SMALL BATCH CARROT BANANA MUFFINS (refined sugar free)

Would you like some muffin with your gratuitous slab of salted grassfed butter?

The 10 yr old got braces a couple of days ago and is so grouchy that she can't eat her favourite foods.  She's been complaining about her sore teeth and even decided to divvy up for her friends her salt water taffy and Hi-Chew collection that she recently purchased on our trip to Cannon Beach and Portland.  I decided to make a little treat for after rhythmic gymnastics summer camp.  She's there M-F for 5 hours each day for 3 weeks this summer and when she gets home she's hungry! 

Chock full of healthy carrot and banana, I was able to also reduce the sugar by replacing with coconut palm sugar.  You might want to use maple syrup or honey instead.

The muffins are moist and don't need frosting or butter...but what the heck--I'll stick a chunk of cold salted butter on top for the kid 'cause her metabolism can handle it.  You know what happens when salted butter hits a hot muffin right?  It looks amazing and it tastes so good.

These Carrot Banana Muffins make a small batch because we don't have a lot of sweet tooths in our household (oh the irony.)  They make a great snack for after school/sports or even a tasty breakfast with coffee or tea.

and yes, the salted butter is one of those things that you have to do one of these days if you haven't already tried it. 

SMALL BATCH CARROT BANANA MUFFINS (makes 6-7)

2 organic bananas

1 organic carrot, grated

1 free range organic egg

6 tablespoons virgin coconut oil

1/2 cup coconut sugar

1 teaspoon vanilla extract or vanilla paste

1 cup all purpose or gf flour

1 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon pink himilayan salt

*optional adult add-ins that a 10 yr old with braces won't like: nuts, craisins, coconut, chia, ground flaxseed & other such healthy junk

1. Preheat the oven to 350F

2. Prepare the muffin tin by lining with paper liners or silicone molds.  I used silicone muffin molds.

3. Using the Muffin-method, prepare your batter: In a bowl, combine the flour, soda, grated carrot and salt.  In a separate bowl, combine the bananas, egg, coconut oil, coconut sugar and vanilla.  Using a handheld immersion blender, blend all the wet ingredients.  Alternatively, you can simply mash the banana by hand and mix the rest of the wet ingredients with it.

4.  Make a well in the dry ingredients.  Pour the wet ingredients in the well and combine gently until just mixed.  At this point add optional chunky ingredients if desired. Don't overmix.

5. Fill your muffin cups 4/5 full with the batter.

6. Bake for 20-25 minutes until the muffins test done with a toothpick

*Gild your hot muffins with a totally gratuitous slab of grassfed salted butter if you wish

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ONE BLUEBERRY MUFFIN! NOW! (Small Batch Baking)

One Blueberry Muffin.  Now. 

My 7 yr old loves blueberry muffins.  The trouble is no one else in the household is that crazy about them.  

What in the world would I want to bake a whole batch of 12 muffins for when I know most of it wouldn't get eaten right away?  Muffins are meant to be eaten fresh out of the oven anyway.  When they are a day old they aren't that great.  When I spotted these cupcake-shaped ramekins at Crate and Barrel the other day I thought they would be perfect for small batch baking.  The thing is Bib is a sort of immediate gratification sort of girl and not much for waiting around.  She's the One Muffin Now instead of the 12 muffins later person.  Yah. don't know how that happened there because I'm all about delayed gratification myself.  

7 yr old making her one muffin.  All. By. Herself.  I'm the guide on the side.

Summer is prime cooking and baking training time.  I had her write out a test recipe for her one muffin and told her to take notes in case something did not turn out right. 

Costco. Love you. But this is one HUGE bag of pancake mix.

I wrote out the basic proportions and let her do everything from measuring, mixing and baking.  I did help with removing the hot ramekin dish from the microwave but will let her do it next time since she watched me and noted how hot it was. 

How easy was that?

Who hasn't bought that HUGE bag of pancake mix from Costco at one time or another?  I did.  My bad.  What was I thinking?  I bought it because I hate pancakes and my kids love them.  Besides, this mix isn't gluten free (I'm the only GF person in the house).  They make their own breakfasts with the mix all the time.  Since the kids are the only ones eating pancakes the bag is not being depleted as quickly as I would like.   Cue:  recipes with pancake mix!

Sprinkling with extra coconut sugar before "baking"

Bib's Verdict?  This One Blueberry Muffin recipe was fast to make and she said it was fun.  The crumb was tender and yummy. She finished eating the muffin and said next time she won't put as many blueberries in there because she likes the cake part best and she might try other fruit like strawberries from our garden, or bananas. 

Notes:  you feel like turning on the oven for ONE muffin? ok. go ahead.  You can do that.  Think of the environment though:  350degrees F until the oven comes to temp, then at least 12-15 minutes to bake.  What a waste of energy.  Yes, the texture will be better and some caramelization of the top will occur, but who can deny One Muffin Now?  I think the whole point here is Immediate Gratification. One muffin now!

If you would like to tweak the fruit to batter ratio go ahead.  This is a high fruit to batter ratio (which she said she didn't like as much and will reduce next time).  You can reduce the fruit or switch to other fruit like chopped strawberries, peaches, banana etc.

ta daa! wait at least 5 minutes for the muffin to cool.  Delay that gratification just a bit

CAKEBRAIN'S ONE BLUEBERRY MUFFIN

3 tablespoons pancake mix [Krusteaz]

1 tablespoon coconut sugar, plus extra for sprinkling

1 tablespoon milk

1 tablespoon coconut oil

1/2 teaspoon vanilla

1 tablespoon blueberries (or other fruit) [use less fruit if you like]

Coconut oil spray or Pam for preparing ramekin

1.  Mix dry ingredients in a pyrex measuring cup

2.  Add all wet ingredients and mix

3.  Toss in blueberries and gently toss. 

4.  Spray ramekin with Coconut oil spray or Pam.  Alternatively, line with a paper liner.  Pour in batter.  Sprinkle with coconut sugar. 

5.  Place in microwave from 60-90 seconds (TIME DEPENDENT ON YOUR MICROWAVE). Test with a toothpick.  Remove ramekin with oven mitts to cool for at least 5 minutes.  

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