Cooking
Have you discovered cocoa nibs? If you've been on the Shafffen Berger chocolate factory tour then you probably tried them and maybe even purchased some. But if you're like me, you probably haven't had many good ideas of what to do with them.
Cocoa nibs are the tiny bits of roasted cocoa beans that are used to make chocolate. They are ground into a paste with sugar to make chocolate bars and confections. But when in the nib form they are unsweetened, crunchy, nutty and chocolate-y without being too bitter. The are great in recipes that call for nuts. So far I have only used them in some biscotti I made a while back.
Coming home from Hawaii I thought about making some recipes using the kinds of tropical flavors that I enjoyed in baked goods over there, especially bananas and coconut. But then it occurred to me to use vanilla and coco nibs which are grown in the tropics too.
These muffins are deliciously tropical and at the same time fairly healthy. Pureeing the bananas makes the muffins moist without using too much fat. I like adding a pinch of nutmeg, which you won't really be able to identify in the final muffin, but I think enhances the flavor.
Note: you can buy cocoa nibs online if you can't find them in a gourmet store near you. You could also substitute chopped nuts or leave them out altogether.
Tropical Muffins
makes 10 muffins
Ingredients
1 cup flour
1/2 cup oats (old-fashioned or quick)
1/4 cup packed brown sugar
1 Tablespoon baking powder
pinch salt
pinch nutmeg
2 Tablespoon shredded coconut
2 Tablespoon cocoa nibs
1 teaspoon vanilla
1/3 cup milk
1 egg
1 Tablespoon cooking oil
1 banana, cut up
1 Tablespoon shredded coconut for sprinkling on top of muffins
Instructions
Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. In a mixing bowl stir together the flour, oatmeal, brown sugar, baking powder, nutmeg, and salt. Set aside. Lightly coat muffin pan with cooking spray or use liners (my preference). In a blender combine milk, egg, banana, vanilla and oil. Blend until smooth. Combine wet and dry ingredients, including the nibs and coconut, and stir just until moistened. Fill muffin pans until almost full and sprinkle tops with additional coconut. Bake for about 12-15 minutes or until a wooden skewer inserted in center comes out clean. Cool muffins on a rack.
Enjoy!
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Cooking
Tropical Muffins Recipe
Have you discovered cocoa nibs? If you've been on the Shafffen Berger chocolate factory tour then you probably tried them and maybe even purchased some. But if you're like me, you probably haven't had many good ideas of what to do with them.
Cocoa nibs are the tiny bits of roasted cocoa beans that are used to make chocolate. They are ground into a paste with sugar to make chocolate bars and confections. But when in the nib form they are unsweetened, crunchy, nutty and chocolate-y without being too bitter. The are great in recipes that call for nuts. So far I have only used them in some biscotti I made a while back.
Coming home from Hawaii I thought about making some recipes using the kinds of tropical flavors that I enjoyed in baked goods over there, especially bananas and coconut. But then it occurred to me to use vanilla and coco nibs which are grown in the tropics too.
These muffins are deliciously tropical and at the same time fairly healthy. Pureeing the bananas makes the muffins moist without using too much fat. I like adding a pinch of nutmeg, which you won't really be able to identify in the final muffin, but I think enhances the flavor.
Note: you can buy cocoa nibs online if you can't find them in a gourmet store near you. You could also substitute chopped nuts or leave them out altogether.
Tropical Muffins
makes 10 muffins
Ingredients
1 cup flour
1/2 cup oats (old-fashioned or quick)
1/4 cup packed brown sugar
1 Tablespoon baking powder
pinch salt
pinch nutmeg
2 Tablespoon shredded coconut
2 Tablespoon cocoa nibs
1 teaspoon vanilla
1/3 cup milk
1 egg
1 Tablespoon cooking oil
1 banana, cut up
1 Tablespoon shredded coconut for sprinkling on top of muffins
Instructions
Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. In a mixing bowl stir together the flour, oatmeal, brown sugar, baking powder, nutmeg, and salt. Set aside. Lightly coat muffin pan with cooking spray or use liners (my preference). In a blender combine milk, egg, banana, vanilla and oil. Blend until smooth. Combine wet and dry ingredients, including the nibs and coconut, and stir just until moistened. Fill muffin pans until almost full and sprinkle tops with additional coconut. Bake for about 12-15 minutes or until a wooden skewer inserted in center comes out clean. Cool muffins on a rack.
Enjoy!
- Raisin Bran Muffins: Recipe
Bad news. I have a hard time working my way through a box of raisin bran. I'm not really all that fond of cold cereal in the first place and as a result I often end up with stale cereal. The good news? Raisin bran makes great muffins. I find most...
- Mocha Banana Bread: Recipe
I read recipes like a scientist would, imagining the results in my head. Like a scientist I also tweak the ingredients and techniques to come up with different results. I rarely follow recipes word for word anymore. Perhaps I'm a mad scientist since...
- Cranberry Zinger Muffins Recipe
Today is the 13th edition of Is My Blog Burning hosted by Maki of I Was Just Really Very Hungry. Check out her site for a complete listing of participants. Baking muffins is a great way to start the day. The smell and warmth fills the house and the muffins...
- Cappuccino Biscotti:recipe
Mmmmm chocolate! Second time visiting Scharffen Berger chocolate factory yesterday. The tour is really worth a repeat visit because they seem to be learning all sorts of new things about chocolate every day and each guide puts their own unique spin on...
- Banana Chocolate Muffins
So I was contemplating making yet another recipe from Baking by Flavor (WOULD YOU BUY THE BOOK ALREADY ANGELA??!!? Heh ;-)!) because I love how Lisa Yockelson accents her chosen ingredient with spices - and take a look at the theme for this edition...