Banana, Peanut Butter and Chocolate Chip Muffins and a review

A few months ago I was sent a set of 6 Pantry Design Spice Tins by DotComGiftShop to review.  They also sponsored the same set as our September AlphaBakes prize which was won by Linzi from Lancashire Food. It's taken me a while to review this as it was packed away in one of my boxes in preparation for moving house and I've only just finished unpacking all the kitchen and baking stuff. I debated about what recipe to make and settled on spiced cookies or muffins. In the end, I decided to make muffins as I've been on a muffin craze recently. This recipe was inspired by ingredients in my kitchen and my love of peanut butter and chocolate.

The spices added warmth and flavour to the muffins and are perfect for this time of the year. Banana, peanut butter and chocolate go well together and the predominant flavour here was the peanut butter. I love the chopped nuts on top which added more texture and increased the nutty flavour. This makes for a substantial breakfast on the go and will be good for an afternoon snack too.

The spice tins come in 6 different colours. The design is simple yet elegant and they look great in my new kitchen. It's a great gift for yourself or for a baking friend/relative. They also have lots of matching items including a tea coffee sugar set which I have my eye on.

I'm sending this to the No Waste Food Challenge run by Elizabeth from Elizabeth's Kitchen Diary and hosted this month by Vohn from Vohn's Vittles as I used up some old bananas for this recipe. I also had half a bag of roasted peanuts which I chopped up and sprinkled on top of the muffins before baking.

It also fits in to the Credit Crunch Munch challenge created by Helen from Fuss Free Flavours and Camilla from Fab Food 4 All.  This month it is guest hosted by Hannah from A New Addition. This is quite a good recipe for using up old bananas and store cupboard items such as peanut butter. You can use nuts or raisins instead of chocolate chips if you have the end of a bag of one sitting around.

This is my third entry this month to the Biscuit Barrel Challenge hosted by Laura from I'd Much Rather Bake Than... as she has chosen the theme comfort food. I've already sent in two other muffins so I hope Laura will accept a third muffin recipe! They are so comforting to eat and this spiced version is perfect for the current cold and rainy weather.

 set of 6 pantry design spice tins 

 I made a double recipe so it looks like a lot of ingredients! 

 stir in chocolate chips 

 sprinkle with chopped, roasted peanuts 

 yum!

An original recipe by Ros @bakingaddict

Makes 12 muffins 

250g plain flour

100g caster sugar

100g soft brown sugar

1 tablespoon baking powder

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg

2 ripe bananas, roughly mashed

250mls milk

190g smooth peanut butter 

3 tablespoon vegetable oil

2 eggs

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

100g chocolate chips

Chopped, roasted peanuts to sprinkle on top (optional) 

• Preheat the oven to 180C. 
• Place 12 muffin cases in a muffin tray.
• In a small bowl,mix together the flour, sugars, baking powder, cinnamon and nutmeg.
• In a separate large bowl, whisk the eggs, milk, vanilla extract and oil together. Add in the mashed bananas. 
• Pour the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients and mix well.
• Finally stir in the chocolate chips.
• Divide evenly between the muffin cases.
• Sprinkle chopped, roasted peanuts on top of each muffin.
• Bake for approximately 25 minutes or until brown and a skewer inserted into the centre comes out clean. 

Disclaimer: I was sent a set of 6 pantry design spice tins for review purposes. A positive review was not required and all opinions expressed are my own. This is not a sponsored post. 

Oreo Peanut Butter Swirl Brownies

This bake is made of all my favourite ingredients - peanut butter, oreos and fudgy brownies. As mentioned in my previous post, one of the first boxes I opened contained my stash of oreo cookies. I also found my giant jar of peanut butter which is how this recipe came about. I used my all time favourite fudgy brownie recipe and added in chopped oreos and a layer of creamy peanut butter. My friend gave me a bag of Reese's Mini Peanut Butter Cups as a house warming present so I added a few on top. The brownies were absolutely amazing. It's rich, chocolatey and fudgey. You get the crunch from the oreo cookies and the smooth peanut butter layer on top gives it a lovely saltiness which cuts through the sweetness. 

I'm sending this to the Biscuit Barrel Challenge hosted by Laura from I'd Much Rather Bake Than... as she has chosen the theme comfort food. Nothing says comfort like a warm fudgy brownie especially when it's served with cream or ice cream! Perfect for cold, autumn nights.

