Low Fat Banana Muffins
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I’ve read about how applesauce can be used in baked goods in place of fats such as eggs, oil, and butter but hadn’t tried the substitution until now. And I’m happy to report it’s a good substitution!
Of course, these muffins are not meant to replace my favorite banana bread. They are simply a low fat alternative, and even with the chocolate chips they are still only three points each. They’re easy (no need for a mixer!), moist and flavorful, and lighter than I was expecting after reading some of the reviews.
The lightness may be because I made muffins rather than a loaf (I like wrapping them individually then freezing them so I can defrost one at a time). I made the mistake of using paper liners, and the muffins completely stuck to them so I suggest spraying a muffin tin with Pam and forgoing the liners.
Photos of the process here.
Ingredients
4 very ripe bananas
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
3/4 cup white sugar (I used Splenda Sugar Blend)
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1 egg
4 tablespoons applesauce (I made my own)
1/2 cup chocolate chips, optional
Preparation
- Mash bananas in a bowl.
- Add all other ingredients and mix well.
- Pour into greased loaf pan.
- Bake at 350 degrees for 13-15 minutes if making muffins (or 50 to 60 minutes if making a loaf), or until toothpick inserted into center of cake comes out clean.
Yields 16 muffins or one loaf.
Recipe adapted from Recipe Zaar.
Applesauce
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I hate applesauce. Mushed apples and water? Blech. I like my apples crisp with a nice crunch when I bite into them. So when I noticed the apples in my fridge (yes, I keep apples in the fridge) were going soft, I knew I had to do something with them. And since I had over-ripe bananas in the freezer, I figured this was the perfect time to make applesauce to use in a low fat banana muffin recipe (coming soon!) I had bookmarked earlier in the week.
I scoured the Internet for applesauce recipes and with the help of Rachel over at Coconut & Lime (she’s so patient!), I got to work. I was pleasantly surprised to learn applesauce is extremely easy to make (and not so surprised to find that I still don’t like it). I didn’t add much sugar since I knew I was going to bake with it, but if you’re planning to eat it and are using tart apples, throw it in. Also, I divided it into small individual Glad containers which I froze to use in future recipes.
Ingredients
4 apples (I used Fujis)
1/2 cup water
1/4 cup sugar, optional
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon, optional
Preparation
- Peel, core, and slice apples.
- In a saucepan over medium heat, combine apples, water, sugar, and cinnamon. Cover and cook for 20-30 minutes, or until the apples are soft enough to mash.
- Mash with a fork (or pulse in a food processor like I did).
Yields approximately three cups.
The Baked Brownie
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A few weeks ago I had lunch with my friend Jenn who was kind enough to bring me some of the Baked brownies she had just made. Of course, as soon as I got home I ate one and stuck the rest in the freezer where they proceeded to stay for oh, two days. These brownies are so good, even straight out of the freezer!
This meant I needed to dust off my copy of the Baked cookbook that has been sitting on a shelf collecting dust. What better time to try a new recipe than when it’s 80 degrees outside? Yeah, that’s how good these brownies are. Mine were slightly underbaked so they were chewy and fudgy, but I’m not complaining!
Ingredients
1-1/4 cups flour
1 teaspoon salt
2 Tablespoons dark cocoa powder (I used Hershey, shh don’t tell the Baked guys)
11 ounces quality dark chocolate (60-72%), chopped coarsely (I used semi-sweet chips, again, this is between you and me)
8 ounces butter (2 sticks), cut into 1 inch cubes
1 tsp instant espresso powder (I omitted this)
1-1/2 cups sugar
1/2 cup light brown sugar
5 large eggs, room temperature
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
Preparation
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
- Butter the sides and bottom of a glass or light colored metal pan 9x13x2 pan. (I lined it with foil and sprayed with Pam.)
- In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, the salt, and cocoa powder.
- Configure a large sized double boiler. Place the chocolate, the butter, and the instant espresso powder in the bowl of the double boiler and stir occasionally until the chocolate and butter are completely melted and combined. Turn off the heat, but keep the bowl over the water of the double boiler and add both sugars. Whisk the sugars until completely combined and remove the bowl from the pan. Mixture should be room temperature.
- Add three eggs to the chocolate/butter mixture and whisk until just combined. Add the remaining eggs and whisk until just combined. Add the vanilla and stir until combined. Do not over beat the batter at this stage or your brownies will be cakey.
- Sprinkle the flour/cocoa/salt mix over the chocolate. Using a spatula (DO NOT USE A WHISK) fold the dry into the wet until there is just a trace amount of the flour/cocoa mix visible.
- Pour the mixture into the pan and smooth the top with your spatula. Bake the brownies for 30 minutes (rotate the pan half-way through baking) and check to make sure the brownies are completely done by sticking a toothpick into the center of the pan. The brownies are done when the toothpick comes out with a few moist crumbs.
- Cool the brownies completely before cutting and serving.
Yields 24 brownies.
Recipe from Baked: New Frontiers in Baking.
Snickerdoodle Muffins
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I bookmarked this recipe a couple years ago, after a friend sent me a link to a blog post about a food blogger who received an email from a reader asking for a refund because she tried this recipe on the blog and didn’t like it. I kid you not.
While I have received emails and comments from people not liking a recipe and calling it a waste of money, I have never been asked for a refund. (I just don’t understand some people!)
