Cream Cheese Banana Nut Bread or Muffins

Banana Nut muffins

One of my friends has been experiencing an insatiable craving for bananas. She was telling me about it over the phone, and almost immediately I wanted to bake her some banana bread. My cousin sent me this old recipe from the Southern Living magazine long time ago - it was the perfect opportunity to put it to test. 

The recipe makes 2 loaves of banana bread or 24 muffins. I made 24 mini muffins and 12 muffins. Here it goes.



Preparation time: 15 minutes
Bake time: 25 minutes for muffins; 1 hour for loaves.
Cool time: 30 minutes

Ingredients
3/4 cup unsalted butter, softened
1 pack (8oz.) cream cheese, low fat, room temperature
1 1/2 cup all purpose flour
1 1/2 cup whole wheat flour (The original recipe called for 3 cups all purpose flour)
2 cups granulated sugar
2 large eggs, room temperature
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp pure vanilla extract
4 medium very ripe bananas, mashed
1 cup walnuts, cashews etc. (The original recipe called for pecans)

Method

• Preheat oven to 350 F. Prepare the loaf pans or muffin tins. I used paper liners for both the muffins and mini muffins.
• In a large bowl, blend softened butter and cream cheese until well mixed. Add sugar and beat with an electric beater till light and fluffy. 
• Add the eggs one at a time and whip till incorporated. 
• Add the flour and blend till completely incorporated. It will be a thick batter. 
• Now add the baking soda, baking powder, salt and vanilla extract.
• Fold in mashed banana and 2/3 cup nuts. Pour into muffin tins or loaf pans. 
• Sprinkle remaining nuts on the batter.
• Bake muffins for 25 minutes or until done. The loaf takes about 1 hour. Cool completely on wire racks. 

Bon Apetit!
Hetal from Houston

Blueberry Muffin

Blueberry Muffins are my FAVORITES !! I have to admit I was very skeptical to give them a shot ; Firstly, coz I knew if they turn out not as good I would sulk a lot about it..Secondly, if they are good I would eat a lot having so many muffins at home staring at me !!! It turned out that it is the second factor which is bothering me at present :) I combined recipes from Martha Stewart and Laura Vitale this time and came up with my own version. Here it goes  !!

Ingredients :

• 1 & 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
• 3/4 cup granulated sugar -
• 2 eggs 
• 6 tbsp unsalted butter
• 1/2 cup whole milk ( or 1/2 cup sour cream if available to make it softer)
• 1 tbsp baking powder
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 1 cup fresh blueberry
• A pinch of salt

Directions:

•  Preheat oven to 350 F and bring butter and eggs to room temperature.
•  Blend butter, sugar and eggs in a mixing bowl till smooth.

Blending butter, sugar and eggs

• Add in whole milk, vanilla extract and salt.
• In a separate bowl add blueberries in the flour so that blueberries are flour coated ( this is to avoid sinking of blueberries in the batter later on) and then add to the rest of the mix.

Blueberries coated with flour

Blueberry-Flour mixture added to rest of the batter

• Add baking powder and mix well.
• Use ice cream scoop to equally fill lined