I'm also sending it to Love Cake hosted by Ness from Jibber Jabber UK. The theme this month is Dark. This recipe uses dark chocolate and it would be perfect for Halloween too.

 add flour and cocoa powder 

 stir in chopped oreos

 before baking  

 fresh from the oven 

 I love how you can still see the peanut butter layer and peanut butter cups

200g butter, chopped into smallish cubes
375g sugar
170g dark chocolate, roughly chopped
165g plain flour
80g cocoa powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
4 eggs
1 pack of Oreo cookies, roughly chopped

150g smooth peanut butter

60ml milk 

Mini peanut butter cups to decorate

• Preheat the oven to 180C.
• In a medium sized pan, melt the butter and chocolate.
• Then whisk in the sugar, salt and vanilla extract. 
• Continue mixing until you get a smooth mixture then remove from heat and set aside for a few minutes.
• Whisk in the eggs one at a time and then the flour and cocoa powder until you get a fudgy mixture as shown. 
• Stir in chopped oreos, 
• Place the peanut butter in a large bowl and add the milk. Whisk together until smooth - it will take a few minutes and it will look lumpy and wet to start but continue whisking and you will get a nice, smooth mixture.
• Spread the peanut butter layer on top of the brownies and use a fork to gently swirl it through. 
• Add in mini peanut butter cups if using. 
• Bake for approximately 30-35 minutes until the top is crisp and the edges are cooked. 
• Allow to cool in the pan. 
• Slice and enjoy!

Oreo Chocolate Chip Muffins

You may or may not know but I moved house recently and I'm still settling into my new home. I've not unpacked properly as I've been really busy with other things and am surrounded by a sea of boxes. However, I was desperate to get back to baking so I've unpacked a few kitchen boxes and this recipe was inspired by what I found in the first box - oreo cookies! I decided on muffins as they are quick and easy and I found my muffin tin and muffin cases. I did have to buy cocoa powder, baking powder and cooking chocolate as I can't find them (I have a large supply of baking ingredients!) but I know it will all get used up eventually so it's not a wasteful buy. 

I found this recipe online from Food Lust People Love. The recipe is simple and the muffins turned out really well. They were moist and chocolatey and I loved the bits of oreos inside and on top of the muffins. They were a huge hit at work and with my new neighbours. 

I'm sending this to the Biscuit Barrel Challenge hosted by Laura from I'd Much Rather Bake Than... as she has chosen the theme comfort food. Chocolate muffins are the ultimate comfort food especially with the added indulgence of oreo cookies!

 milk and egg mixture

 add melted butter and chocolate 

 stirring in the chopped oreos and chocolate chips 

 sprinkle with chopped oreos before baking

 you can still see the chopped oreos inside the muffin

Recipe adapted very slightly from Food Lust People Love
170g chocolate, melted
115g unsalted butter

250g all-purpose flour
115g caster sugar
100g dark brown sugar
2 teaspoons baking powder
2 eggs
3/4 cup milk
100g chocolate chips
12 Oreo Cookies

• Preheat the oven to 180C.
• Line a muffin tray with 12 paper muffin cases. 
• Chop the oreos into large chunks.
• Melt the butter and chocolate in a bowl over a pan of simmering water or in a microwave.
• In a separate bowl, mix together the flour, sugars and baking powder.
• In another bowl, whisk the milk and eggs together. 
• Add the melted butter and chocolate to the milk mixture and whisk.
• Add in the dry ingredients.
• Stir in the chocolate chips and approximately 2/3 of the chopped oreos.
• Use an ice cream scoop to place a large scoop of batter in each muffin case.
• Sprinkle with the remaining chopped oreos.
• Bake for approximately 20-25 minutes or until a skewer inserted into the centre comes out clean.
• Allow to cool on a wire rack.

No Bake Chocolate and Peppermint Squares

For St Patrick's Day earlier this year, I made a No Bake Chocolate and Peppermint Slice. It was hugely popular and I've had repeated requests since. I had to make something for a leaving lunch at work and I knew that this was one of her favourite treats from me so I decided to make it again but jazz it up a little. I used my individual brownie tin to get individual squares and omitted the chocolate topping. They were equally as popular this time and I wish I'd made more as they disappeared in no time!

It has a buttery oreo base and a rich, minty cream cheese filling topped with Aero bubbles. They are very rich and decadent so these individual portions are perfect. This is a really quick and simple recipe which only requires 5 ingredients. It's more time consuming making these individual portions but I think they look much nicer than making a large tray and slicing it up.

I'm entering this to the Biscuit Barrel Challenge hosted by Laura from I'd Much Rather Bake Than... The theme this month is No Bake.

I'm also sending it to Treat Petite hosted by Stuart from CakeyBoi and Kat from The Baking Explorer. The theme is also No Bake.

 Top tip - place strips of parchment paper before putting the oreo base in as this helps you remove the squares later 

 top with cream cheese filling and decorate then chill in the fridge 

 perfectly portioned treats 

An original recipe by bakingaddict 

For the base
2 packs oreo cookies
100g butter

For the filling
280g cream cheese
60g butter
150g icing sugar
4 teaspoons mint extract
green food colouring

• Spray a individual brownie pan with non stick spray then line with strips of parchment paper - 2 strips per square.
• Place the oreo cookies in a food processor and blitz until it resembles fine crumbs. Alternatively, place in a ziplock back and bash with a rolling pin.
• Melt 100g butter and stir into the cookie crumbs.
• Press into the base of your tin and allow to set in the fridge for 10-15 minutes.
• Make the filling by placing the cream cheese in an electric mixer and beating on a medium speed until smooth.
• Add in butter and icing sugar and continue beating.
• Finally add in mint extract and green food colouring.
• Spread the filling over the chilled cookie base and smooth with a palette knife. 
• Decorate with mint aero bubbles as shown.
• Chill in the fridge for a few hours.

