How to Host a Box Top Bash + PB&J Granola Parfaits

Last week I shared a post about the Box Tops for Education program and the amazing ways that Box Tops are contributing to schools around the country. But let's be realistic -- sometimes you need a little motivation to get excited about pitching in!

The truth is that there are countless ways you can make Box Top collecting enjoyable {and even enticing!} for anyone and everyone who wants to participate. Even busy parents!

I've yet to meet a mama who doesn't enjoy a good "girl's night out" with her friends. The start of a new school year is the perfect excuse for a gathering to celebrate surviving another summer the milestone of the kiddos heading back to the classroom. So I was thinking... why not do a little good while you have a little fun by hosting a Box Top Bash?

The idea is quite simple, really. Make some tasty treats with your favorite General Mills Box Tops products, invite your gal pals to do the same, summon everyone for a "potluck"-style gathering and collect the Box Tops that were used in making all the delightful dishes you share! You can theme the party around a specific holiday or theme, make it an evening affair or even mix it up with a Box Top brunch! Have a group that's into friendly competition? How about awarding a small prize to the dish made with the most Box Top items?

If the ladies in your life aren't into cooking, you could sweeten the deal by providing noshy bites and hosting a party with a twist. For example, my girlfriends have had Bunco nights where we each pitch in a few bucks and the champion takes the pot of winnings. You could easily "Bunco for Box Tops" where, instead of chipping in cash, each player brings a certain number of Box Tops! Winner takes all for their kid's school -- not to mention bragging rights with the girls AND with the teacher! {Maybe just keep the gambling part under wraps. Wink, wink!}

The best part about collecting Box Tops is that you can get your whole community involved. Invite your neighborhood, church, sports teams and, of course, schools to participate with their own Box Top parties. Not sure how to get started? Here are just a few ideas:

Give to get! You've heard of a bake sale... why not a Box Tops Bake Sale? Following the same idea, invite community members to "pay" for baked goods in Box Tops and get some sweet treats in return!

Make it a competition. Nothing gets kids {and adults} more excited than a friendly rivalry! Classroom competitions are always a popular way to get kids involved in a challenge... especially when the winner gets an ice cream party!

Raffle off a prize. Ask local businesses for exciting donations that will draw interest. Turn in Box Tops for raffle tickets and hold a drawing for a lucky winner.

Mark your progress creatively. Kids are often visual, and goal setting can be abstract unless there's a mental image of the ultimate objective. Print out a picture of what the school intends to purchase with Box Top money and set out a big container or bulletin board where kids can see their contributions accumulate!

Make it EASY.  The truth is, as much as parents want to help, busy schedules and constant obligations can make participating a chore. Teachers can facilitate parent involvement by providing labeled zip-top bags with a clip or magnet that can be placed in prominent place in the house {i.e. the fridge?} and adding "collection days" to the classroom newsletter or calendar as a friendly reminder. I've also seen teachers give a self-addressed, stamped envelope to anyone who is willing to collect and send in Box Tops. It doesn't have to stop with classroom parents -- family and friends who live anywhere can take part with this clever collection method. Easy peasy!

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Since brunch seems to be such a thing these days, I decided to whip up a simple recipe that could easily be made ahead: PB&J Granola Parfaits. Just a bit of yogurt, a dollop of jam, some crushed peanut butter granola bars and some blueberries are all you need for adorable brunch bites. The "recipe" is also easy to scale for larger groups.

These dainty little darlings are surely worthy of a few Box Tops, and your friends will feel great about pitching in for a good cause!

PB&J Granola Parfaits

1 package Nature's Valley Peanut Butter Granola Bars
1 cup plain Greek yogurt {or your favorite kind}
1/4 cup strawberry jelly or jam*
1/4 cup fresh {or frozen, thawed} blueberries**

1. With a rolling pin or meat tenderizer, smash the granola bars into bits. {I did this right in their packaging for less cleanup!} Set aside.

2. In a small bowl, gently fold in strawberry jelly so that it maintains a swirled effect. Spoon evenly among 4 small ramekins.

3. Divide the crumbled granola bars among each of the servings. Top each with a few blueberries.

Serve immediately. If refrigerating for later use, add granola pieces just before serving so they maintain their crunch.

*You may substitute for your favorite flavor.
** Any fruit will do!

This is a sponsored conversation written by me on behalf of General Mills®. The opinions and text are all mine.

