Strawberry Banana Mini Muffins

Everyone has their "perfect" banana bread recipe. Mine fluctuates all of the time, though I too have settled on a favorite. But never will I claim to have the best, or most moist, or "to die for" recipe. Tastes are far too complex and too many wonderful variations exist for me attempt to exult a recipe.

However, one thing I do love to do is use previously frozen bananas. I never get  around to eating our bananas before they become over ripe. By the time I do notice, usually I'm in no mood to turn them into baked goods. So into the freezer the freckled fruits go, to be used at my leisure. When ready, I defrost them for an hour or so on the counter. Of course now the bananas are an unappealing brown mass. Peeled and plopped into the recipe they are oozing with sweet fragrant juice. I've heard some microwave their bananas to yield similar results. To each their own.

UN-frozen overripe bananas will work equally as well.

 The recipe is my own

Yields 36 mini muffins or 12 regular sized muffins

The Ingredients
2 eggs, lightly beaten 

1/2 cup canola or vegetable oil   

2/3 cup sugar
1 cup all-purpose flour
2/3 cup whole wheat flour
2 over ripe bananas, mashed
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt

1 tsp vanilla extract
1 cup strawberries, finely diced 

The Process
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

Lightly oil the mini muffins tins.

In a large bowl, combine the eggs, oil, sugar, flours, bananas, baking soda, salt and vanilla. Stir until just combined. Fold in the strawberries.

Spoon by heaping Tbsps into the prepared mini muffin tins.  Bake for 10-14 minutes,  or until a toothpick inserted into the center of a muffin comes out clean. Transfer muffins from the tin to a wire rack to cool.

Strawberry Daiquiri Sorbet

Hot summer August days are upon us. If you can get your hands on fresh strawberries this late in the season, this is just the treat to help you cool off.

There is only enough booze in this dish to give the sorbet a little splash of flavor. The strawberries are really what shine. Still, always advise your guests of the presence of booze in your dessert, no matter how little the amount.

adapted from Joy of Baking

yields about 4 servings

The Ingredients:
1/3 cup sugar
1/3 cup water
juice and zest of 1 lime
1lb fresh strawberries, hulled
1 Tbsp rum
1 tsp triple sec

The Process:
Place the freezer bowl of the ice cream/sorbet maker into the freezer one day beforehand.

Combine the sugar and water in a small saucepan set over low heat. Stir until the sugar is completely dissolved. Bring the mixture to a boil, and remove from heat. Transfer simple syrup to a heat proof container and refrigerate until cold.

Meanwhile, in a blender of food processor, process the strawberries into a purée. Pulse in the lime juice, rum and triple sec. Transfer to a medium bowl and refrigerate until cold.


Once the purée and simple syrup have chilled thoroughly, whisk both together into the freezer bowl of the ice cream/sorbet maker. Churn until thickened as per the manufacturer’s directions, usually about 15-20 minutes. When the sorbet is almost set, add the reserved lime zest and churn until combined. The sorbet will have a soft-serve consistency. If a firmer sorbet is desired, transfer the mixture to a chilled, air tight container and place in the freezer for an additional 2 hours. Remove from freezer 15 minutes prior to serving.

Strawberry Chocolate Mini Muffins

Are these breakfast or are they dessert? Personally,  I am more of an eggs and bacon kind of girl for breakfast, though I love sneaking one of these chocolate-y gems in for elevensies. The batter can easily be adapted for full sized muffins... just bake for 20-25 minutes. But I much prefer the one bite indulgence the mini muffin size provides. Especially since they turned out more like mini brownie bites. But I'm certainly not complaining! 

 The recipe is my own

Yields 48 mini muffins or 16 regular sized muffins

The Ingredients
4 eggs, lightly beaten
1 cup oil
1 cup sugar
2 cups all purpose flour
1/3 cup cocoa powder
1 Tbsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 cup diced strawberries
1/3 cup mini chocolate chips

The Process
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

Lightly oil the mini muffins tins.

In a large bowl, combine the eggs, oil, sugar, flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, salt and vanilla. Stir until just combined. Fold in the strawberries and mini chocolate chips.

Spoon by heaping Tbsps into the prepared mini muffin tins.  Bake for 10-14 minutes,  or until a toothpick inserted into the center of a muffin comes out clean. Transfer muffins from the tin to a wire rack to cool.

Thyme-spiked Strawberry Rhubarb Muffins

Oh, the early days of summer, how I adored your bounty of rhubarb and strawberries! Growing up, the bulk of rhubarb stalks from our backyard turned into a sauce with a bit of a twist...a packet of strawberry jello. Just a touch of sugar. But nostalgic as it is, fresh strawberries make the compote even better.

This recipe starts with a perfectly sweet, sour and savory compote dressed up with a bit of thyme. A dollop is spooned into each muffin tin along with the sweet, cakey batter. The oozing filling is the perfect touch to an already amazing strawberry-rhubarb muffin.

adapted from Kosher Camembert

yields 16 muffins

The Ingredients:
for the compote
1 1/4 cup diced rhubarb
1/2 cup diced strawberries
1/3 cup sugar
juice and zest of 1/2 a lemon
1/4 tsp dried thyme

for the muffins
2 cups of all purpose flour
1 cup granulated sugar
1 cup canola oil
4 eggs, slightly beaten
1/3 cup diced strawberries
1/2 cup diced rhubarb
1 tsp salt
1 tsp vanilla
2 tsp baking powder

The Process:
for the compote
In a medium saucepan over medium high heat, combine the rhubarb, strawberry, sugar, and lemon.