Chocolate and Mint Biscuit Slice

This is a quick and simple no bake recipe which is a guaranteed crowd pleaser. It's perfect for parties or picnics or BBQs and I'm sure I'll be making more of these as we are heading into summer. The recipe is based on a malteser traybake recipe from BBC Good Food but I've used Mint Aero Bubbles instead. 

I'm entering this to the Biscuit Barrel Challenge hosted by Laura from I'd Much Rather Bake Than... The theme this month is summer and this refreshing no bake recipe is perfect for summer. 

I'm also sending it to Dead Easy Desserts hosted by Sarah from Maison Cupcake. This takes less than 30 minutes to prepare excluding chilling time.

 mint aero bubbles, golden syrup, butter, digestive biscuits, milk chocolate

 adding the crushed digestive biscuits to the chocolate mixture

 stirring in the mint aero bubbles

 press into a tray and chill for a few hours then slice

 I love that you can still the green aero bubbles

Recipe adapted from BBC Good Food
I'd recommend making a double recipe as one won't be enough!

100g butter
200g milk chocolate
3 tablespoon golden syrup
250g crushed digestive biscuits
225g Mint Aero Bubbles

• Melt the butter, chocolate and golden syrup in a medium sized saucepan.
• Add in the crushed digestive biscuits
• Allow to cool slightly before adding the Mint Aero Bubble otherwise it will melt 
• Press into a square or rectangle baking tray and chill in the fridge for a few hours or preferably overnight.
• Slice and enjoy.

Chocolate and Mint Ice Cream Cupcakes

In addition to the Chocolate and Mint Giant Cupcake that I baked for the Macmillan Information Centre, I also made these chocolate and mint ice cream cupcakes. I used the same chocolate cake mixture and mint buttercream icing but I added chocolate chips to the buttercream icing to make it a mint chocolate chip icing! I also made some chocolate ganache to go on top and decorated it with sprinkles and a cherry on top. 

I'm entering this to Treat Petite hosted by Kat from The Baking Explorer and Stuart from Cakeyboi. The theme this month is 'Who will you bake for?' in conjunction with World Baking Day on May 18th. I baked these for my local Macmillan Information Centre and I hope they were impressed with them. 

I'm also sending it to the Biscuit Barrel Challenge hosted by Laura from I'd Much Rather Bake Than... The theme this month is favourites. Chocolate and mint is one of my favourite flavour combinations and I also love ice cream and ice cream cupcakes. 

This would also fit in nicely with this month's Calendar Cakes challenge hosted by Rachel from Dolly Bakes as the theme is Bank Holiday Bakes and we are asked to share what we make to relax, share with friends or take on picnics. 

 I used some foil to support the ice cream cones whilst baking. Try not to overfill the cones as I did here - 2/3 full is more than enough 

 I used an ice cream scoop to place a scoop of mint chocolate chip icing on top 

 Drizzled some ganache on top 

 added some sprinkles 

 and a cherry on top! You can also pipe a 'star' of whipped cream before adding the cherry for added decadence. 

 I used the ganache as a 'glue' to stick the cones to a cake board. They were still a little wobbly and have to be transported with great care. 

For the chocolate cake, follow the link for Nigella's Old fashioned chocolate cake - I used about 1/2 a cake recipe to make 9 ice cream cones - as mentioned in my previous post, I made a double recipe and used it to make 1 giant cupcake and 9 ice cream cones.

For the buttercream frosting - feel free to halve the quantities, I made a large batch as I needed it for my giant cupcake and these ice cream cupcakes

300g butter
600g icing sugar
1 tablespoon peppermint extract + 1 teaspoon (or adjust to taste)
a few drops of milk
green food colouring

100g chocolate chips 

For the chocolate ganache

100mls double cream

75g dark chocolate, chopped 

• Preheat the oven to 180C.
• Prepare the cake batter as instructed.
• Place a ring of foil as shown to support the ice cream cones in a cupcake tin. 
• Carefully fill each ice cream cone until about 2/3 full - do not overfill as the cake will spill over. 
• Bake for about 15-18 minutes or until a skewer inserted into the centre comes out clean. 
• Allow to cool completely before decorating. 
• Make the icing by beating the butter and icing sugar until smooth. Add in the peppermint extract and green food colouring. You may need to add a few drops of milk depending on the consistency required.
• Finally stir in the chocolate chips by hand. 
• To make the chocolate ganache, heat the cream in a small saucepan until just boiling. 
• Remove from the heat and stir in the chocolate until melted.
• Keep stirring until smooth. 
• Decorate as shown above