Ice Cream Social: Peanut Butter Banana Malt Dusty Road Sundaes | Baking a Moment

My apparent inability to count has resulted in your reward. Though Ice Cream Social was supposed to be "a week-long post-a-thon of ice cream recipes", I somehow forgot to count myself among the 7 bloggers and ended up with one extra day of ice cream! Terrible, I know.

And by terrible, I obviously mean absolutely fantastic. Because to wrap up this incredible week, I've got Allie from Baking a Moment sharing a recipe that includes peanut butter and banana and malted milk balls and all sorts of sweetness.

Speaking of sweetness, Allie is probably one of the sweetest people ever. When I met her in May {yes, at BlogHer Food where I seem to have met everyone and their mama}, I felt like I had known her for ages. In fact, I found myself just tagging along with her group throughout the conference day because I just felt so comfortable that I couldn't help myself! {Note: Find nice people to do this with so that they don't give you "Who the heck are you?" looks.}

Her blog keeps me browsing for hours on end. The girl has got some talent in the kitchen and behind the lens. Try not to dive head-first into your computer screen when you take at just about everything her Apple Rose Tart with Maple Custard and Walnut Crust {I'm not kidding, you really have to see this to believe it. Gorgeous.} or her Chocolate Caramel Cheesecake Tartlets. I can't even. There are no words.

Want to check out all of her beautiful baking for yourself? Follow Allie on her pages to get a glimpse of the magic!

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*Don't forget!* Enter to win our Ice Cream Social prize pack including goodies from our friends at Joy Cone & a copy of the fabulous Ruby Violet's Ice Cream Dreams from our pals at Hardie Grant!

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Hi there, Kitchen Prep friends!  I’m Allie, and I usually blog over at Baking a Moment. I’m so happy to be filling in for Dianna today, for this fun Ice Cream Social event!  How awesome is this, to get a new and fabulous ice cream recipe from a different blogger every day?!   

When it comes to homemade ice cream, my philosophy is, you gotta go big or go home.   I mean, let's be honest here: making homemade ice cream is kind of a process.  You have to think ahead, you have to plan, freeze the canister, chill the custard, and on and on and on.  If I am going to invest that kind of time and effort, it had better be bug-your-eyes-out amazing.

So this one is not low-cal by any stretch.  Just want to put that out there from the get-go.  But it definitely fits the bug-your-eyes-out bill. There are a lot of egg yolks (so you've got whites in your fridge for macarons! Or Swiss meringue buttercream), and obvs, cream.  Suuuuper rich, veeeeerrrrrry creamy.  Even after it's had a good nights rest in the freezer, this ice cream is soft and so creamy.  You'll have no trouble scooping it, and it will never be icy.  I could never give you icy ice cream, that is just such a slap in the face and I have too much respect for you to ever do that.

The ice cream base is infused with banana and brown sugar (omg!).  Then, it's ribboned with honey peanut butter (OMG!).  Then, sprinkled throughout with crushed malted milk balls (don't... stop!).  As if that weren't enough, you are going to drizzle it with chocolate sauce and dust it with malt powder (BOOM!).

Are you familiar with Dusty Road Sundaes?  I wasn't sure if that's a regional thing, or what.  Usually it's vanilla ice cream with chocolate sauce and malt powder.  Definitely a favorite of mine, but this is on a whole different level.  I'm going big here, remember?

Peanut Butter Banana Malt Dusty Road Sundaes

8 egg yolks

3/4 cup light brown sugar

1 ripe banana, mashed

1/8 teaspoon kosher salt

1 1/2 cups milk (I used 1%)

2 1/2 cups heavy cream

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

1 cup peanut butter

1/4 cup honey

1 1/2 cups malted milk balls, chopped

chocolate sauce

malted milk powder

1. Freeze the canister of an ice cream maker overnight.

2. Place the egg yolks, brown sugar, banana, and salt in a large bowl and whisk to combine. 

3. Heat the milk in a medium pot until small bubbles form around the edges.  Pour the hot milk into the egg mixture in a slow and steady stream, while whisking.  Transfer the mixture back to the pot.

4. Add the cream and heat over medium-low heat, whisking, until the mixture thickens slightly and is very hot to the touch.  Remove from heat and stir in the vanilla.  Refrigerate the mixture overnight.

5. Mix the peanut butter and honey together in a small bowl.

6. Pour the chilled custard into the ice cream maker (with the machine running).  Allow it to churn for 20-30 minutes, or until it has the consistency of soft serve.

7. Layer the ice cream in a loaf pan, drizzling it with the peanut butter mixture, and sprinkling with chopped malted milk balls (work quickly!).  Freeze until hard.

