Double Chocolate Banana Bread

Is it breakfast? Could I possibly have it for dessert? When the answer is yes to both, then you're on the right path in this life, my friend. I've wanted to make banana bread for the longest time, but people keep eating my damn bananas before they get to that perfectly ripe stage that I need for baking. So when I woke up today and saw three softened bananas sitting on the kitchen counter, I just started pulling out ingredients from the pantry. 

This particular chocolate banana bread is the perfect combination of crumbly and moist, and the use of unsweetened cocoa powder gives it a slightly bitter cocoa taste as opposed to an overpoweringly sweet chocolatey flavour. So yes, I think this should be OK for breakfast lol. 

So to those of you, who like me, are lucky enough to find a handful of ripe bananas and a couple of extra hours in your day, I invite you to try this recipe. A good banana bread takes an hour to bake, so to stave off the pre-guilt I was feeling, I did some intense interval training while waiting... let's hope it doesn't all go to pot and I keep up with this new fitness thing. 

Double Chocolate Banana Bread

• 1 cup sugar
• 1/3 cup vegetable oil
• 2 eggs
• 1 1/4 cup mashed bananas
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 1 1/2 cup all purpose flour
• 1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 1/2 tsp baking powder
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1 cup dark chocolate chips

1. Preheat the oven to 180°C and line a 5x9" baking tin with baking paper
2. Beat the sugar, vegetable oil and eggs in a large bowl
3. Beat in the mashed bananas and vanilla extract
4. Combine the flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, baking powder, chocolate chips, and salt in a medium sized bowl, then mix into the wet mixture until thoroughly combined
5. Pour the batter into the baking tin and bake for an hour. When ready, remove from the oven and allow to cool in the tin for 15 minutes before removing onto a wire rack to cool completely

Holibaking & Hummingbirds

I've hit a snag in my holiday baking (or holibaking as it shall henceforth be known) plans: my family doesn't eat desserts as fast as I want to make them!

Arrrrrgggghhhhh. This is tough guys, like, it's a serious problem. To me. I've got all this pent up energy and a basket of browning bananas sitting on my kitchen island, yet I'm unable to make that banana cake I've been dying to bake for (oh, I don't know) months, just because we still have leftover cupcakes, crepe cake, and that awesome yellow cake with chocolate sour cream frosting.

I suppose I kinda neglected that one teeny tiny detail of my working days... I usually bake 'em, pack 'em, and bring 'em to work for my colleagues to have at tea time. Hmmm... I'm starting to eye my neighbours doorbells like a starving cartoon character would see a giant talking T-bone steak taunting them, just... begging to be rung. Maybe it's time to host a street party, or even just show up randomly at the neighbours' with wrapped goodies?

Or maybe it's time I get out of the house. I don't know why, but my hermit mode switches right on when I'm on holidays. I don't go out unless someone drives me, and I wake up mid day to have coffee and watch tv with my siblings, then I try to trick the senses by taking a shower and getting all dressed up even though I know deep down that I have not a single ounce of intention to cross that threshold. Dude, I'm so lazy. I love it though.

Here's something that I baked this week, had tons of fun with, and was quite a hit with the parents: hummingbird cupcakes with whipped cream cheese frosting. The recipe was basically the one I used here, minus the pears, and this whipped cream cheese frosting which is currently my favourite to top cakes with. Great taste and texture, but ooooh boy... I think I need to cycle around the lake tomorrow morning. Just to make up for this week I've spent on my arse.

Anyone wanna come over for morning coffee/high tea/dessert?

Love, Nabs

Pear & Hummingbird Cake

I've been craving pears and oranges lately, just slices of cold fruit on the hot days while the renovation works go on around me. Sometimes I pair them with an ice-cold glass of fresh lemonade or pineapple flavoured water, and my parents would join me on the patio while we discuss interior decor and the technical aspects of raising a roof.

So to nobody's surprise, our bottom refrigerator shelf is filled with fruit that's starting to bruise! I've got an abundance of pears, and I'm not entirely sure what I should do with them. There are pies, tarts, cakes, muffins, pizzas, etc... yet I have no time. 

