This month’s Recipe ReDux theme is "Creative Quick Breads." My immediate reaction to that was “Ok….what’s a quick bread?” Times like this it’s obvious that I have zero culinary background. As I soon learned, quick breads are breads (and cakes, muffins, cookies, brownies, etc) that are leavened without yeast. I grew up on cornbread almost every weekend, love making banana bread, and definitely have a soft spot in my heart for both muffins and pancakes. Turns out, all of these things are considered quick breads. I love quick breads!
I also love the combination of bananas and peanut butter. I’ve never been a fan of jelly or jam (something about that sticky, super sweetness just really turns me off), but I sure did grow up eating peanut butter banana sandwiches. Lately I’ve been on a powdered peanut butter kick and really wanted to play around with it. If you’ve never heard of it, powdered peanut butter is basically pressed and dehydrated peanuts. The great part about it is that you get all the peanut butter flavor (and protein!) with almost none of the fat. I highly recommend trying it out if you haven’t already. As with regular peanut butter, I look for brands where the only ingredient is peanuts. Some brands have added sugar, so I try to stay away from those.
Anyway, I decided to make some muffins using my favorite flavor combo. Why? Because holiday season is coming up, and when we’re prepping the big meals for days on end, who wants to think about making breakfast in the morning? These muffins can be made waaaay ahead of time and frozen. Either take them out the night before to thaw in the fridge, or give them a quick zap in the microwave for instant satisfaction. Make these now, and your holiday guests can wake up in the morning to hearty, delicious muffins that took you almost no effort at all.
I decided to add both chia seeds and walnuts to my muffins because I love to load up my breakfasts and I prefer a little crunch in my baked goods. Both of these are totally optional, or you can replace them with your favorite nuts or seeds.
What’s your favorite quick bread?
Peanut Butter Banana Muffins
Makes 14 muffins
Ingredients:
4 very ripe bananas
1/4 cup oil
1/3 cup your favorite milk (I used unsweetened vanilla almond milk)
2 cups whole wheat flour (or any other flour)
1 tsp baking soda
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 cup powdered peanut butter
3 teaspoons granulated sugar
1 tsp salt
1 cup chopped walnuts (optional)
3 tablespoons chia seeds (optional)
Directions:
Preheat oven to 350F, grease or line a muffin tin with cupcake liners
1. Smash the bananas into a pulp in a medium bowl, then add the milk, oil, and vanilla. Mix until well combined.
2. In a large bowl, mix together the dry ingredients; flour, baking soda, cinnamon, salt, sugar, and walnuts and/or seeds if using.
3. Pour the wet ingredients in with the dry and mix until just combined. Portion out evenly into muffin tins and bake for 22-25 minutes, or until you can stick a toothpick into the center of a muffin and it comes out clean.
4. Serve warm or room temperature. If freezing, allow to muffins to cool first, then place in freezer bag.
Enjoy!
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