8. Top scoops of ice cream with chocolate sauce and dust with malted milk powder. 

Thank you so much, Dianna, for inviting me to be a part of your Ice Cream Social!  I had so much fun coming up with this idea, and I hope you guys all enjoyed!  If you’re looking for more fun summer treats, I’d love for you to pop over to Baking a Moment and check out what I’ve been up to.  Here are a few summery dessert ideas you might enjoy:  

Raspberry Magic Custard Cake Bars 

Simply Perfect Blueberry Muffins

Nutella S’mores Tart 

Red, White, & Blue Velvet Bundt Cake

...and stay in touch by following me on my social media:

Ice Cream Social: Nutella-Swirled Vanilla Ice Cream with Reese's-Style Chunks | The Food Charlatan

We're on Day 3 of our ice cream making shenanigans, and we're showing no signs of stopping! Today's recipe is coming to you from Karen of The Food Charlatan! 

Karen is truly a hoot. {Just read her "About" page.} I know she says that when she started her blog she did so despite the possibility that it may be "ugly as sin", but taking a glance at her work will prove there's nothing "ugly" about it! In fact, it's quite the opposite! I just love the look of Karen's blog AND her super duper drool-inducing photography. 

Tell me you don't want to stuff your face with Overnight Bacon & Cheddar Scones or Malaysian Chicken Pizza. That's what I thought. So, on to Karen's ice cream amazingness. Be sure to follow Karen so you can keep up with her recipes!

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*Don't forget!* Enter to win our Ice Cream Social prize pack including goodies from our friends at Joy Cone & a copy of the fabulous Ruby Violet's Ice Cream Dreams from our pals at Hardie Grant!

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Hello Kitchen Preppies! (Sorry Dianna I couldn’t resist) Props to you by the way, Dianna, for coming up with this whole Ice Cream Social week thing.  Now the only question is how we are going to convince the masses that it’s completely appropriate to have week-long ice cream fests In Real Life.

I mean wouldn’t that be awesome? Different ice cream. Every day. All week long. I was just talking to my husband Eric about this. He interpreted it as a subversive tactic to persuade him to buy me a chest freezer. He knows me well.

I’ll make you a deal, kind reader; you buy me a chest freezer, and I will fill it with Nutella-Swirled Vanilla Ice Cream with Reese's-Style Chunks. And then I will invite you over every day for a week to help me eat it. Deal? Deal.

This ice cream may seem like an odd combo to some. I mean, why not just crush some Reese's peanut butter cups into some vanilla ice cream? Here’s the thing: I’m a weirdo and hate cold chocolate. Those ice cream cones dipped in magic shell? Hate ‘em. Chocolate chip ice cream? Please. I have better things to spend my calories on.

I love Reese's peanut butter cups but they are surrounded by pesky frozen chocolate when they are mixed in ice cream. So I skipped the chocolate and made Reeses peanut butter filling chunks, sans chocolate. And swirled it into some ice cream. With Nutella. Because let’s be real, peanut butter is 1000x better with chocolate, and *bonus!* Nutella freezes way softer than regular ol’ chocolate. Plus you get a sophisticated hazelnut flavor. We’re pretty fancy around here what can I say.

Happy Ice Cream Social week everybody! And happy no-more-waxy-chocolate-stuck-in-your-teeth-day. Bring on the peanut butter filling. 

Nutella-Swirled Vanilla Ice Cream with Reese's-Style Chunks

1 quart good-quality vanilla ice cream

1/4 cup butter, melted (half stick)

1/2 cup + 1 tablespoon graham cracker crumbs

1/3 cup powdered sugar

1/4 cup + 1 tablespoon peanut butter 

1/3 cup Nutella, Nocciolata, or other chocolate hazelnut spread

1. Set out the ice cream for about 20-30 minutes to soften. When the ice cream is soft, scoop it into a mixing bowl.

2. Meanwhile, in another bowl or stand mixer, (or use a spoon) beat together the melted butter, graham cracker crumbs, powdered sugar, and peanut butter. Combine until smooth. Stick the bowl in the fridge for about 10-15 minutes so that it firms up a little. 

3. Use a 1/4 teaspoon or other small spoon to make little bite size chunks of peanut buttery goodness. You can either plop them right on top of the softened ice cream and throw it in the freezer for 10 minutes, or line them up on a wax-paper lined sheet pan. However you want to do it, freeze or refrigerate them for a bit so they hold their shape. (I didn't add all of the peanut butter filling to the ice cream. Probably only a little more than half. I ate the rest, oops.)

