hide gooey pockets of melted chocolate and boast a perfect---not too light, not too dense---texture. I had never used the fancy baking papers pictured here in the photo, so I picked some up on a whim and I'm never going back! They are foolproof, and you don't loose half your muffin to the accordion folds of a typical baking cup. In fact I love them so much, I'll pick a second name and give away a stash of 'em!
Banana Espresso Chocolate Chip Muffins
Recipe Courtesy of 'Baked: New Frontiers in Baking' by Matt Lewis
1 1/2 cups mashed, very ripe bananas (about 4 bananas)
1/2 cup sugar
1/4 cup firmly packed brown sugar
1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, melted
1/4 cup whole milk
1 large egg
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon instant espresso powder (I used about a tablespoon 'cause I love me some coffee!)
1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
1 cup semisweet chocolate chips (next time I would use less, and I'd use bittersweet chocolate)
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Either line a muffin tin with papers, spray with non-stick cooking spray, or if using fancy pants papers as above, just set them on a baking sheet. In a medium bowl, stir together bananas, sugars, butter, milk and egg. In another bowl, whisk together flour, espresso powder, baking soda and salt. Make a well in the center of the dry ingredients and add the wet ingredients, stirring until barely combined. Gently fold in chips--don't overwork the batter!--and then fill muffin cups 3/4 full. Bake for about 20 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean. Cool in the pan for about 15 minutes before removing. Enjoy!
Our favorite breakfast on lounge around days lately has been french toast with blueberry syrup and fresh blueberries. Husband rather likes blueberries - we have a flavored pound of blueberry cinnamon coffee to go with it.
And a peeled orange for the side :)
Posted by: Kristin | February 17, 2009 at 09:24 AM
Now those look delicious!
My favorite breakfast? Can't decide on one: blueberry pancakes or pain au chocolat...
Posted by: CashmereLibrarian | February 17, 2009 at 10:03 AM
Oh yum they look great - and love the wrapping too!
Posted by: please sir | February 17, 2009 at 11:07 AM
that's easy.
Fresh strawberry crepe's.
xo
Posted by: kasey | February 17, 2009 at 11:53 AM
My favourite lounge about breakfast has to be lemon poppyseed scones. Starbucks makes the most fabulous mini lemon scones in the world.
Posted by: April | February 17, 2009 at 12:21 PM
those muffins look amazing. you've been killing my waistline with all the great recipes.
i love those wrappers, we used them for cupcakes at our wedding. they are tiny panettone wrappers & my italian grandma used to use them for making her panettones. yum. thanks for posting!
Posted by: christina | February 17, 2009 at 12:49 PM
i almost forgot! my favorite breakfast on a lazy sunday with the paper is either blueberry cornbread muffins or pancakes with blueberries. hmmm...notice a blueberry theme here?
Posted by: christina | February 17, 2009 at 12:51 PM
Oh, you're killing me! These look delicious.
I think my favorite breakfast is chilaquiles, especially when I can convince D to make them and bring them to me in bed. Heaven.
Posted by: Rachel (Heart of Light) | February 17, 2009 at 01:12 PM
I've been wanting to get my hands on this cookbook. It looks terrific.
My favorite recipe is something I don't make. My husband is an expert crepe maker so I let him handle it and I just take out the Nutella and whipped cream.
Posted by: Melanie | February 17, 2009 at 01:15 PM
count me in. those look delightful.
Posted by: JILL | February 17, 2009 at 01:59 PM
The muffins look so good... I can’t wait to try the recipe!
My personal breakfast favorite would have to be pancakes. With fruit. Or bacon. Or dotted with chocolate chips. I'm not [that] fussy.
Posted by: Kris | February 17, 2009 at 02:10 PM
I love muffins - they are a guilty pleasure that I save for the weekends after a week of cereal or oatmeal! So I'd have to say any muffin with banana, chocolate chips, or lemon poppy!
Posted by: DC Striving | February 17, 2009 at 02:16 PM
My favourite breakfast is an oven pancake with sauteed apples and real maple syrup.
Posted by: ikkinlala | February 17, 2009 at 02:20 PM
I'm so trying those muffins out later! I will always love blueberry pancakes but not just any blueberry pancakes, the kind my grandma makes..there's just none like it :)
Posted by: Heidi | February 17, 2009 at 02:21 PM
Hmm, I've never used baking paper before! I'll have to try it!! and the muffins, oh my goodness, they sound amazing!! I'm not sure if I'll even allow myself to make them because I may not want to share!
Posted by: joie | February 17, 2009 at 02:23 PM
Yum!
My favorite breakfast: warm, fluffy buttermilk pancakes with real maple syrup, a pad of butter and fresh fruit on the side. A side of oatmeal and OJ.
Posted by: Daniel | February 17, 2009 at 02:32 PM
Oh, swoon! Those are going on the list posthaste.
Breakfast is our favorite meal of any day, but particularly lazy weekends. My most favorite would have to be pumpkin pancakes spiced up with chocolate chips and pecans, with scrambled eggs-n-cheese and maybe some vegetarian sausage to round it out. A couple mugs of coffee and a crossword, and i'm in heaven!
Posted by: Caroline | February 17, 2009 at 02:40 PM
that looks so good! i think my favorite morning breakfast would consist of bread, jam, and nutella!
Posted by: Jisun from Sweetly Sophisticated | February 17, 2009 at 03:10 PM
Those baking papers are adorable. And ingenious. I might need to buy some now.
I can never decide what my perfect breakfast would be. Sometimes I think Belgian waffles, but then I start thinking about breakfast tacos (especially from the little Mexican place right by my office - they're amazing), but then Mexican (or Tex-Mex) gets me thinking about Costa Rica and gallo pinto, which leads me to Brasil. Simple, freshly baked bread, lightly buttered, with café com leite (or café au lait, if you prefer). But no matter what, there would have to be fruit involved. It's like breakfast's dessert. Oh, and coffee. So I don't get a headache later.
Posted by: Kristy | February 17, 2009 at 03:18 PM
I currently have some overripe bananas in my kitchen that I was wanting to use to make banana bread. Your recipe came at exactly the right time, I'm going to try it instead! Thanks!
Posted by: Natalie H | February 17, 2009 at 03:27 PM
Breakfast is my favorite part of my day. Those muffins look as though they would make a delicious beginning to the day.
I have many favorite breakfast meals, but for a lounge-about weekend breakfast I love making blueberry-lemon scones and topping them with strawberry jam. I also enjoy drinking a warm cup of chai tea.
Posted by: Kaitlyn Miller | February 17, 2009 at 05:26 PM
Yum! Those look delicious. Our weekend breakfast is waffles - we make a pile and freeze lots to eat through the week, with whatever delicious topping is at hand!
Posted by: sherrieg | February 17, 2009 at 06:07 PM
Mmmm- just thinking about those makes me hungry! My favorite breakfast is a fresh baked corn muffin with lots of butter, and hot sauteed peaches with unsweetened whipped cream! YUM
Posted by: Katie | February 17, 2009 at 06:10 PM
my favorite lounging about breakfast is a yummy smoothy made of organic vanilla yogurt, 2 bananas, a few strawberries and about a teaspoon of honey and a dash of cinnamon.
sipping my smoothy while reading curdled up in my chair.
Posted by: callie grayson | February 17, 2009 at 06:17 PM
hmmm... I have to go with scones as well. They are just total perfection!
Really cute muffins my dear!
Posted by: tonya | February 17, 2009 at 06:19 PM