Day 4: Peanut, Peanut Butter...

Steve:  Last night after having another helping of the leftover Turkey and Spinach Quiche, I was thinking about what to make today and I decided on something involving pork, pineapples and some type of sauce.  This morning, I woke up entirely too early, and couldn't get back to sleep...it was then that I decided to use the ingredient in breakfast instead.

Day 4 Ingredient:  Peanut Butter

If there is one group of people I feel bad for, it is those with peanut allergies.  They never get to have Peanut Butter.  My 2 1/2 year old nephew Emerson is allergic to all types of nuts and it breaks my heart that he will never know the joy that is Peanut Butter and Jelly.  It's so freaking good!

Heather knows this, of course, and chose it as today's ingredient probably thinking that I would make some peanut butter cookies, or peanut butter laced rice krispy treats.  Typically, if you aren't making some type of sandwich with Peanut Butter, then you are making a dessert.  I really didn't want to do either.  Although in a way, I sort of did.

Part of my thought process was to think about what went well with peanut butter.  There are plenty of foods that pair well with this treat including jellies, chocolate and marshmallow fluff.  I went with a different ingredient and started looking at combining another staple.  Peanut Butter and Bananas.  This is what I ended up with.


Day 4 Ingredients:

1.5 Cups All Purpose Flour
.5 Cups Whole Wheat Flour
2/3 Cups White Sugar
2 TBSP Baking Powder
.25 TSP Nutmeg and Cinnamon
.25 TSP Kosher salt
2 Bananas Mashed
3 TBSP Vegetable Oil
.75 Skim Milk
.5 TSP Vanilla Extract
2 TBSP Peanut Butter
1.5 TBSP Whole Wheat Flour
3 TBSP Oatmeal
2.5 TBSP Brown Sugar

Instructions

1.  Preheat oven to 375, Grease 12 count muffin tin with cooking spray.

2.  In large mixing bowl combine first 6 ingredients (Flour - Salt) and whisk.  In second bowl combine next four ingredients (Bananas - Vanilla) and stir well.  Add wet ingredients to dry ingredients and mix until brought together.  Don't over mix. 

3.  Divide batter evenly into muffin tin.  (each cup should be about 3/4 full).

4.  In smaller bowl combine last four ingredients (Peanut Butter - Brown Sugar)  I recommend gloving up your hands and spraying cooking spray on them for this next part.  Stir ingredients together until you create a crumble.  This will take coating the PB with the other ingredients so that it isn't sticky anymore.  Add crumble to the top of each muffin.

5.  Bake at 375 degrees for 20-25 minutes or until a toothpick poked into the center of the cupcake comes out clean.

Here is what you get...Banana muffin with Peanut Butter Crumble

I like having muffins for breakfast and the staple
for me is blueberry.  But banana muffins aren't too bad either and with the peanut butter crumble these are downright delicious.  I must admit that I am not a baker, and I know you have to have the scientific process when it comes to baking so I did look up a recipe and then adapt it a little to make it my own.  I more needed the measurements than anything else.

The only thing I would change would be to add some peanut butter to the batter.  You certainly get a little peanut butter taste from the crumble on top, but I think I want a little more.

This morning, I added some bacon and eggs to complete the meal.  It was a great compliment and the muffins were a wonderful way to finish the meal with just a little bit of sweetness.  If you try, enjoy!!!

Heather:
Taste-4 stars: Creativity-4 stars

I heard Steve banging around in the kitchen this morning and thought he may be employing today's ingredient and when I finally awoke I was pleasantly surprised by muffins! It's always nice to wake up to fresh muffins. They were quite tasty, I love how he incorporated the bananas as well.  I'm a big fan of banana bread, but never thought to pair it with peanut butter. And PB and bananas go together awesomely. Yes, it's a word. I do agree that there should've been some PB in the mix and not just in the crumble. The crumble was crunchy and sweet. So as far as creativity, he gets 4 stars for not taking the easy way out once again.