4. If you haven't already, add the peanut butter balls to the softened ice cream. Add the 1/3 cup Nutella in small dollops, then use a spoon or knife to swirl it all together. Don't mix, just swirl. 

5. Transfer the ice cream to a tupperware or other ice cream container. Return the ice cream to the freezer until completely frozen, a couple hours at least. 

Note: I only used a little more than half of the peanut butter mixture for this recipe. Add as much or as little as you want.

Source: Reese's peanut butter filling adapted from Real Housemoms

Yulia's Seed Sweets + A Cookbook Giveaway

I love cooking for so many reasons. Among them is the fact that so many dishes are steeped in tradition. Recipes often come with a story... a history. A past.

There are recipes I treasure that have been passed down from my Abuela that I will continue to make the way she did for years to come. In our family, this is especially important because a lot of our heirlooms and traditions were left behind in Cuba when my parents fled to this country many years ago. They may not have been able to take their fine China or jewelry to pass down to future generations -- but no one could make them leave behind the recipes that will forever remind them of special times with family and friends, breaking bread over laughter and joyful times.

I was recently contacted about a new cookbook that was written by a local called Cooking Up a Story: Empowering Women Through Cooking. In it, author Susan Shulman Pertnoy shares recipes from women of all different backgrounds who immigrated to Israel. Though their journeys all differed and their paths were unique, each of the women shared a common link in their stories: food.

Many of the women whose recipes are featured in this cookbook underwent difficult times in their lives -- family tragedies, famine, poverty, ailments and, of course, the difficult task of assimilating into a new and unknown culture. With the help of a program called the Cook and Host Group, these women were able to come together and find a group with whom they could connect, cook and ultimately heal.

Part of the Cook and Host Group's mission is to show individuals how to create healthier versions of traditional foods all while keeping costs low in order to be able to feed a family. Though the recipes in the book stem from age-old favorites passed down through these families, they have all been slightly adapted to be more healthful and nutritious. But their goals go beyond just nourishing the body; the practice of bringing these women together has also provided emotional support and bridged cultural gaps.

In one of the stories shared by Chani, a Georgian woman who moved to Nazareth Illit at the tender age of 6, she remembers a time when the children of exiled families from many nationalities would gather in the courtyard of her neighborhood while their families prepared dinner. Though the children didn't speak the same language, they began to learn about one another through the foods they brought out to share each evening.  "Food was our first language. It helped us form connections and make friends", she explains.

Among the recipes shared in this book are classics like Dorit's Latkes and Hannah's Borscht to recipes infused with the flavors of a specific region such as Shula's Ethopian Chicken Stew and Chana's Harira. The recipes are organized into four thematic sections like "Cooking Through Lack and Hardship" and "Finding My Place", and each recipe tells the story of its origin.

One hundred percent of the proceeds from Cooking Up a Story go to the S & P Foundation, which funds the American Jewish Joint Distribution Committee's {JDC} Nutrition Enrichment and Healthy Living Program. It is available for purchase {$36} through the Jewish Federation of Palm Beach County.

Today, I'm giving away a copy to one reader! Simply leave a comment below telling me: What is your favorite traditional family recipe, and what is its origin? {Who knows, I may even get a few new ideas and have to ask for details!} I'll be choosing a winner on Tuesday, July 1, so make sure to enter before then!

Reading this cookbook was a good reminder of the power of something as simple as a shared meal and of the emotional component of food in our lives. I often say, "Food is love." And I truly believe it!

I'll leave you with a recipe from the cookbook -- Yulia's Seed Sweets -- created by a Russian woman whose health issues as a child prompted her to create these sweet, nutritious treats which she now shares with her children.

Disclosure: I was given a complimentary copy of this cookbook for this giveaway.

Yulia's Seed Sweets
From Cooking Up a Story: Empowering Women Through Cooking

1 3/4 cups ground flaxseed
5 heaping tablespoons carob powder or unsweetened cocoa powder
1 cup unsweetened natural peanut butter {try to find one that isn't too runny}
1 cup ground almonds
3/4 cup honey
Shredded sesame seeds or unsweetened coconut flakes for coating

1. In a bowl, mix all the ingredients to form a single mixture.
2. Mold the mixture into small balls, a little over an inch big.
3. Roll the balls in the sesame seeds and/or coconut flakes to coat them.
4. Store them in an opaque container in the refrigerator.