Last night, while watching Grey's Anatomy reruns, I decided to just quickly whip up a really easy (yes satisfying) cake for my mum to serve to friends who might drop by for their morning coffees or high tea. Also, I kinda need to clear out those pears. I paired up (heh) a pear and a Hummingbird Cake, recipe from the Hummingbird Bakery cookbook, a recipe I've tried before while yielded amazing results. Only it didn't look so pretty, so I couldn't bear to share any of those pictures here. Call it vanity, if you must. 

So here's my take on the Hummingbird Cake with Pears: 

Pear & Hummingbird Cake

Adapted from the Hummingbird Bakery cookbook

• 300g caster sugar
• 3 large eggs
• 300ml sunflower oil
• 3 large ripe bananas, mashed
• 1 tsp ground cinnamon
• 300g self raising flour
• 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
• 100g tinned pineapple, chopped
• 100g shelled pecans, chopped
• 1 golden pear, chopped, plus slices to decorate

1. Preheat the oven to 180C and line a 9 inch round baking tin with butter and parchment paper
2. In a large mixing bowl, combine the sugar, eggs, oil, mashed bananas, and cinnamon and beat until incorporated
3. Beat in the flour and vanilla, mixing until just combined
4. Then beat in the pineapple, pecans and pear bits
5. Line the bottom of the baking tin with the pear slices, arrange as you like, then pour the cake batter over. Smooth the top and pop it in the oven for 40 minutes, or until a skewer poked through at an angle comes out clean
6. Allow the cake to cool in the tin for 15 minutes, then turn it over onto a wire cooling rack. Cool completely before removing onto your cake plate, dust with ground cinnamon before serving

I left it overnight on the counter last night, wrapped in a clean cloth to keep it sanitary. This morning, before heading out to work, I dusted it with cinnamon, cut myself a slice and had it for a very decadent breakfast. I've decided to forgo the cream-cheese frosting which is customarily served with the cake, however if you want to, use this recipe and cover the cake as you like with the frosting. I'd just like to tell you that the amazing flavours of the actual cake are likely to be overpowered by the frosting should you choose to do so. Also, you won't be able to have it for breakfast (guilt-free). 

To each his own, and I really do hope you give this recipe a shot as it's so bloody amazing. 

Lots of love, happy weekday, 

Nabs

Back to Basics Banoffee Pie

There has been a particular recipe sitting on my shelf for far too long, and now that I've tried it, I don't quite know what I was so afraid of. I've been terrified of trying Banoffee Pie, or any caramel based recipe, due to the fact that I'm afraid to make caramel.

I can't for the life of me understand why. It's incredibly easy, and oh-so-satisfying to taste the results. Unless you're an idiot like me and taste it right out of the hot saucepan. I'm still waiting for my lip to blister, wondering if it will be so unsightly that I may need to take some days off work. LOL, jokes.

A good friend of mine asked me last week if I can do Banoffee Pie, and I told her the truth: that I've never tried it, but have always wanted to try. She then went on to say that she's got a friend who may be interested in asking me to do the dessert for her wedding! 60 mini Banoffee Pies! Is it silly of me to even try and wish for this gig?

I whipped up (heh, geddit?) a sample for her, and made a test pie to go with it... from my side, the flavour and texture turned out great, and everyone here seems to like it. I just wonder if she'll feel the same. Sitting on tenterhooks here and biting my nails to boot!

But that said, whether or not she goes for my Banoffee Pie, I've not opened up a whole new world for myself! CARAMEL!

