Friday, March 2, 2012

Banana Choco-Toffee Mini Muffins

 
I made these mini muffins for my youngest son's class.  He wanted to share them at a special breakfast to celebrate Dr. Seuss week.  They were our contribution to the  "Green Eggs and Ham" breakfast.  Trying to decide what to make, I asked him, what flavor of muffins he might like to take for the class celebration.  After some serious thought, he gave me this flavor combo.  I thought, wow, I haven't really developed a recipe with those flavors, but I like the way you think!  Funny, how the apple doesn't fall very far from the tree, isn't it?  ☺ So, into the kitchen I went and I whipped up these little guys.  What can I say, they were an immediate hit and needless to say, almost didn't make it to his school!  For the best results, make these muffins the day you're going to serve them.

You'll need:
1 3/4 cup all purpose flour
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp pumpkin pie spice or cinnamon
1/2 tsp salt
4 Tbsp melted butter
1/2 cup sour cream
3/4 cup brown sugar
2 mashed ripe bananas [to equal 1 cup]
1 large egg
1 tsp vanilla
3/4 cup semi-sweet mini chocolate chips, divided
3/4 cup English toffee bits, divided

Preheat the oven to 350°F and line [2] 24 cup mini muffin tins with liners   I was able to yield 42  mini muffins but, this depends on how generous you are when you divide the batter.  This recipe will easily make 36 mini muffins.   In a medium mixing bowl, sift together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, pumpkin pie spice and salt. 


In a separate bowl, beat together the melted butter, sour cream, brown sugar, mashed bananas, egg and vanilla.  Beat with the mixer for 2 minutes until combined.


Add the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients until all of the ingredients are incorporated.  This will only take around 2 minutes. Stop and scrape the bowl periodically while mixing so all of the ingredients will combine.  Fold in 1/2 cup mini chocolate chips and 1/2 cup toffee chips by hand. 


Divide the batter evenly among the muffin cups using a teaspoon or a 1 ounce ice cream scoop.  Sprinkle the remaining chocolate chips and toffee bits on top.


Place the pans into the oven and bake for 15-17 minutes until golden and a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.


 Remove from the muffin tins and cool completely on a wire racks.  Yield: 36-42 mini muffins

 

8 comments:

Didi said...

Absolutely delicious!!! I can actually taste the flavors honey!!

Thank you!

Melissa said...

The perfect size for little hands...thanks, Didi! xoxo

Web Design Greensboro said...

Wow...that looks awesome, Melissa!

Melissa said...

Thanks Ashley, we love 'em!

Rebeccah said...

Ashley- I love this recipe. I have a couple of substitution questions maybe you can answer for me?? Can I use plain yogurt in place of sour cream?(I normally substitute but wanted to check) also I dont care for bananas so would apple sauce work? I usually use apple sauce in place of veg oil in cakes so thought I would check.
thanks so much for sharing your creations- my kids appreciate it!!! :)
Rebecca~

Melissa said...

Hi Rebecca, I've never used yogurt in this particular recipe, but, generally speaking it works quite well as a substitution for sour cream. I think it should work fine. I wish I could tell you first hand about the applesauce, but, I've only made this recipe as presented. I would guess [and I'm guessing] that perhaps you'd need less applesauce maybe 3/4 cup in place of the banana. Let me know how it goes with your changes should you decide to go that route. ~ Melissa

Anonymous said...

What would be the baking time on these if I used regular sized muffin pans?

Melissa said...

I would recommend that you test them with a toothpick at 22-23 minutes. Increase the baking time as needed in 2-3 minute intervals after that, if they're still gooey in the middle. You'll need to look for moist crumbs on a toothpick to indicate they're done.