Food Blog Forum Orlando Recap {Part 2}

{For Part 1 of my Food Blog Forum recap, click here.}

How do you deal with meeting new people for the first time? What's your reaction when you find yourself in interesting social situations? {i.e. Meeting people you've already read all about.}

Me? I'm a babbler.

{I know what you're thinking. Me? Babble? Never.} ;)

I start talking and then I can't shut myself up. I talk to fill the silence with timid people. I talk to "put it all out there" and be open. I talk because I want the other person to feel like they're not the only one sharing. Or oversharing as the case may be.

So, even though I consider myself quite social, I can also be quite socially awkward. At least, that's what it feels like when it's happening.

You can imagine how I felt going into Friday evening's welcome reception with 125+ of my closest "friends" that I've never met.

Disney did their best to make us all feel at ease... beautiful little bites of food circulated the room, an open bar served up some liquid encouragement for flowing conversation, and the surroundings weren't too shabby, either.

Within the first few minutes, I found myself chatting with Elise Bauer from Simply Recipes {one of the very first food blogs I ever stumbled upon}, Megan from Wanna Be a Country Cleaver {one of my more recent favorites! I totally hugged her. I'm a nerd.}, Julie from The Little Kitchen {whom I had the privilege of meeting last year at Central Florida BlogCon}, and Lindsay from Love & Olive Oil.

Can I tell you what I said to these lovely folks? Nope. Not a word of it.

I was tuned into the Babble Station. All babble, all the time. I proceeded to yammer on for the rest of the hour with various other bloggers.

Fun Fact: I spoke with Tina from My Life as a Mrs. and we discovered that we're practically next door neighbors. Like, we shop at the same grocery store and everything. I also got to meet 2 more local bloggers -- Denise from Creative Kitchen and Michelle from The Domestic Mama & The Village Cook . South Florida Bloggers represent! ;)

By the end of the reception {which, by the way, was signaled by a woman walking around the room playing a xylophone-type contraption... Oh, Disney.}, I had made my way around the room and spoken to quite a few people but still had so many more I wanted to chat with!

We quickly changed into comfier "play clothes", and made our way to the Magic Kingdom in hopes of getting to ride a few of the highlights and catch the fireworks display & the parade.

Did I tell you we recruited a new park-hopping friend to our group at this point? Erin from Eat Drink Bake Cook {For the life of me I cannot remember the order of these words. I say it differently every time.} ... she was a doll!

It was just a tad windy waiting for the boat on the dock.

So, the three of us took on the Magic Kingdom after dark. As we discovered, there were a lot of changes to the park since the last time I visited, which made it sort of difficult to navigate. {Read: We got lost. A lot.} But we still managed to get to ride a couple of the "Mountains", and even some of the attractions in the new and improved Fantasyland.

Over by the new Beauty & The Beast area in Fantasyland.

Most importantly? I got a Dole Whip.

That is one happy Dole Whip-eating girl. 

We called it a night after the parade since we knew we had to be at breakfast by 8:00 a.m. and before I knew it, my alarm was going off and it was time for the conference!

..................................................

I'm SO not a morning person. But I have to say, the whimsical breakfast spread presented by Disney definitely made losing some sleep a little less painful.

How often do you get to start your day with a light-up fruit salad?

As if glowing breakfast items weren't enough to wake us up, we also received our swag bags around this time... oh, the swag! Our sponsors and friends really spoiled us rotten. I'm pretty sure I've already gained a few LBs from exploring all the edible goodies we were given.

Swag, unloaded from the bag at home. I'm pretty sure some of the stuff isn't even pictured here.

Guess what I'll be talking about in the next post??

You guessed it: More FBF, and more FOOD! 

I'll be sharing some of the insights I gained from listening to the wonderful presenters, as well as our Disney-tastic lunch. Can you believe everything I've shared all happened within the first 24 hours of the conference weekend?? No wonder I'm still recovering!

Since I've been busy getting back into the groove this week, I haven't had too much time in the kitchen, so I'm sharing an older recipe that was popular at a 4th of July party last year that you can bust out at your Memorial Day gatherings. 

It's a Strawberry-Peanut Butter Tart, and I'm pretty sure there's no way to mess it up. Not even if you're tired from a weekend of Disney fun. It's pretty, can be made to look "patriotic", and basically tastes like a big PB&J flavored cookie. How All-American is that?

Click over to the recipe here. 

{Stuffed} Banana Bread Muffins & Easter Goodies

 

Last week was so busy it flew by and I didn't even get to post once. {It's been a while since that's happened... the not posting part, not the busy part.} Since hubby was out of town all weekend, the pup and I had a little "unplugged" getaway over at my Mom's house for company and a change of scenery, hence the lack of Facebook posts, etc.

