Connor's Chocolate Chip Muffins

My sister and her family are visiting this week and my nephew Connor needs at least one breakfast with chocolate chip muffins. And there can be no banana mixed into the muffins.

So Connor and my niece Layne helped me whip up a big batch of buttermilk chocolate chip muffins. We made large ones and some mini muffins, so that everyone could taste-test them.

Layne made a list to make sure everyone got a sample. Her Uncle Bob tried to refuse, but eventually ate 3 of them.

My boys, Layne and Connor say these muffins go great with bacon, hard boiled eggs and fruit for breakfast. Connor, who last appeared here when he inspired this cucumber salad recipe, also likes these muffins for dessert.

What's your favorite chocolate chip muffin recipe? Let us know!

Mangia! Mangia!
Andrea

Connor's Chocolate Chip Muffins
Inspired by this recipe from LittleSweetBaker.com

2 /12 cups all purpose flour
1 tablespoon baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 cups milk or semi-sweet chocolate chips (mini or regular size)
1/2 cup melted butter, cooled
1 cup sugar
2 large eggs
1 cup buttermilk
1 tablespoon vanilla extract

Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Line a large 12-cup muffin tin with paper liners or spread with coking spray. (This recipe makes a bit more than 12 muffins, unless you use an extra large muffin tray.)

Melt the butter in a microwave-safe dish and set aside to cool.

In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, baking power, baking soda, salt and chocolate chips. Set aside.

In a medium bowl, combine the melted butter, sugar, eggs, buttermilk and vanilla.

Make a well in the middle of the flour mixture in the large bowl. Slowly pour the wet mixture into the dry flour and gently stir to combine.

Divide the batter evenly into the muffin tins. Fill about 3/4 of the way to the top.

Layne filling the muffin cups.

Bake at 425 degrees for 5 minutes. Then lower the heat and bake for about 12-14 minutes or until the muffins are browned on top and a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Mini muffins will cook faster.

Mini muffins.

Remove from oven and let cool for 15 minutes before enjoying with cousins for breakfast, lunch, dinner, a snack or dessert!

Connor tested and approved.

Banana Breakfast Cookies

Danny and I made No-Bake Granola Bars last week. We sat at the kitchen table, shoveling them down like there was no tomorrow (Danny ate four in one sitting. FOUR.), and Elaine looked on glumly as she pushed her Cheerios around her tray. Poor little Elaine wanted a granola bar, too. Lame-o Cheerios ain't gonna cut it when everyone else is eating something as wonderful as a No-Bake Granola Bar. But the bars have honey in them. And since Elaine isn't one year old yet, honey is off limits.

So I set out on a mission to find a tasty and healthy treat that both my kids could enjoy. I've pinned a million recipes for breakfast cookies, and I had a pile of overripe bananas to use up. Inspiration struck.

Elaine went bananas (no pun intended) over these Breakfast Cookies. She ate two for snack and two more for breakfast the next day! Mission accomplished.

Let's get cooking!
Erin

Banana Breakfast Cookies
Adapted from With Salt and Wit
Makes 12 cookies

3 small, very ripe bananas
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 1/2 teaspoons cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 cups oats*
3 tablespoons ground flax
2 tablespoons chia seeds
1/4 cup mini chocolate chips (optional, but encouraged!)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper or grease with cooking spray. Set aside.

In a medium bowl, mash bananas as thoroughly as possible. Stir in vanilla, cinnamon, and salt until everything is evenly incorporated. Stir in oats, flax, chia seeds, and chocolate chips.

Form dough into 12 balls (they'll be slightly bigger than golf balls) and place on prepared baking sheet. Use the bottom of a greased glass to gently press each ball into a cookie shape. Bake for about 13 minutes, until cookies are set, but soft to the touch in the center. Cool on the baking sheet for 5 minutes before removing to a wire rack to cool completely. Store cookies in the fridge.

*I used old fashioned oats because my son is a fan of the hearty oat texture. If your family doesn't like the texture of old fashioned oats, try quick cooking oats.