Banoffee Pie

Crust

• 250g plain digestives, passionately whacked with a rolling pin into fine crumbs
• 120g butter, melted

Filling

• 100g butter
• 100g soft brown sugar
• 397g condensed milk

Topping

• 3 medium bananas, ripe and soft
• 300ml whipping cream

1. To make the crust, mix the digestive crumbs and butter using a fork, then press into the bottom of a lightly greased pan (I used a round tin foil pan for ease of delivery, but springform or removable bottom is ideal). Use the bottom of a glass to firmly pat the crumbs down. Then chill in the fridge while you prepare the filling
2. In a non-stick saucepan, gently heat the butter and sugar until the sugar is completely dissolved. Pour in the condensed milk and bring to a boil gently, making sure to stir continuously so the caramel doesn't burn
3. Pour the caramel over the chilled crust and smooth it out with a rubber spatula then chill in the fridge for at least 1 hour while the caramel sets
4. Just before serving, slice your ripe bananas to cover the caramel
5. To make the whipped cream, be sure to chill your bowl and whisk for 2-5 minutes beforehand. Then for a creamy, yet not overpoweringly sweet whipped cream topping, just whisk the cream for around 1 minute (if you're using an electric mixer) or until soft peaks form and you can turn the bowl over and the cream stays intact. Smooth or pipe the cream over the top
6. For extra decoration, you can grate some semi-sweet chocolate over the top of the pie, or decorate with slices of bananas

It couldn't be easier, and now I'm dying to make more pies to give away to friends and family members!

x Nabs

P.S. Sorry for the ugly, over-exposed pictures...

Banana Pancakes

Well can't you see that it's just raining? 
There ain't no need to go outside... 

But there is a need to make some hot pancakes, cover them in maple syrup and proceed to eat them in your over-sized t-shirt while catching up to Comedy news on a Sunday morning! Whether it's with a loved one, on your own, or in my case, with a brood of siblings and both parents, homemade banana pancakes fresh off the pan is definitely one of my favourite ways to have quality time with myself over the weekends.

I've been searching for the Perfect Banana Pancake recipe all my life, have tried many - almost two recipes per week! - and now... I believe I may have found it. This is definitely the one I want to spend the rest of my life doing nothing with, folks, just... me, these pancakes, and morning TV...

We don't need to we got everything
We need right here
And everything we need is enough...

So happy Sunday, friends, hope you make a batch of these delicious pancakes, and don't do anything too taxing, you know? Just take the day for yourselves, sit around in your PJs until four, then shower and get into a fresh set of PJs.

These Banana Pancakes will take you all of 5 minutes to prepare, and then flip at your own pace.

Wake up slow...

• 1 1/2 cups all purpose flour
• 2 1/2 tsp baking powder
• 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 2 ripe bananas
• 1 1/4 cups buttermilk
• 2 large eggs
• 3 tbsp honey
• 3 tbsp butter, browned
• 1/2 tsp vanilla extract

1. In a large mixing bowl, combine the flour, baking powder, cinnamon and salt, then set aside
2. Pop the bananas, buttermilk, eggs, honey, browned butter and vanilla in the food processor and whizz until incorporated
3. Pour the banana mixture into the flour mixture and you can be lazy like me and just beat with the paddle attachment for 3 to 5 minutes, or stir until combined. Let the batter sit for 5 to 10 minutes to ensure fluffiness! 
4. Heat your pan, and I like to use a smidge of Crisco shortening in between pancakes cos they produce slightly crunchy edges (I find). Then just scoop up with an ice-cream scoop and flip

Just so easy
When the whole world fits inside of your arms
Don't really need to pay attention to the alarm
Wake up slow, yeah, wake up slow
Much love,
Nabs

An Excess of Buttermilk, Bananas, and Chocolate Chips

I, like many other bakers, have a horrible habit of hoarding; whenever I walk past a grocery store, I feel the need to stock up on eggs, butter, flour, sugar, buttermilk, vanilla, etc. In fact, I just did it again yesterday, and upon doing a quick inventory check, I found that I have:

• 3 1/2 cartons of buttermilk
• 2 x 500g bags of all purpose flour
• 3 x 500g bags of self-raising flour
• 4 x 250g butter
• 3 x 8oz packets of cream cheese
• 2 x 1kg powdered sugar
• 3 x 500g caster sugar
• 6 x 30l bottles of vanilla extract
• 2 1/2 cartons of 10 large eggs
• A drawer full of berries, oranges, lemons
• A hand of very freckly bananas
• 4 x 250g packets of raisins
• 3 x 11oz packets of butterscotch chips
• 2 x 11oz packets of bittersweet chocolate chips
• 3 x 500g tins of Van Houten cocoa powder
• and an assortment of leftovers... 

