The college student strikes again.
Dorm Room, you CANNOT confine me in your four walls of kitchen-less purgatory! Meal Plan, you are NOT my master! I CAN be a simple freshman AND bake delicious food!
Therefore, Dorm Room and Meal Plan, I lick my batter-dripping spatula and then laugh in your conquered faces.
See, I had a few problems: 1. I had a lot of extra ingredients from the Devil Wears Peanut Butter and Chocolate M&M Cookie recipe, and 2. I didn’t have enough ingredients for Shred, White, and Blueberry muffins.
So I, the college student, looked around my room. I had no applesauce, nor an abundance of walnuts, nor buttermilk…but I did have a bunch of apples and bananas, a few walnuts left over from a salad, granola bars, and a tub of yogurt. And cinnamon.
So I thought, “Well, I guess I could make a banana puree for the applesauce…and cut up some apples and another banana for the fruit pieces…
…and yogurt can substitute for buttermilk, right?
And I could use the few walnuts I have and crumble one of those ‘Oats ‘n Honey’ granola bars on top…
“…and listen to Paramore at the same time!!!!”
(Photo credit not mine)
Within the hour, along with Hayley Williams‘ voice, a heavenly baked-good scent poured out of the kitchen, tinged strongly with cinnamon. And not long after that, I beheld the fruit of my labor:
And not long after that came the most important part, the tasting:
I’ve got a lot to say to you, yeah, I’ve got a lot to say; I’ve noticed Cinna-Apple-Banana Muffin Bread is DELICIOUS!…Crush…crush…crush…
Okay, enough with the Paramore references. Here’s the recipe:
Preheat oven to 375 degrees
Prepare and set aside:
1 cup of dime-sized apple pieces
1 1/4 cups banana puree (I blended some bananas with a fork, adding about 3 tablespoons of water to it)
2 medium bananas, split into thirds and cut into pieces
3/4 cup chopped walnuts (I wish I had this many when I baked it–I had to satisfy myself with the few I did have)
About half a cup granola for topping (optional)
Mix in a large bowl:
2 1/2 cups of whole wheat pastry flour
2 1/2 cups of old-fashioned oatmeal
2 teaspoons baking power
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 3/4 teaspoons cinnamon
Mix together in a medium bowl:
1 1/4 cups banana puree
1 cup low-fat plain yogurt
1 cup brown sugar (firmly packed)
4 tablespoons oil
2 large eggs, lightly beaten
Make a well in the dry ingredients and stir in the wet ingredients until the dry is just wet (I explain why on the Blueberry Muffin Bread recipe).
Fold in the apple and banana pieces and the walnuts. Then, pour into a prepared pan (I used a 9 x 8 pan, but you can use whatever depending on how thick you want your loaf, etc.). Crumble your favorite granola on top (I used the “Oats ‘n Honey” bar).
After 20 minutes of baking, cover with aluminum foil. I, not being quite as fortunate to own such, covered the tin with another slightly larger metal pan that I found in the kitchen. Bake for another 10-15 minutes. I’m pretty sure that’s how I did it; I used a bit of trial-and-error because the middle was taking so long to bake, and I don’t remember my method exactly. I judged the bread was done by using the stick-a-knife-in-the-center trick.
When it’s done, give it some cooling time and then enjoy! I highly recommend a little spread of peanut butter and a nice cup of coffee to compliment. You may even want to hum “Crushcrushcrush” in between your “Mmmmm”s…
…Nothing compares to a quiet evening alone, just the one, two I was counting on. That never happens, I guess I’m dreamin’ again, so I guess I’ll eat my Muffin Bread…
Related Articles
- Shred, White, and Blueberry muffins (jennblogsat.wordpress.com)
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