Whole Wheat Banana Muffins with Dark Chocolate Chunks (Clean)

 

Ooh been a while since I’ve posted a muffin recipe. Been a while since I’ve posted at all, to be honest. Sorry about that, end of semesters are always ridiculously chaotic, but at least Winter Break is just around the corner! One more day!!

Let me start off talking about the muffins so that you can skip directly to the recipe later without having to read all my random rambling.

I’ve made plenty of muffins in my life, and I have to say, that this is one of my all-time favourites. The crumb is absolutely perfect. It’s not dense, and it doesn’t fall apart when you bite. It’s soft and light and perfect.

And the flavour! It has a very distinctive banana bread flavour, but these are just so much easier. With banana bread, you have to wait over an hour for the banana bread to bake! With these, you need less than 20. Not to mention, muffins are the perfect snack size and easier to bring along as a to-go snack or even breakfast.

But of course, my favourite part would have to be the chocolate. I have a rule when it comes to muffins with chocolate in them. I either eat them cold – straight out of the fridge, or hot – microwaved or baked. When the muffins come straight out of the fridge, the chocolate chunks become so distinct in their tempered texture, demanding you to notice the chocolate chunks and appreciate them fully. On the other hand, when the chocolate chunks turn into melty globs of perfection…well then, they’re melty globs of perfection. It’s quite simple, really.

I happened to have hazelnut dark chocolate on hand, which I thought would add texture and contribute a nutty texture, and I’m really glad I did. Nevertheless, if hazelnuts aren’t your thing, then dark chocolate works fine as well.

I’m so excited for break. Like, so excited. It’ll be the first time in forever that I’ve spent Christmas at home, and it’ll be extra special now because my family is rarely together nowadays. My brother’s off at university and my dad comes home once every two weeks because he was relocated. My mom is really excited too, going out and buying all sorts of Christmas decorations and gifts while I plan all the Christmas activities and movies and desserts. It’s going to be a good one.

And of course, this weekend my friends and I are going to have the best time ever. They’re both leaving quite early on in the break, so we’re making the most of this weekend – movie nights, visiting TianAnMen square, dinner dates, hot pot…

If you’re still reading this, which I doubt many of you are, I have a question for you: Would you rather know how you die or when you die?

My friends and I were discussing the question. One friend and I wanted to know when, and the other wanted to know how. It’s an interesting topic and a question worth discussing.

I’d rather know when I die. My reasoning was that I would be able to truly cherish my last moments, whereas, if I knew how I would die, I’d just be paranoid of everything relating to that. For instance, if I knew that I would die by getting hit by a car, I’d just have a fear of cars for the rest of my life.

But then I asked someone else while walking home and he said that he’d rather not know anything about his death. I can’t believe it hadn’t crossed my mind, but as soon as he pointed it out, I realized that it’s not necessarily a good thing to know anything about your death.

If I did know when I would die, I’d see my life as a ticking bomb. I’d feel guilty every second I don’t do something “meaningful” and I’d live in constant terror of finding meaning to life. It’s better to just sit back and go with the flow. Enjoy life, friends xx

 

Whole Wheat Banana Muffins with Dark Chocolate Chunks

Adapted from How Sweet Eats

Ingredients

• 2 cups white whole wheat flour
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1/8 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
• 1 large egg
• 1/2 cup coconut sugar
• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• 1/3 cup coconut oil, melted and cooled
• 3 large bananas, mashed (about 1.5 cups)
• 2/3 cup almond milk
• 6 ounces dark chocolate, chopped (I used hazelnut dark chocolate)

Method

1. Preheat oven to 170 degrees C or 350 degrees F
2. In a bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, and nutmeg
3. In a separate large bowl, whisk the egg and coconut sugar together until smooth. Whisk in the vanilla extract, coconut oil, and mashed bananas until combined
4. Gradually add in dry ingredients, mixing until just combined
5. Stir in the milk and mix until just combined
6. Fold in the chopped dark chocolate
7. Fill each muffin liner 2/3 of the way full with batter. (Optional: Place a very thinly sliced banana slice on top of the muffin and a little chopped chocolate before baking)
8. Bake for 15-17 minutes, or until tops are slightly golden. Remove and let cool

 

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Easy Cinnamon Banana Nut Granola (Clean)

I haven’t posted anything in the last week. I know. I’ve been in Singapore. I had an insanely awesome time there. We had three upgrades. We got a seat upgrade in the plane, an upgrade at Four Seasons, and most importantly, we got randomly upgraded from some 700SGD hotel room at Marina Bay Sands to a freaking 6000SGD suite that David Beckham stayed in. The suite has a gym, massage room, karaoke room, an insane view, and even a grand piano?!?! It was insane.

Anyways, I’m home now, and it’s back to baking.

As you might already know, granola is very important to me. It’s always a pantry essential to have at home. I’ve stopped buying granola ever since I discovered how incredibly easy it is to make homemade granola. You throw in a bunch of ingredients into two bowls that you don’t really have to measure too precisely, add the wet stuff to the dry, mix, and then you spread the whole lot on a baking sheet and bake it. It’s too simple, really.

Another good thing about granola is that it lasts forever – even the homemade stuff. It’s perfect to store at home for an easy, healthy snack paired with fresh fruit, or for when you come home from vacation and your fridge is empty but for a couple of apples.

Easy Cinnamon Banana Nut Granola

Ingredients

• 2 cups old fashioned oats
• 1 cup walnuts or pecans, chopped
• 1 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
• 1/4 tsp ground nutmeg
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 1/4 cup coconut oil, melted
• 1/4 cup raw honey or agave syrup
• 1 small banana, mashed
• 1 tsp vanilla extract

Method

1. Preheat oven to 170 degrees Celsius or 340 degrees Fahrenheit
2. In a large mixing bowl, mix together the oats, walnuts/pecans, cinnamon, nutmeg, and salt
3. In a medium mixing bowl, mix the melted coconut oil, honey, mashed banana, and vanilla extract
4. Add the banana mixture into the oat mixture and mix until fully combined
5. Spread the mixture evenly on a lined baking sheet and bake for 20-25 minutes, until browned (and until your kitchen smells like cinnamon). Remove from oven and allow to cool fully before breaking into chunks. Store in an airtight container.