Chocolate Chip Pecan Pie Bars

The husband loves golf. So you can imagine his glee when the Masters Golf Tournament comes around every spring. He dreams about making a pilgrimage to Augusta to watch his favorite athletes compete, but that wasn't in the cards this year. Instead we decided to host a little Masters viewing party for his family.

We noshed on deviled eggs and sipped Arnold Palmers while the husband and his brothers tended the grill. And for dessert, we enjoyed decadent Chocolate Pecan Pie Bars.

With a salty-sweet shortbread crust, gooey filling, rich chocolate chips, and crunchy pecans, these dessert bars have something for everyone. Serve them with ice cream if you really want to gild the lily. And I love a gilded lily.

Let's get cooking!
Erin

Chocolate Chip Pecan Pie Bars
Adapted from America's Test Kitchen

Crust:
2 cups flour
2/3 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup pecans, toasted
1-2 teaspoons salt*
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
12 tablespoons cold butter, cut in 1/2" pieces

Filling:
1 cup brown sugar
2/3 cup corn syrup
8 tablespoons butter, melted and cooled
4 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 teaspoon salt
2 eggs
3 1/2 cups pecans, chopped coarse
1 1/2 cups semi-sweet chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line a 9" x 13" baking dish with aluminum foil. (The shiny side of the foil should be touching the pan with the non-shiny side up.) Set pan aside.

First, make the crust. Add flour, brown sugar, pecans, salt, and baking powder to your food processor. Pulse a few times until mixture is combined. Add cold butter and process until it's incorporated into a sandy texture. Press into an even layer in the prepared pan. Bake until crust is fragrant and beginning to brown, 17-20 minutes.

Meanwhile, prepare the filling. In a large bowl, whisk together brown sugar, corn syrup, butter, vanilla, and salt. Whisk in eggs until everything is combined. Spread over warm crust. Alternately sprinkle pecans and chocolate chips over filling. Bake until filling is golden and set in the middle, about 35 minutes. Allow to cool completely before slicing and serving.

*I used 2 teaspoons of salt, and you could definitely taste it. We enjoyed the salty-sweet combo, but if that isn't your thing, cut the salt back to 1 teaspoon.

Almond Granola Bars

These granola bars are a spin-off of a recipe that's been circulating among the moms in my Peoria neighborhood for years.  I was recently gifted the ingredient list — and of course started making my own variations.

We're lucky to have lots of kids in our 'hood, and one mom and I often trade baked goods (and favorite cook books) when our kindergarten boys get together. Julie B. introduced me to these light and crisp bars.

By way of pure coincidence, these granola snacks originated with Charity J., a mom in an adjacent subdivision — who was my neighbor when we first moved to town.

In my never-ending quest to provide filling nibbles to my boys, I decided to try making these snacks with almond flour. As I'm learning, almond flour is a gluten-free alternative with more flavor, protein and healthy fats compared to regular flour. I even used it to make triple almond chocolate pudding.

With Max and Sam in the house, a tray of these sweet and chewy morsels disappears pretty fast.

Mangia! Mangia!
Andrea

Almond Granola Bars
Inspired by the moms of Hawley Hills

2 eggs
4 tablespoons vegetable oil (coconut oil would be delicious)
2/3 cups honey
1/2 cup brown sugar
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 cup almond flour
4 cups rice krispie cereal
4 cups old fashioned oats
3/4 cups mini chocolate chips
1/2 cup dried cherries, chopped

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

In a large bowl, whisk together eggs, oil and honey. Add brown sugar and mix until smooth. Add baking powder, almond flour, rice cereal and oats. Stir until everything is coated in the honey mixture.

Mix in chocolate chips and cherries.

Line a 13 x 9 inch pan with enough parchment paper so that some hangs over the edges. Pour mixture into pan. Using a spatula, firmly press granola into pan. Don't be gentle. You want to really press hard.

Bake for 15 to 25 minutes, depending on how hot your oven is. (Mine runs a little on the cool side, so these took almost 25 minutes.) When the top is golden brown, remove pan from oven.

Let cool completely. Holding the ends of the parchment paper, lift granola from pan and set on cutting board. Slice into bars. Good luck trying to eat just one!