Wednesday, May 27, 2009

Espresso Banana Muffins

When I was a student at the University of Texas, I used to love the banana espresso shakes at Quackenbush’s Cafe which was located right across the street from the side of campus where I spent my time. You could get the standard banana and espresso blended into a rich, ice cream shake, or you could add peanut butter. I soon realized what an incredible thing it was to taste espresso and banana at the same time. Our local Cafe Pacha makes a similar beverage, but they keep it on the lighter side with just banana, ice, milk, and espresso and no ice cream. Since I already had a history with this flavor combination, I knew I was going to like these muffins as soon as I saw the recipe. This is from Super Natural Cooking by Heidi Swanson, and it’s simple enough that I could bake these regularly and enjoy a continuous supply.

The obvious first ingredient here is overripe bananas. For some reason, we never have extra bananas in our house. They’re always eaten before reaching that overripe-I should bake something with these state. In fact, when I want to bake anything involving bananas, I have to plan ahead, remember to buy extra, and allow them ripen. So, I’m not even sure how it came to pass, but last week I was in the unusual situation of actually having extra, quickly ripening bananas. It was kind of exciting to get to make a banana recipe on the spur of the moment. Since I was in the spirit of using up those mushy bananas and baking something unplanned, I had to substitute a couple of other ingredients to avoid a trip to the grocery store. The recipe calls for white, whole-wheat flour which I didn’t have. I used half unbleached, white flour and half whole wheat flour. It also calls for a cup and a quarter of chopped walnuts. I only had about half a cup, so I added some almonds and pecans as well. Everything else, including the plain yogurt and espresso powder, I had on hand.

As I mixed everything together and scooped the batter into the muffin tin, the aroma of espresso mingling with banana hinted at how delicious these were going to be. Fresh out of the oven, I could barely wait to have a taste. And, one of these muffins with a steaming cup of cappuccino was perfection. Now that I’ve tried these once, I may be buying extra bananas every week in hopes of finding overripe ones that need to be used a few days later.



34 comments:

  1. omg--i've been DYING for you to write about these! i've been staring at that recipe for over a year. are they really all that? i'm going to the store today to buy bananas so i can make some this weekend. thank you!

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  2. Oh God!! Would you send me one right now, looks delicious

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  3. this is an exceptional muffin and guess what? I have some extra ripe bananas I need to do something with....

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  4. Wow! Look and sound so delicious!

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  5. Ah..these look great! I am like you, whatever I have on hand, I'll try to use them so I don't have to go to the grocery store for just a few ingredients.

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  6. you've got me craving for banana muffins now. It's pretty neat with the added espresso.

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  7. Banana and espresso muffin - that sounds like a perfect breakfast muffin to me!

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  8. what a great combo espresso and banana, I like it

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  9. Yum, what a great flavor combo - they look fantastic!

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  10. I love the thought of these -- they're like my morning cup of Joe and pastry all rolled into one. How convenient is that!

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  11. i rarely have overripe bananas in my house too, and i often find myself letting some fester just so i can make delightful muffins and breads like this. i love the caffeine involved in these. :)

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  12. You had me at banana muffins. Banana and espresso is a new one for me, but you've convinced me (read: photo-induced cravings :) I need to try these.

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  13. Oh Lisa, you make me crave for one now, even wants to get the cookbook right away, I have not tried banana with espresso but I can imagine it will taste really good. I am mouth-watering especially I am trying not to take much sugar for a while, I bet I cannot resist that for very long.

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  14. I've never had the flavor combo before, but love both. The variety of nuts are great. I would love one of these for breakfast!

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  15. This is banana muffin classed up! I love it! The espresso and pecans must make this so tasty! I like that you put your favourite college craving into a muffin :)

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  16. perfect for my breakfast.. m sure my kids and husband gonna adore this delicious muffin.. thanx for sharing.. ye doing a great job :) keep it up!! cheers!!
    nora

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  17. It is just the opposite in my home, I am always stuck with overripe bananas, most of them being used in a quick banana loaf. These muffins are a great idea, & really easy to be on the go for breakfast.

    Love your spicy slaw too.. the colors are so pretty.

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  18. oooh, I have a great banana muffin base that I want to try this with. Do you mind revealing how much espresso powder you used?

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  19. Sara: It's one tablespoon of espresso powder, and I used a generous, mounded tablespoon. May use a little more next time.

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  20. Banana and espresso is quite the combo. Again, never would've thought to combine the two. Gives you the perfect kick to start the day!

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  21. I have an obsession with banana muffins. It's the best thing ever! Just made it last Sunday for breakfast.... AGAIN! :) I love the addition of espresso. What's isn't good with coffee?

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  22. Look so good. I want to have one. Actually more than one.
    www.ahacook.com

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  23. Love the espresso part to these muffins!

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  24. Sounds fantastic, but no recipe?

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  25. Cathy: Sorry, I don't re-print recipes from books. I include links if it's something from a magazine with an online source. Otherwise, I just link to the book where it's found.

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  26. The kid murders all our bananas before they have a chance to spoil. If he ever leaves any, I might just make these. My Mom used to make insane banana bread.

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  27. wow this is lovely, I just love those muffin, great combination of ingredients, espresso and banana! so yummy! I am a coffee addict too! :)

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  28. Banana muffins-looks great. I need to hide a few bananas,before I can get to make these:)

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  29. Oh WOW -- those look amazing!!

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  30. I don't care if its redundant - I'd have one muffin with a different coffee drink . . . latte, macchiato, mocha, cappuccino . . . mmmmm!

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  31. These look completely delicious!

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  32. Muffins with nuts = awesome. Muffins with nuts *and* coffee = super awesome.

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