These muffins are good–they’re moist, fluffy, and taste like a snickerdoodle, but look like a muffin. While they’re easy to make, they are a little messy but definitely worth it. And they’re also a nice change from everyday chocolate chip or berry muffins.
Photos of the process here.
Ingredients
2 sticks unsalted butter
1 cup sugar
2 tsp vanilla
2 eggs
¾ tsp baking soda
¾ tsp baking powder
¾ tsp cream of tarter
¾ tsp freshly grated nutmeg
1 and ¼ cup sour cream
2 and ¼ cups all purpose flour
plus 1 cup sugar and 2 TBSP cinnamon mixed together for rolling
Preparation
- Cream the butter and sugar until soft about 3 to 5 minutes. Add in the vanilla. Add in the eggs one at a time and mix until each is incorporated.
- In a separate bowl, mix together the flour, baking soda, baking powder, and cream of tarter.
- Add the flour mixture and the sour cream alternately to the egg-butter mixture in three additions. Start with the flour and end with the flour. Scrape the bowl occasionally.
- Using an ice cream scoop (I used a large cookie scoop), scoop out muffin batter one at a time and drop into a shallow bowl filled with the cinnamon sugar mixture. Roll the muffin around in the mixture until it is covered completely in cinnamon sugar. Place muffin into a greased muffin tin. Depending on the size of your tins, you should get about 12 to 14 muffins (I got 18).
- Bake them for approximately 20-22 minutes in a 350F degree oven or until they are golden brown.
Recipe from Culinary Concoctions by Peabody.
Caramel Crunch Bars
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I know it’s a weird thing to say, but I’m not sure how I feel about these bars. You’re probably thinking “shortbread base, chocolate and toffee top, what’s not to like?” and so am I, kinda. But I liken these bars to a so-so date. (Stay with me here.)
Like a so-so date, these bars are nice and sweet and pretty attractive. I could see myself having one and saying, “Eh, that was OK, but I’m not sure I want another.” And I could also see myself eying them on a tray and thinking, “You know, one more wouldn’t be so bad.” Like a date that you’re unsure about. Get it? Come on, I know you single ladies understand what I’m trying to say here.
Update: These were a huge hit and I think even better the second day. Go figure.
Anyway, fortunately for me, these bars are around 1,000,000 points each so the bulk of them are in the freezer while the rest are going with me tomorrow to force feed the girls at my eyebrow place. And finally, Dorie suggests using these to make ice cream sandwiches. I think she may be on to something there.
Base Ingredients
1 ½ cup all-purpose flour
1 tsp. instant espresso powder or finely ground instant coffee (I omitted this)
½ tsp salt
¼ tsp ground cinnamon (I omitted this)
2 sticks (8oz) unsalted butter, at room temperature
½ cup light brown sugar
¼ cup sugar
1 tsp pure vanilla extract
3 oz. bittersweet or premium milk chocolate, finely chopped
Topping Ingredients
6 oz. bittersweet or premium milk chocolate, finely chopped
¾ cup Heath toffee bits
Preparation
Getting Ready: Center a rack in the oven and preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Lightly butter a 9×13 inch baking pan, line the pan with foil and butter the foil. Put the pan on a baking sheet.
To make the base: Whisk together the flour, coffee, salt and cinnamon.
Working with a stand mixer, preferably fitted with a paddle attachment, or a hand mixer in a large bowl, beat the butter at medium speed until smooth, about 3 minutes. Add the sugars and beat for another three minutes or until the mixture is light and creamy. Beat in the vanilla and turn off the mixer. Add all the dry ingredients, cover the stand mixer with a kitchen towel (so you and your kitchen don’t get showered in flour) and pulse the mixer on and off at low speed about 5 times, at which point a peek at the bowl should reveal that it’s safe to turn the mixer to low and mix, uncovered, just until the dry ingredients are almost incorporated. Add the chopped chocolate and mix only until the dry ingredients disappear. If the chocolate isn’t evenly mixed, finish the job by hand with a spatula. You’ll have a very heavy, very sticky dough. Scrape the dough into the buttered pan and, with the spatula and your fingertips, cajole it into a thin, even layer. (I cajoled using an offset spatula.)
Bake for 20 to 22 minutes, or until the base is bubbly – so bubbly that you can almost hear it percolating – and puckery. It will look as though it is struggling to pull away from the side of the pan. Transfer the pan to a rack and turn off the oven.
To make the topping: Scatter the chocolate evenly over the top of the hot base and pop the pan back into the oven for 2 to 3 minutes, until the chocolate is soft. Remove from oven and immediately spread chocolate over bars, using offset spatula or the back of a spoon. Sprinkle the toffee bits over the chocolate and press them down lightly with your fingertips (again, I used the offset spatula because hot desserts and my fingers do not get along well). Place the baking pan on a rack to cool to room temperature.
If, by the time the bars are cool, the chocolate has not set, refrigerate them briefly to firm the chocolate.
Carefully lift out of the pan, using foil edges as handles, and transfer to a cutting board. Trim the edges if they seem a bit thick. Cut about 54 bars, each about 2 inches by 1 inch, taking care not to cut through the foil.
Recipe from Baking: From My Home to Yours by Dorie Greenspan.