As you can imagine, along with the random baked goods and leftovers from dinners or lunches, I have very limited space in my fridge and pantry. My mum is threatening to throw my stuff out, and rightly so! Most of this stuff has a limited shelf-life, and quite a few of them are probably expiring by early next week. Though to be honest, the only thing I'm getting worked up over is the buttermilk as it's so bloody expensive here.

So this weekend, I'll be working on depleting my supply of goods. I'm thinking pancakes, bread, muffins, a chocolate cake, baked red snapper and tomato roasted cous cous!

Now, first up is yet another Banana Bread recipe! Except this time, I'm ditching the health and diet, and going for the good stuff. In an effort to whittle away at my pantry, I've whipped up a batch of Buttermilk Banana Chocolate Chip bread, recipe courtesy of Marc Matsumoto over at [No Recipe], with some teeny-tiny adjustments (think... brown... butter...).

• 2 cups all purpose flour
• 1/2 tsp baking powder
• 1/2 tsp baking soda
• Pinch of salt
• 1/2 cup brown sugar
• 1/2 cup chocolate chips
• 113g butter, browned
• 2 large eggs, cold from the fridge
• 1/2 cup buttermilk
• 1 tsp vanilla
• 2 large freckly bananas
• Juice of 1/2 a lemon

1. Preheat the oven to 180C, and butter and line a 9" loaf pan with parchment paper
2. Brown your butter, watch this poorly edited, yet incredibly soothing video on how to make positively voluptuous aromatic brown butter
3. In a large mixing bowl, combine the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, sugar and chocolate chips
4. Pop the bananas and lemon juice in the food processor and whizz
5. Separate the eggs into small bowls then... 
6. Whisk the egg whites with the buttermilk and vanilla
7. Whisk the yolks with the brown butter
8. Then pour both egg mixtures into the banana mixture and whizz again
9. Pour the wet mixture into the dry mixture and stir until just combined, then pour batter into prepared pan and bake for 50 minutes to 1 hour. When done, allow the bread to cool in the pan for 15 minutes, then remove and cool on a wire rack completely

You must resist the urge to dig into the completed product while it is still cooling in the pan. You must do this and remind yourself that completely cooled bread is always easier to get clean slices of. Also, you do not want a repeat of a previous brown butter banana strawberry bread incident where you had burnt your tongue. No, you do not.

If you try this recipe, I hope you enjoyed it as much as I did, and isn't it just easy peasy lemon squeezy?

xx Nabs

Indecisive Muffins

With five productive hours left to my Sunday evening (productive hours meaning those before I have to get ready for bed and work...) I decided to whip up a batch of blueberry muffins for breakfast, and also to bring a few with me to the office for my workmates. However, my mum was craving banana bread too... and so I thought I would just make a carrot banana bread first, then blueberry muffins later.

Though having spent the majority of my weekend in the kitchen, I kind of wanted an extra hour to watch some telly before sleep... so halfway through making the banana bread batter, I decided to add in blueberries, bit more flour, and just make a hybrid of the two wishes. I don't entirely know what I was thinking when I added some of the stuff, but none of the ingredients seemed that bad as standalone ingredients so they couldn't be too bad put together, right?

Absolutely.

So this Monday morning, I popped one of the cooled muffins back in the oven for about 5 minutes while I blow-dried my hair and had myself a nice warm muffin on the way to work. Yummy!

