Banana Monkey Bread Muffins!

my mother didn't want me baking this weekend because it's like 90 degrees out but I did. yesterday i made chocolate chip cookies (shown in my precious post) and today i persuaded her into letting me make these. When i was done, she told me never to make them again. 

They are too good. I convinced to let me do it again, but right now I'll savor the ones I've got.

there were 11 originally

Now there's six

and a half..............  ;)

Banana Monkey Bread Muffins

• 2 3/4 cups flour + extra
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/3 cup shortening
• 1/2 cup buttermilk + extra
• 2 mashed bananas
• 1 stick (1/2 cup) melted butter in a bowl
• 1 cup sugar
• 1 1/4 teaspoons ground cinnamon

Vanilla Glaze

• 1/4 cup powdered sugar
• 1 1/2 teaspoons milk
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. grease a 12 cup muffin tin. Stir together flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt. use your hands (i did) or a fork to work in the shortening until you have a fine meal. add the butter milk and bananas and mix until you have a dough. knead it a few times with your hands, adding flour if it's too sticky or buttermilk if you can't work in all the flour mixture.  stir together the sugar and cinnamon in a small bowl.  roll a piece of dough into a one inch ball. roll it in the bowl of butter, then roll it in the cinnamon sugar. Repeat with the rest of the dough. Put 3 balls in each cup. bake for 15-20 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out clean. let cool in pan. As soon as the muffins come out, stir together powdered sugar, milk and vanilla. use a fork to drizzle it over the muffins. Makes about 12.

 

My favorite Chocolate Chip Cookies!

I know that when i posted that recipe for m&m cookies, i used the chow.com recipe, but this one is better. That recipe is the simplest cookie recipe i've found, but this one tastes the best. Chocolate chip cookies have always been something i've held close to my heart, and i'll always love Sweet Martha's. Sweet Martha's Chocolate chip cookies are amazing. At the Minnesota State fair, everyone goes there to get there cookies, and then across the way for milk at the milk stand. You'll get a cone filled with straight from the oven cookies (one time the person literally went over to the oven and got out a tray, then proceeded to dump the whole tray in our cone) that are buttery and hot with the chips still melty. This recipe though, comes very close to those special times i spent as a kid in minnesota.

They are amazing!!!

The best Chocolate chip cookies

• 1/4 cup + 2 tablespoons sugar
• 1/4 cup + 2 tablespoons brown sugar
• 1 stick (1/2 cup) butter, room temp.
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 1 egg
• 1 cup + 2 tablespoons flour
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 6 oz. (1/2 a bag) of chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. grease a large cookie sheet. Cream the sugars and butter. Add the egg and vanilla. Turn beater(s) off and put in the rest of the dry ingredients. Stir in chocolate chips. heap the dough on a cookie scoop or use 3/4 of an ice cream scoop to scoop the dough onto the cookie sheet. bake for 10-12 minutes. let cool on pans for at least 10 minutes or they will brake (it's hard, but you have to). Transfer to cooling racks or eat right away.