Breakfast | cook with andrea

peanut banana muffins

Peanut butter and banana is a classic combination, so I thought I’d try it in the form of a muffin. This creation is inspired by Grandma Harper’s much loved Banana Chocolate Chip Muffin recipe, a well-worn recipe card in our house. I had a bag of PC mini peanut butter cups, so I used those instead of chocolate chips, added peanut butter into the batter and topped the muffins with chopped peanuts. What can I say? I love peanuts and peanut butter. The result is a perfectly delicious muffin, fluffy and tender– I only wish I’d thought of it sooner.

Peanut Butter Banana Muffins

makes 12 regular sized muffins

1 1/2 cups mashed ripe banana (about 3)

4 Tbsp vegetable oil or melted butter

4 Tbsp peanut butter (use whatever you have on hand, I used a pure peanut butter, no additives)

1 egg

1 tsp vanilla

1/2 cup granulated sugar

1 1/2 cups flour

1 tsp baking soda

1 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp salt

1/2 cup PC mini peanut butter cups (or any other kind of chocolate chip if unavailable)

1/4 cup chopped peanuts (optional)

Preheat oven to 350 F. Line muffin tin with baking cups or grease well. Place muffin tin on baking sheet.

Beat together first six ingredients. (banana, oil, peanut butter, egg, vanilla and sugar). In separate bowl, mix together flour, baking soda, baking powder and salt. Add to banana mixture, stirring and folding gently until just combined. Fold in mini peanut butter cups. Divide batter equally among muffin cups, then sprinkle with chopped peanuts, if using. Bake for 20-25 minutes, until tester comes out clean. Let cool. Enjoy!

mix first 6 ingredients together

In separate bowl, mix together flour, baking soda, baking powder and salt. Add to banana mixture, stirring and folding gently until just combined. Fold in mini peanut butter cups.

fold in mini peanut butter cups

Divide batter equally among muffin cups, then sprinkle with chopped peanuts, if using.

divide batter evenly

Bake for 20-25 minutes, until tester comes out clean. Let cool. Enjoy!

*These freeze perfectly.

One of our fondest food memories of Ireland is the deliciously dense and nutty Irish Brown Bread. It is served with every soup and stew, placed on your table at dinner, and toasted with breakfast. It’s so delicious slathered with butter, with butter and some old Irish cheddar (our favourite car snack) and toasted with jam. We bought a few loaves at Griffin’s Bakery in Galway, were given a loaf by the host of the Vanilla Pod in Killarney, and really liked both the white and brown varieties offered at The Earl’s Court Hotel in Killarney for breakfast.

Upon arriving home, I was eager to try to recreate it. I found an Irish Brown Bread recipe, and modified it slightly by adding molasses instead of sugar, added ground flaxseed… to try to make it a little darker. It’s so fast and easy to make, no yeast or rising required. Everyone should know how to throw this together, it will come in handy when you are out of bread – especially at the cottage, for example, where you don’t necessarily feel like running out to the store. It tastes good the first day, even better the second and will last, well wrapped, for 4 or 5 days.

Irish Brown Bread

makes 1 loaf

2 cups whole wheat flour

2 cups all purpose flour

1/2 cup ground flaxseed

2 tsp salt

1 tsp baking soda

1/2 tsp cream of tartar

2 tsp molasses

1/2 cup olive oil

1 1/2 cup buttermilk

Preheat oven to 400 F. Prepare pan – a 9 or 10 inch round, and I place that on a baking sheet.

Mix together flours, flaxseed, salt, cream of tartar and baking soda. In large measuring cup, combine buttermilk, molasses and olive oil. Make well in center of flour mixture and pour in wet ingredients. Stir to combine, then knead briefly until smooth. Place into a 9 inch round baking pan or a 9 x 5 inch loaf pan. Bake 30-40 mins, until it sounds hollow when tapped. This bread is good the first day, but tastes even better the second, and will keep, well wrapped for 4 or 5 days.