Though it was nice to disconnect from the digital grind for a short time, I am SO ready to get back to posting, especially with Easter happening in less than a week! {Where does the time go?!} I'm also going to be wrapping up my Tasty Travels: NYC posts in the very near future, and have quite a few drafts waiting to be shared.

Before I get to all that good stuff, I'm excited to announce that a winner was chosen for the Palm Beach Parties Personalized Tray Giveaway that ended last week. And the winner is...

Tina P.!

Congratulations, Tina! I hope you'll enjoy your tray {and maybe even send us a picture of how you personalize it? Because we're nosy that way. ;)} And thanks again to the lovely Carla from Palm Beach Parties for providing us with such a fabulous giveaway prize! {Be sure to check out her shop if you're into preppy & adorable goodies!}

Ok... now food.

Today I'm sharing a recipe for some extremely moist and delicious Stuffed Banana Bread Muffins that I baked up on Friday to bring to my Mom's over the weekend. I was originally planning on making a traditional loaf, but was running short on time, so I turned the recipe into muffins. Right before putting them in the oven, I decided they needed a little something... peanut butter. And chocolate chips. Because those two ingredients have never made anything worse.

The peanut butter sinks down as the muffins bake and leaves you with a little surprise "plug" of peanutty goodness that makes these even better... and they're pretty darn good on their own. {I actually made a handful with PB, some with PB & chocolate chips, and some plain.}





This is what it looked like hot from the oven. NOM.





I plan on spending some time coming up with some fun Easter foods that you can bring to the table this weekend, but until I get crackin', I'll leave you with a few favorites that would work great for an Easter Brunch and some sweet treats that make great {and easy!} additions to an Easter potluck.

Brunch Offerings:

Orange, Walnut & Rosemary Muffins

 Brie, Jam & Candied Walnut Braid

 Chocolate & Cheese Danish

Easter "Tweets"!

"Bunny Bait" Snack Mix - Free Printables for Bunny Bait tags included in this post!

 

Chocolate "Nests"

Easter Themed Rice Krispie Treat Pops

 

Sweet Spring Desserts

Chewy Strawberry Blondies

 

Orange-Yogurt Bread

 

 

Chewy Lemon Crinkle Cookies

 

 

{Stuffed} Banana Bread Muffins

Adapted from Flour Bakery's recipe via Food Network

 

1 2/3 cups all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon baking soda

Scant 1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 cup plus 2 tablespoons sugar

2 eggs

1/2 cup vegetable or canola oil

3 1/2 very ripe bananas, mashed

2 tablespoons non-fat Greek yogurt

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

 

Optional Add-ins:

Semi-sweet chocolate chips

2/3 cup walnuts, toasted and chopped {optional}

Reduced Fat Peanut Butter

 

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Spray a muffin tin* with non-stick cooking spray or line with liners. {Note: Make sure you spray the tins well if you aren't using liners, these like to stick.}

 

2. Beat together sugar and eggs until very pale and thick, about 3-4 minutes. Slowly pour in oil to combine, then add bananas, yogurt, and vanilla extract and continue to mix until everything is well incorporated.

 

3. Combine flour, baking soda, cinnamon, and salt in a small bowl.

 

4. Sprinkle the flour mixture into the banana mixture a bit at a time, mixing until just moistened. {Don't overdo it or you'll get gummy, dense banana bread.} The batter will seem pretty liquidy, but that's ok. Note: If you'd like to use walnuts in your muffins, this would be the time to add them in and mix by hand so the mixer doesn't break them up too much.

 

5. Using an ice cream scoop, spoon batter into muffin tins until 2/3 of the way full. Spoon about a teaspoon or so of peanut butter onto the tops of the muffins and push down just a tiny bit with your finger. {It'll sink as it bakes.} Sprinkle tops of muffins with chocolate chips if desired.

 

6. Bake for about 20-22 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center of a muffin comes out clean. {Don't forget there's molten peanut butter in there so you'll have some stickiness, but you should be able to tell whether it's batter or PB.}

 

7. Let cool for about 5 minutes in the tins, and then use a small paring knife to loosen from the tins and help you pull out the muffins. Cool on a wire baking rack.

 

*You can make this as a loaf, too, just pour the batter into a greased loaf pan and bake for 45 minutes to 1 hour, until the top is golden brown, testing with a skewer to ensure that the center is cooked through.

 

Makes about standard 20 muffins, or 1 loaf.