Banana-Blueberry-Carrot Muffins (That's 3 of your 5-a-day!) 
Yield: 12 medium sized muffins

• 1/3 cup vegetable oil
• 3/4 cup soft packed brown sugar
• 2 large eggs
• 1 tsp vanilla
• 1/4 cup buttermilk 
• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
• 1 cup ripe mashed bananas 
• 1 cup grated carrots
• 1 cup blueberries

1. Preheat the oven to 180C and line the muffin pan
2. Beat the vegetable oil and sugar in a large bowl, then beat in the eggs, vanilla and buttermilk
3. Add the bananas and beat until incorporated
4. Combine the flour, baking powder, salt and cinnamon then gradually add into the wet mixture
5. Stir in the carrots and blueberries
6. Pour the batter into the muffin cups about 3/4 of the way up, then sprinkle with the topping and bake for 20 minutes. Leave them to cool in the pan for 5 minutes then cool completely on a wire rack

Topping

• 1/2 cup all purpose flour
• 3 tbsp butter
• 1/4 cup granulated sugar

1. In a medium bowl, combine all the ingredients and mix with your fingertips until they resemble course crumbs. Or use a food processor if you have one to minimize the mess and time taken

Banana Chocolate Chip Muffins

As I was driving home from town earlier today, I came to the scary realization that one of my biggest fears is that I have a brain tumor... but I think it's just bad headaches. And then I end up in hospital where the doctor is nowhere near as good-looking as McDreamy because this is real life.

In conclusion, I watch far too much television, and I should also not drive without the radio on because then I start thinking up weird situations.

I'm a very imaginative person, some (my school teachers, for example) would say I'm a day-dreamer, and thus I tend to come up with far-fetched scenarios, or over-think things (very much in the way Taylor Swift over-thought things in the song Mine) and then before I know it... I'm in the car, sobbing by the side of the highway because I've scared myself with a possibility of a horrible life.

Over the years, I've always looked for distractions, things that could take me away from me so that I can just be, for a little while. In my teenage years, it was SnitchSeeker (it still is, sometimes heh) that provided that escapism, and now I find that baking shuts up my fears better than anything!

It's something to do with the precision of measuring out ingredients, the routine of mixing, melting, baking... the whir of the Kitchenaid works as well as any sleep machine, too, and then... there's the payoff. Chocolatey goodness, cookies, cupcakes, breads, muffins, pies, pastries, anything and everything that is good and guaranteed to cheer me up.

Today, I'm sharing a very simple recipe, a particular favourite of mine that has always been a hit with my baby brother, Adam. As a rather fussy customer, I find his to be one of the highest recommendations. He's also quite cruel, in the way that Simon Cowell can be, when he doesn't like something I've made. Enough rambling! On to the banana chocolate chip muffins!

Banana Chocolate Chip Muffins

• 1 1/2 cup all purpose flour
• 3/4 cup sugar
• 1 1/2 tsp baking powder
• pinch of salt
• 1 cup mashed bananas
• 1/2 cup butter, melted
• 1 large egg
• 1/4 cup buttermilk (or milk)
• 3/4 cup chocolate chips

1. Preheat the oven to 180C, line/grease your muffin tray
2. In a large bowl, mix the flour, sugar, baking powder and salt
3. In a medium bowl, mix the banana mash, melted butter, egg and buttermilk
4. Pour the banana mix into the flour mix, and stir until just combined (I simply used a spatula for this entire recipe cos I didn't want to over-mix anything)
5. Stir in the chocolate chips
6. Bake for 30 mins, or until a skewer inserted at an angle comes out clean
7. Pop one into your mouth whole, mere minutes after it's out of the oven, then soldier on as tears stream down your face cos it's too damned hot, but sooooooo good!

Productive Sunday

After about a year of no significant physical exertion, I decided to get off my steadily burgeoning behind and take up my friends on their invitation for their Sunday morning activities. The only problem is that we underestimated our early-20's Saturday night abilities to wear ourselves out. I was woken up on Sunday by my friends nearly knocking my door down, all dressed in their tennis whites (it's merely an expression, none of us wore white) and ready to go.

Mental note: When playing tennis in a tropical climate, past 8 am, book the indoor courts.

After some laughable attempts on the courts, and a quick dip in the pool, we decided to reward ourselves with a heavy lunch: Kanna Curry House banana leaf rice. You have NO idea the degree of satisfaction that I derived from the experience. If suffering in the morning means I get to enjoy carbs in the afternoon, then YES, bring it on!

