These muffins from the Baked Cookbook by Matt Lewis and Renato Poliafito took nearly 40 minutes to bake in my oven. They were worth it though, yummy. Now I really, really want a Vulcan oven!  I am on such a banana kick as of the holidays. Trying to substitute chocolate with fruit, sort of working. I mean without the bananas in these there would just be a lot more chocolate. Oh, who am I kidding! Chocolate makes the world a better place and a very yummy one. The instructions were super easy to follow, which is great since these were made late last night when I toyed with heading to bed. Of course, after I baked I felt the need to stitch. Felt very accomplished with happy thoughts and a lovely banana chocolate smell in the air as my head hit the pillow. Enjoy!!

Banana Espresso Chocolate Chip Muffins

1  1/2 cups mashed, very ripe bananas (about 4 medium bananas)
1/2 cup sugar
1/4 cup firmly packed light brown sugar
1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, melted
1/4 cup whole milk
1 large egg
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 tsp instant espresso powder
1 1/2 tsp baking soda
1 tsp salt
1 cup (6 ounces) semisweet chocolate chips

Preheat the oven to 350. Spray a 12-cup muffin pan with nonstick cooking spray.

In a medium bowl, stir together the bananas, sugars, butter, milk, and egg.

In another medium bowl, whisk together the flour, instant espresso powder, baking soda, and salt. Make a well in the middle of the dry ingredients. Pour the wet ingredients into the well and stir until just combined. Fold in the chocolate chips.

Fill each cup about three-quarters full. Bake in the center of the oven for 20 to 25 minutes, until a toothpick inserted in the center of a muffin comes out clean.

Move the muffin pan to a cooling rack, and let cool for 15 minutes. After 15 minutes, remove the muffins from the pan and let them finish cooling on the cooling rack.

Muffins can be stored in an airtight container for up to two days.

This recipe is from the BabyCakes Cookbook, which I keep reaching for to try new vegan recipes.  I drizzled maple syrup over these muffins, which added the perfect natural bit of sweetness.

Pumpkin-Spice Muffins

2 Cups Bob’s Red Mill Gluten-Free All-Purpose Baking Flour
2 tsp baking powder
2 tsp baking soda
1 tsp xanthan gum
1 tsp salt
1 Tbsp ground cinnamon
1 Tbsp ground ginger
1/2 cup coconut oil, plus more for the pan
2/3 cup agave nectar
2/3 cup rice milk
2 Tbsp pure vanilla extract
1 1/2 cups canned unsweetened pumpkin puree
1/2 cup hot water

Preheat the oven to 375. Line a standard 12-cup muffin tin with paper linens.

In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, xanthan gum, salt, cinnamon, and ginger. Add the oil, agave nectar, rice milk, and vanilla to the dry ingredients. Stir until the batter is smooth and thick. Using a plastic spatula, fold in the pumpkin and hot water until both are evenly distributed throughout the batter.

Pour 1/3 cup batter into each prepared cup, almost filling it. Bake the muffins on the center rack for 22 minutes, rotating the tin 180 degrees after 10 minutes. The finished muffins will be soft to the touch, and a toothpick inserted in the center will come out clean.

Let the muffins stand in the tin for 15 minutes, then transfer them to a wire rack and cool completely. Store the muffins in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days.