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Banana Chocolate Chip Muffins with Oat Flour

Before we get to the baking, I'd like share a few photos from the cottage so far. A few days ago, the lake was like glass again so we took the boat out to go fishing (alas, no trout) and then across the lake to Hugo Bay.

I can't get over the brilliance of the colours of this lake.


Then, yesterday we "kids" took the car out to the Caves, out near Mile 25. There we hiked around the crevices on the rocky shore of the lake. I'd always just taken the clearly marked path, but it was beautiful to step off it and do a bit scrambling!

Where am I, you ask? Why someone has to take the pictures!

Before breakfast yesterday morning I spied one of the calendars that "Milk" releases. The recipes, of course, feature and encourage the use of milk, cream, and cheese in cooking. I found this recipe for banana chocolate chip muffins and immediately wanted to try it.


Banana chocolate chip muffins are not in and of themselves very interesting (but that doesn't mean they're not tasty!). But what sets these are part from being little muffin-shaped pieces of banana bread is the addition of oat flour. Yup, that's right: oat flour -- oats that have been ground so finely as to form a powder.

The original recipe came from one of the "Milk" calendars and called for half all purpose flour and half whole wheat. I, not having whole wheat flour, decided to instead use 3/4 all purpose flour and 1/4 oat flour.

The muffins have a good chocolate and banana taste, due to the cocoa and 2 large mashed bananas. They're also a treat studded with chocolate chips. These fit in the "sweet" breakfast or snack category, but I'd even go so far as to say that they'd make a good dessert.

So, without any ado, enjoy!

Banana Chocolate Chip Muffins with Oat Flour
adapted from the 2009 Milk Calendar

Ingredients

1 1/2 cups all purpose flour
1/2 cup oat flour
2 tsp baking powder
1/4 each, baking soda and salt
2/3 cup granulated sugar
1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1 egg
1 cup milk
1 cup mashed ripe bananas (about 2)
1/4 cup oil
1 cup chocolate chips.

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 375F. Grease a 12 muffin tray or line with paper liners.

2. In a large bowl, combine all purpose and oat flours, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. In another bowl, whisk together sugar and cocoa; wish in egg, milk, bananas, and oil. Pour over dry ingredients and add chocolate chips. Stir until just moistened.

3. Spoon evenly into prepared muffin try. Bake for about 18-20 minutes or until a toothpick, when inserted, comes out clean. Let cool in pan for 5 minutes, then transfer to cooling rack to cool completely. Or eat warm with a glass of milk!

Chocolate Fudge Chip Cookies

I am one lucky girl. Every summer, with two exceptions, I have been coming to northern Manitoba with my family. We have a cottage on Clearwater Lake, about 20 minutes out from the town of The Pas.

It is so beautiful here, in more ways than one. Firstly, the natural beauty is stunning. The waters of the lake are breath taking in their clarity -- you can see the bottom of the lake from the middle of the bay! At night, you can catch a glimpse of the northern lights or track the fiery journey of a shooting star against the black, black sky. It's quiet and peaceful and once a friend from London commented on the amazing (to her) fact that you could see an uninterrupted horizon in a 360 direction, without the smear of a jet stream across the sky's even surface.

Yesterday, my brother, his girlfriend, and I arrived in Winnipeg from Toronto then met my dad and drove up to The Pas. There was an interesting "landmark" that we encountered on our drive up: the giant Prairie Chicken next to the gas station in Ashern. I bet you don't see those too often!


Also, it was our annual 'four cottages' August long weekend dinner and we arrived just in time for the food. The Gemmil's spent the afternoon roasting an entire half pig on a spit! And there was a wonderful array of salads, potatoes, homemade applesauce, and meatballs.

And if that wasn't enough, my grandma and mum made both pumpkin and lemon meringue pie and Sally Gemmil brought the too-cute brownie bites topped with cool whip and fruit.

The baking medic also water skiis. How about that?

It certainly feels good to be back at the cottage. Summer just wouldn't be summer without a visit to Clearwater.



Anyways, this post is also about cookies. Chocolate fudge chip cookies to be exact. I mentioned a few days ago that my attempt at making chocolate fudge was only semi-successful. So, I pulled out Alton Brown's recipe for "the Puffy" chocolate chip cookie (one of my favourites) and decided that it would taste fantastic with the added richness of the fudge crumbs.



I will admit that these cookies did not turn out how I had imagined them. My visions included puffy, cakes cookies dotted with pieces of warm fudge. I had not antipitated that the fudge crumbs would melt. As a result, my cookies flattened out almost completely! Still, they have a slightly crispy edge and a nice chewy centre. Not to mention a lovely chocolate, fudgy taste. They were an accidental hit! Unfortunately, as I don't know when I'll next be making fudge, I don't know when I'll next get a chance to make these cookies.

Still, if you've got some fudge crumbs kicking around, give these puppies a try; you won't be disappointed!

Chocolate Fudge Chip Cookies

adapted from Alton Brown's "The Puffy"

Ingredients:

• 1 cup butter
• 3/4 cup sugar
• 1 cup brown sugar
• 2 1/4 cups cake flour
• 1 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
• 2 eggs
• 1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 1 cups milk chocolate chocolate chips
• 1 1/2 cups chocolate fudge crumbs
  

Directions:

Heat oven to 375 degrees F. Combine the butter, sugar, and brown sugar in the mixer's work bowl, and cream until light and fluffy. In the meantime, sift together the cake flour, salt, and baking powder and set aside.

Add the eggs 1 at a time to the creamed mixture. Then add vanilla. Increase the speed until thoroughly incorporated.

With the mixer set to low, slowly add the dry ingredients to the butter mixture and combine well. Stir in the fudge crumbs and milk chocolate chips. Chill the dough. Scoop rounded tablespoons of batter onto greased baking sheets. Bake for 10-12, checking the cookies after 5 minutes. Rotate the baking sheet for even browning. Cool and store in an airtight-container. Let cookies cool on the baking sheet for at least 5 minutes before transferring them to a rack, or you risk disemboweling you cookies! (Not that this is necessarily a bad thing, becuase you'll of course have to eat the "dead" ones.;) )