However, all throughout the day, I kept thinking about the differences of baking with vegetable oil and applesauce. A friend made a comment to me a while back, about substituting vegetable oil with applesauce in every recipe he tries, and I've been wondering about it ever since.

That night, after a very long jam session, I got to baking the exact same recipe, but one with vegetable oil, and the other with applesauce.

Carrot Banana Bread (as seen in this previous post, made with butter)

• 1/3 cup vegetable oil OR 1/2 cup applesauce
• 3/4 cup sugar
• 2 large eggs
• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
• 1 cup ripe mashed bananas (from 3 medium sized bananas)
• 1 cup grated carrots
• 1/2 cup chopped pecans

1. Preheat your oven to 180C, and grease your 5"x3" loaf pan
2. Beat the vegetable oil OR applesauce and sugar in a large mixing bowl
3. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition
4. In a separate bowl, combine the flour, baking sofa, salt and cinnamon
5. Gradually add the flour mixture to the creamed mixture, alternating with the mashed bananas
6. Stir in the carrots and pecans with a spatula
7. Bake for 50-60 minutes
8. Cool the bread in the pan for 15 minutes, then remove onto the cooling rack and cool completely (I just left it out overnight, covered with kitchen paper)

I have to say that I prefer the texture and weight of the vegetable oil based recipe, even though the difference between the two are SO minute that you would only ever be able to tell the difference if you bake both at a time like I did.

The applesauce doesn't seem to affect the taste of the bread as much as I thought it would, however the weight is just slightly heavier than the other. Maybe I need to leave the bread in a little longer than I normally would to ensure that the batter dries completely.

Anyway, with the butter based recipe, it was a lot lighter, but also produced a more muffin-like texture. It smelled better too.

All in all, however, I'd have to say the vegetable oil makes the best bread. So I'll just go with that recipe from now on. Good to see that all three options provided good bread, though, so you're more than welcome to choose the one you prefer.

x Nabs

Brown Butter Strawberry Banana Bread

The Banana Bread/Quick Bread obsession continues with this delightful recipe I found on Joy's blog, a combination of all the good things in the world:

• Bananas
• Strawberries
• Butter

Love in a pan. Right there. Anyway, I came home from work slightly early-ish that day (which means I came home on time, yay me!) and was hunting for banana bread that I had baked previously, only it was all gone (again). It is at moments like these that I am thankful I have a prepared pantry (read: impulsive grocery shopper), and also that I'm slightly crazy and always keep a few bananas hidden in a mixing bowl in the top shelf (or else the people in my house would never let it just get all soft and spotted! Stop eating bananas, GEEZ).

Strawberries and bananas are like peanut butter and jelly, they were paired up through some strategic arranged marriage decades ago, and it seems the rest of the world has just gone with it. Why question a good thing, right?

This combo also happens to make my favourite breakfast smoothie, with the addition of vanilla frozen yoghurt, soy milk, weetabix or muesli and a little bit of ice.

Anyway, enough rambling, let's just get on to the good stuff:

Brown Butter Strawberry Banana Bread

from Joythebaker

• 170g unsalted butter, melted and browned to just over 1/2 cup of butter
• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 3/4 cup brown sugar
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 3/4 tsp ground cinnamon
• 2 large eggs
• 1 tsp pure vanilla extract
• 1/4 cup buttermilk (or plain yoghurt, or even sour cream if you must)
• 1 1/4 cup mashed banana (3 medium sized bananas)
• 1/2 cup diced strawberries, plus 1 strawberry thinly sliced for decorating

