In this era of social distancing, staying home is the best thing we can all do to to help reduce the spread of Covid-19, and for many of us this means more screen time. One thing you may have noticed while scrolling your social media feeds is the incredible increase in the photos of baked goods- cakes, pies, bread, muffins, and cupcakes. Essentially, quarantine baking has taken over and has become the hobby of isolation! In fact, if you search hashtag #quarantinebaking on Instagram and you will find over 150K posts.

This story featured on Eater.com  suggests that we are “anxiety baking”, or “stress baking”, and even goes further to say that we are “procrastibaking”. Baking as opposed to cooking requires more attention to detail like using the exact quantities of each ingredient and following each recipe to a tee. Redirecting our focus and energy into something more enjoyable may be a part of the reason why why baking has become so popular in the past two months.

Last week, I got crafty in the kitchen and made these delicious Crunchy Muffin Top Banana Bread Muffins. You can mix in goodies like dark chocolate chips and/or shredded zucchini for more variety. This is a great snack option on The 1:1:1 Diet and pairs up perfectly with a Greek yogurt or a latte for added protein. Another recipe you may be interested in giving a try is for my signature Zucchini Chip Muffins.

Ingredients

  • 2 1/2 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
  • 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
  • 3/4 cup dark brown sugar
  • 1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
  • 2 cups smashed bananas (about 4 to 6 bananas)
  • 1/2 cup vegetable oil or 1/2 cup of applesauce
  • 1/2 cup milk
  • 2 large eggs, at room temperature
  • 1/8 teaspoon fine salt
  • 1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

Directions:

  1. Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F.
  2. Lightly spray a 12-muffin tin with non-stick cooking spray
  3. Whisk the flour, baking soda, brown sugar, and cinnamon together in a medium bowl
  4. Whisk the banana, oil (or applesauce), milk, eggs, salt, and vanilla in a large measuring cup into a separate bowl.
  5.  Combine wet and dry ingredients and stir with a wooden spook until the dry ingredients are moistened, but still lumpy.  Divide the batter evenly into the muffin tin.
  6. Put the muffins in the oven and immediately reduce oven temperature to 375 degrees F. Bake until golden brown, about 25 minutes. Insert a toothpick into the center of a muffin to check if it is done. If it comes out clean, your muffins are ready to come out of the oven. Cool muffins in the pan on a rack for a few minutes. Serve warm or at room temperature. Enjoy!