Double Banana, Walnut, & Dark Chocolate Chip Muffins

I love my "church ladies". We meet on Mondays and their company is a perfect way to start my week. Yesterday our discussion on "practice" led to us talking about being "present". Living for each moment. For right now. This very second. Do you ever stop, be still, and live in each divine moment? 

My boys have done a great job teaching me to "stop and smell the roses." They notice a caterpillar fifty feet down the sidewalk. They notice when a flower has bloomed over the course of a day. I notice the subtle way their laughs differ from one another. The way each of their freckles spill across their faces in a different pattern. And you may have noticed that I can see food that way too.

My reward to these wonderful ladies for our great conversations and friendship? Dark chocolate dispersed alongside bananas and walnuts and packaged in the form of a muffin. Sprinkled with chocolate, sugar, and cocoa beans. Drizzled in more dark chocolate. Yes people...that's gratitude!

You will need:

3 oz {1/3 fat} cream cheese, softened
1/4 cup butter, softened
2/3 cup turbinado sugar {you could substitute white sugar}
1 egg
2 very ripe bananas {mashed if they are not super soft}
1 tsp vanilla
1 1/4 cup flour
3/4 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp kosher salt
1 cup chopped walnuts
1/2 cup Ghirardelli dark chocolate chips {an additional 3/4 cup if you want a chocolate drizzle}
Trader Joe's sugar, chocolate, and cocoa bean grinder {a cinnamon sugar mixture would work too}

In a Kitchen Aid stand mixer {or whatever you have, but really, you should have one of these!}, place the cream cheese, butter, and turbinado sugar. Beat until combined. Add one egg, the mashed bananas, vanilla, and stir until combined. In a separate bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, walnuts, and 1/2 cup dark chocolate chips. With the mixer on the STIR setting, add large spoonfuls of the flour mixture to the wet mixture until they are JUST combined.

Place baking cups in a 12-cup muffin tin. Fill each muffin cup evenly with the batter. Sprinkle with the sugar, chocolate, and cocoa bean grinder, then bake 18-20 minutes. {You can substitute a mixture of cinnamon & sugar.} Muffins are done when they are just starting to brown along the edges and when the muffin springs back when you poke it on the top.

If you love yourself a little chocolate drizzle, you will need to melt an additional 3/4 cup of Ghirardelli chocolate chips over LOW heat in a double boiler. Low heat is important so that you do not scorch the chocolate and so it is melted enough for drizzling over cooled muffins. Be like me and top yours with a little more love from the sugar grinder.

 

The cream cheese & butter keep these muffins super moist. And as you can see, as usual, I lived in the divine moment of the muffin. Capturing it's every gorgeous angle with my camera lens. 

Typical Sarah :)

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