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homemade banana nut muffins

banana nut muffins, muffins with a twist, baking and entertaining, breakfast on the go, healthy recipesBanana nut bread and coffee is one of our all-time favorite, splurge worthy breakfast combinations.  Right behind coffee and chocolate chip cookies!  The smell of homemade banana nut bread immediately takes us back to visiting grandparents growing up.  This recipe has been used for years, being passed down to each generation.  With very little modifications (add chocolate chips if you have a sweet tooth) this homemade banana nut bread recipe has been made for many holidays and family gatherings.

Last Saturday, before leaving for London, we decided to make a tiny change to the recipe and make banana nut muffins, instead of banana bread.  The whole idea was an easy, grab and go breakfast for our husbands while we were out of town.  In the hurry of baking and getting packed, we forgot to add the nuts!  The batter was already in the pans, so we chopped some pecans and put them on the top.  After trying one of the muffins Saturday morning, we decided this will now be our go-to way of making banana nut bread!

Banana Nut Muffins:

  • 1/2 cup butter at room temperature
  • 1 cup sugar
  • 2 eggs, beaten
  • 4 overripe bananas, mashed (we like to leave some chunks of banana)
  • 1/2 teaspoon vanilla
  • 1 1/2 cups flour
  • 1 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 1 cup chopped pecans

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Cream butter and sugar together.  Add eggs, mashed bananas and vanilla.  Sift together flour, soda and salt.  Add to creamed mixture.  Pour into greased and floured muffin tins, or use paper muffin cups.  Sprinkle chopped nuts over the top of each muffin.  Bake at 350 degrees for 45 minutes to an hour.  Insert a toothpick into muffin to make sure the muffins are cooked enough.  The muffins can be kept in the refrigerator for a week, or frozen with great results.  They get even better!

Cheers,

almond milk

almondmilk

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We were frequent visitors at Number One when it was open at Highland Park Village here in Dallas, and became addicted to their home made almond milk lattes, among other things on the menu.  So, when Number One closed, we were crushed.  We decided we couldn’t live without that creamy deliciousness and started experimenting with making our own almond milk.  We were surprised to find that it’s so incredibly easy!

The process essentially involves soaking almonds in water overnight or for up to two days.  The longer you soak the almonds, the creamier the milk will be. Drain and rinse the almonds from their soaking water and grind them in a blender or food processor with fresh water. The resulting liquid, drained from the almond meal, is almond milk.  If you are a fan of almond milk, we highly recommend trying to make your own.  Let us know what you think!

Homemade Almond Milk

  • 2 Cups raw whole almonds (we like to use organic)water for soaking the almonds
  • 2 Cups water for blending with the almonds
  • Sweetener; organic agave, maple syrup or honey (we find that the milk doesn’t need much of any sweetener)

Place the almonds in a bowl and cover with about an inch of water. They will plump up as they absorb the water. Let stand, uncovered, overnight or up to 2 days. The longer the almonds soak, the creamier the almond milk.  Drain the almonds from their soaking water and rinse them thoroughly under cool running water. At this point, the almonds should feel a little soft if you squeeze them.

Place the almonds in the blender and cover with 2 cups of water.  Pulse the blender a few times to break up the almonds, then blend continuously for two minutes. The almonds should be broken down into a very fine meal and the water should be white and opaque.  Line a fine mesh strainer with cheese cloth, and place over a measuring cup. Pour the almond mixture into the strainer.  Gather the cheese cloth around the almond mixture and twist close. Squeeze and press with your hands to extract as much almond milk as possible. You should get about 2 cups.  Taste to see if you need to add sweetener.

Store in a sealed container in the refrigerator for up to two days.

Cheers,