1. Preheat to 180C, grease your 9x5 inch loaf pan
2. Melt butter in a saucepan over medium heat, it'll start to crackle as it heats. When the crackling subsides, it'll start to brown. Swirl the pan, and when the butter browns and begins to smell amaaazing, remove the pan from the stove and transfer the butter to a small bowl. Set aside to cool
3. In a large bowl, whisk flour, sugar, baking soda, salt and cinnamon
4. In another bowl, whisk eggs, vanilla and buttermilk. Whisk in the mashed bananas, and the cooled browned butter
5. Add all the wet ingredients to the flour mixture and FOLD together (seriously, there's no need to beat with your kitchenaid here, just get the flour wet and just combined)
6. Fold in the strawberries
7. Pour into the prepared pan and top with the strawberry slices. Bake for 50 minutes to an hour (I took mine out slightly early, so it's got a very cakey texture. Try an hour, you want it to be dry, crumbly, bready)
8. Remove from the oven and allow to cool in the pan for another 15 minutes before turning the loaf onto the cooling rack to cool completely

x Nabiya

Carrot Banana Bread

It's been a while since my last post, mostly due to the fact that this month has been slightly off the charts cray-cray in real life (it never fails to amuse me how we refer to our daily lives as Real Life, and the internet as our fictional playground), and also in part because I've been lazy. I've baked up a few things, however most of them were repeat recipes.

I went through a Banana Bread phase over the past two weeks, trying to recreate the yummy one sold at Boost Juice, and I tried a few different recipes but found one in this book of Quick Breads I have lying about at home that I really like. It's simple, tasty and just slightly different.

Mainly cos it's not entirely banana bread...

Carrot Banana Bread recipe

• 1/3 cup melted butter (recipe calls for vege oil, but I like butter!)
• 1 cup sugar
• 2 large eggs
• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
• 1 cup ripe mashed bananas (I used 3 medium sized bananas that had gone soft and spotty)
• 1 cup grated carrots
• 1/2 cup chopped pecans

1. Preheat your oven to 180C, and grease your 5"x3" loaf pan
2. Beat the butter and sugar in a large mixing bowl
3. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition
4. In a separate bowl, combine the flour, baking sofa, salt and cinnamon
5. Gradually add the flour mixture to the creamed mixture, alternating with the mashed bananas
6. Stir in the carrots and pecans with a spatula
7. Bake for 50-60 minutes, start checking after about 40 minutes. I took my first batch out when the toothpick came out clean, but it gave me a muffin-ny/cakey texture as opposed to the drier bread texture that I was going for
8. Cool the pan before removing the bread onto the wire, cool completely before storing or gobbling

Oh man, I couldn't wait too long so I sliced off a hunk the moment it was cool enough to touch and slathered on a dollop of salted butter... it was my moment of ultimate indulgence, soft, slightly crumbly bread made so moist by the carrots...

The downside to this was when I got home from work the next day, hoping to have another slice of bread... it was all gone.

Sad face,

Nabs

Banana Lemon Muffins

My mother has finally handed me her cookbook, the notebook in the picture above. It's chock-full of recipes she's been hoarding for the past 20+ years, and I've been eyeing it for almost as long as I remember. She's got ALL my favourite recipes in there, and they're all written in her hand, and there are stains and spots in the pages from the paper aging as well as whatever cooking spills she might have encountered.

It's glorious! I love it, and honestly can't wait to try every single recipe, as well as add in my own in the empty pages in the back.

Here's the first:

Banana Lemon breakfast muffins (yum!)

• 110g unsalted butter
• 1 1/4 cups sugar
• 2 large eggs
• 1 cup mashed banana
• 2 tbsp lemon juice
• 1 tsp vanilla essence
• 2 cups flour
• 1 tsp baking soda
• pinch of salt
• 3/4 cup buttermilk

1. Grease/line muffin pans
2. Cream the butter and sugar until light and pretty and fluffy
3. Beat in the eggs one at a time
4. Stir in the banana, lemon juice and vanilla
5. In a separate bowl, sift flour, baking soda and flour together.
6. Stir the flour mixture into the creamed mixture, alternating with the buttermilk (you can use yoghurt or just plain milk as a substitute)
7. Bake at 180 degrees for around 20 minutes

Great to have freshly baked muffins in the house, but these are great to just have ready as well. I usually grab one on the way out the door to serve as my breakfast when I'm rushing to work.

x Nabs