Stir well and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium, and continue to cook for about 15 minutes, stirring occasionally. Gently mash any remaining fruit pieces with a fork. Allow to cool to room temperature.

for the muffins
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.  Lightly oil a muffin tin.

In a large mixing bowl, Whisk together the flour, sugar, baking soda, and salt. Add the oil, vanilla, fruit, and eggs. Stir until just combined.

Spoon 2-3 Tbsp of batter into each muffin cup. Top with a healthy dollop of compote.

Divide the remaining batter between the muffin cups, filling no more than 2/3 full.

Bake 20-25 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.

Strawberry and Blueberry Muffins with a Streusel Topping

Our CSA continues to delight us with more berries than we can keep up with!  While I love the thought of frozen berries to enjoy later this year once the summer bounty diminishes, it seems such a shame to not use up as many as possible while at their peek of freshness.  With a double batch of berries in hand, I could think of no better idea than to play around with a few muffin mixtures.

The end result is a hodge podge of three recipes I tinkered with.  The batter is thick, almost the consistency of co



okie dough.  At first I found this a bit frustrating, particularly when I attempted to fill the muffin tin.  But in the end the thick batter resulted in muffins evenly studded with fruit, instead of a mess of berries submerged at the bottom.

A sprinkle of sugar spiked with lemon zest makes a bright wonderful topping, but I am a sucker for a good streusel.  Nothing really beats the Better Homes and Gardens version...

Inspired by Alton Brown, Confessions of a Baking Queen the BHG cookbook and Smitten Kitchen

The Ingredients:
for the muffins
5 Tbsp unsalted butter, room temperature
1/3 cup sugar
1 large egg
1/3 cup greek yogurt
1/2 cup milk
1/2 tsp lemon zest
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 cup all purpose flour
3/4 cup cake flour
2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt
3/4 cup sliced or quartered strawberries
1/2 cup blueberries

for the topping
1/4 cup flour
1/4 cup brown sugar
1/2 tsp cinnamon
3 Tbsp butter

The Process:
preheat the oven to 380

Line a 12 ct muffin tin with paper liners or generously mist each cup with cooking spray.

In a large bowl, cream together the sugar and butter until fluffy.  Beat in the egg until well combined.  Mix in the yogurt, milk, vanilla and zest.

In a medium bowl, sift together the flours, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.  Mix in half of the dry into the wet until well combined.  Sift in the remaining dry ingredients in to batter, until just mixed.  Fold in the berries.

For the topping, in a small bowl combine the flour, brown sugar and cinnamon.  Cut in the butter until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs.  Set aside.

Using an ice cream scoop or two spoons, fill the cups of the muffin tin approximately 3/4 full.  Sprinkle with topping.

  Bake for 20-25 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean, rotating the pan once while baking.

Transfer to a baking rack to cool.

Apple and Kohlrabi Salad with Roasted Strawberry Balsamic Vinaigrette

Vegetables are coming out of our ears!  I absolutely adore taking on the challenge of a full CSA share for two people, but even when most lunches consist of huge leafy salads, a full share can be a bit much to swallow.

This week we were treated to a wonderful treat though...4 pints of the juiciest, brightest red strawberries.  Last season had been so miserably dry that the farm's berries didn't stand a chance.  This year, with the ridiculous amounts of rain pouring through, the berries are bursting.  A good portion have already been frozen for later use.  What berries haven't already been devoured made it into this salad.  The mixed greens and kohlrabi were also courtesy of our CSA.

The inspiration for the vinaigrette came from a visit to a local oil shop where I sampled the most amazing 25 year aged balsamic vinegar.  It was so wonderfully sour, rich, earthly and sweet I could have eaten it with a spoon.  Alongside stood several other tuns full of rich balsamic and fruit blends.  I couldn't decide.  Start simple and with the basics.  High quality balsamic vinegar has ruined me...

And the combination of apple and kohlrabi has been bouncing around in my head for a while.  I hope you enjoy it as much as I did.

The recipe is my own

serves 4

The Ingredients:
8-10 ripe strawberries
1 Tbsp diced shallot
2 Tbsp olive oil
2 Tbsp balsamic vinegar
1/4 tsp salt
1 small Granny Smith apple
1 cup water
1 Tbsp lemon juice
1 medium kohlrabi
4 cups mixed greens

The Process:
Preheat the oven to 400

Pick out the 4 smallest, ripest strawberries, and set aside.  Hull the remaining berries.  Place cut side down on a lightly greased pan.

 Roast to 10-12 minutes or until the berries are soft and juice is beginning to seep.

In a large glass, combine the shallot, oil, vinegar, salt and roasted strawberries.  Puree with an immersion blender until completely smooth.  Strain through a sieve to remove any pulp and seeds.  Set aside.

Combine the water and lemon juice and set aside.

Halve and core the apple.  Thinly slice into wedges and place in the lemon water.  Peel the kohlrabi and similarly slice into thin wedges.

Toss the mixed greens with half of the vinaigrette.

 Divide greens among four salad plates.  Arrange 1/4 of the apple and kohlrabi in a fan shape on each plate.  Using the reserved strawberries, cut four or five thin slices with a paring knife lengthwise through the berry, leaving slices attached just below the hull.  Gently fan out the slices.  Place the berry garnish on each plate.  Drizzle with remaining dressing