Name: Chocolate Banana Muffins
Yield: 12 servings
Ingredients: ½ cup (125 mL) hazelnut butter or almond butter; ¼ cup (50 g) packed light brown sugar; ½ tsp (2 mL) vanilla extract; 1 ½ cups (375 mL) mashed ripe banana (3-4 bananas); ¾ cup (150 g) granulated sugar; ½ cup (115 g) unsalted butter, melted; 2 large eggs; 1 tsp (5 mL) vanilla extract; 2 cups (260 g) cake and pastry flour; ½ cup (60 g) Dutch process cocoa powder; 2 tsp (6 g) baking powder; ½ tsp (2.5 g) baking soda; ½ tsp (2.5 g) salt; 1 cup (250 mL) chocolate chips; 1 ½ cups (200 g) whole hazelnuts; ¾ cup (100 g) icing sugar; ¼ cup (60 mL) hazelnut oil (or vegetable oil); 4 oz (120 g) dark chocolate, chopped; 1 tsp (5 mL) vanilla extract; ½ tsp (2.5 g) salt

Yields

12 servings

These muffins have the added kick of a ribbon of hazelnut (or almond) paste within it. When topped with a slathering of homemade chocolate hazelnut spread, these go well beyond a breakfast treat, into the world of desserts.

ingredients

Hazelnut Ribbon

cup (125 mL) hazelnut butter or almond butter

cup (50 g) packed light brown sugar

tsp (2 mL) vanilla extract

Muffins

1 ½

cups (375 mL) mashed ripe banana (3-4 bananas)

cup (150 g) granulated sugar

cup (115 g) unsalted butter, melted

large eggs

tsp (5 mL) vanilla extract

cups (260 g) cake and pastry flour

cup (60 g) Dutch process cocoa powder

tsp (6 g) baking powder

tsp (2.5 g) baking soda

tsp (2.5 g) salt

cup (250 mL) chocolate chips

Chocolate Hazelnut Spread (Makes 1 1/2 [375 mL] cups)

1 ½

cups (200 g) whole hazelnuts

cup (100 g) icing sugar

cup (60 mL) hazelnut oil (or vegetable oil)

oz (120 g) dark chocolate, chopped

tsp (5 mL) vanilla extract

tsp (2.5 g) salt

Ingredient Substitution Guide

directions

Step 1

Preheat the oven to 350 ºF (180 ºC) and line a muffin tin with paper liners.

Step 2

For the hazelnut ribbon, stir the hazelnut butter, brown sugar and vanilla in a small saucepan over medium heat, stirring until the sugar has dissolved. Remove from the heat to cool while making the muffin batter.

Step 3

In a large mixing bowl, whisk the banana, sugar and melted butter and then whisk in the eggs and vanilla.

Step 4

In a separate bowl, sift the flour, cocoa, baking powder, baking soda and salt together. Add this to the banana mixture and stir until blended. Stir in the chocolate chips. Spoon enough batter to fill each muffin cup two-thirds of the way. Spoon the cooled hazelnut mixture into each muffin cup and then top with the remaining muffin batter (don’t worry if some of the hazelnut paste is still exposed). Bake the muffins for 20-25 minutes, until a tester inserted in the centre of a muffin comes out clean. Cool the muffins in the tin for 10 minutes and then tip out to cool completely. Serve the muffins with Chocolate Hazelnut Spread (recipe follows).

Step 5

Preheat the oven to 350 ºF (180 ºC). Place the hazelnut in a single layer in a baking dish and toast for about 15 minutes, until the skins darken and start to crack. Allow the hazelnuts to cool then either rub them in a tea towel to remove the skins, or put them in a colander and swirl them around (the skins will come off and fall through the holes of the colander).

Step 6

Place the peeled hazelnuts in bowl of a food processor along with the icing sugar, oil, chocolate, vanilla and salt. Pulse this until the mixture becomes a smooth paste – the chocolate will melt from the friction of the spinning blade, making the paste fluid, but once it sets up to room temperature, it will be a spreadable consistency. If the paste doesn’t set within 2 hours, it can be chilled to set, but then stored at room temperature to be spreadable.

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Chocolate Banana Muffins