Double-Chocolate Hurricane Muffins by Cleo Coyle

I actually had another recipe planned for today, but the week's weather changed my culinary game plan.

Tracking Earl's swirl on the Doppler all week made me think of...well, chocolate. Swirls of chocolate. The result? My Double-Chocolate Hurricane Muffins...

Note the chocolate vortex that forms in the center of my babies -- not unlike Earl's deceptively peaceful hurricane eye.

 

If only hurricanes had gooey chocolate centers, then maybe Willy Wonka could anchor at the Weather Channel. Now that would be interesting.

Well, anyway, the coming sea storm stirred up a mix of weather memories for me. I live in New York City, where storms rarely interrupt our power. That wasn't the case where I grew up. In the cloud-heavy hills of Western Pennsylvania, storms often swept in, simultaneously sweeping aside electrical lines. And you know what? I loved it -- as did most of the kids in my neighborhood. Of course, those were the days before video games and computers. These days kids have a different perspective on the power grid.

Cleo Coyle - armchair
storm chaser and author of
The Coffeehouse Mysteries

Yet the world was so exciting when it was unplugged -- televisions went off, streetlights went dark. Houses up and down our suburban block appeared totally black, except for those magical fairy-like glimpses of flickering candles and streaking flashlights.

We had two ovens in our house -- upstairs was electric, downstairs gas. My sister and I would grab flashlights and head down to the gas stove to pop popcorn. Then we'd sit on the front porch and watch the lightning, listen to the thunder (and maybe the battery-powered radio), and just hang together. Neighbors would come out, check on each other...Nothing better.

Storms can be dangerous, of course, even deadly -- and if you or your loved ones have been battered by one, I do realize it's no laughing matter. As I type this now, Earl is not set to do much damage, yet I fully realize if he decides to shift and become stronger, my little Queens' row house could end up next to Dorothy's farm. 

But, c'mon, let's face it, if you're out of harm's way, storms can be pretty entertaining. Ever seen those news reporters bundled in hooded slickers and rubber pants, standing in the middle of horizontal rain, literally holding onto a pole to stand upright, saying things like, "Yes, Diane, it's getting quite windy now!"





Okay, I'll admit one last thing right here and now. I'm a total sucker for those big, epic, weather-driven popcorn flicks: Twister, Perfect Storm, The Day After Tomorrow. Hmmm...do you think maybe all those years eating popcorn while watching lightning flash over the Pennsylvania hills left its pavlovian mark? Could be...

Now what about you?

Do you like storms or hate them?
Do you have storm memories to share?

As I said, today's recipe was inspired by Earl's swirls. Storms tend to lock us inside and make do with what we have on hand, and I thought it would be fun to see what I could make today, based on what was available in my kitchen:

overripe bananas,

dry roasted peanuts,

Devil's Food cake mix...

The result is below -- one darn tasty chocolate muffin. The banana flavor is subtle, but it's there in the background and combined with the peanuts and melted chocolate chips, this muffin evokes the delightful taste memory of a chocolate-syrup drenched banana split. It's delightful with coffee so it's a great afternoon pick-me-up. It's also a lovely dessert muffin -- serve them warm with fresh raspberries on the side. Trust me. These are delicious!


Cleo Coyle's
Double-Chocolate
Hurricane Muffins

To download a free PDF of this reicpe to print, save, or share, click here.





Makes: about 18 muffins

Ingredients

1 box (18.25 ounces) Devil's Food cake mix (the kind with pudding in the mix)
4 tablespoons (1/2 stick) butter, melted
2 large eggs, beaten with fork
2 very ripe bananas, mashed (*see my note about substitutions)
2 teaspoons vanilla (gives a nice balance of flavor to the chocolate cake mix starter)
1/2 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips (or chopped block chocolate)
1/2 cup dry roasted, unsalted peanuts, chopped (or walnuts or hazelnuts)

Directions: Place all ingredients into a large mixing bowl. (Be sure the melted butter is not too hot. You don't want to cook the eggs.)

Mix by hand until well blended, but do not over mix. If you overwork the batter, you'll produce gluten in the flour and the muffins will be tough instead of tender. You don't have to do the hurricane swirl in the batter. I just thought it went with my theme. :-)

Line muffin cups with paper liners and fill each cup about 2/3rds with batter. Bake at 350 degrees Fahrenheit for 20 minutes. (Do not over bake. It's actually better to under bake these muffins than over bake them.) Remove from oven and carefully transfer the muffins to a rack to cool. (Try not to let them remain too long in the hot pan or the bottoms may steam and become tough.)

EASY SUBSTITUTIONS - If you don't like peanuts, swap them out for another nut (walnuts or hazelnuts would both work well in this recipe). The bananas are a great way of cutting down on the need for fat. If you aren't a fan of bananas, however, you can substitute 1/2 cup applesauce instead. If you don't care about added fat, then simply substitute another 1/2 cup of melted butter (or vegetable or canola oil). Then you can...

Eat with joy!

~ Cleo Coyle

Roast Mortem: 
A Coffeehouse Mystery
Now a National Hardcover
Mystery Bestseller from...
Penguin's Berkley Prime Crime

To learn more about me and
my Coffeehouse Mysteries or to see more of my recipes,
visit me at CoffeehouseMystery.com

Click to see the
Coffeehouse Mystery
Book Trailer

Waffles with Bananas Foster

Congratulations, Julie! We're so thrilled that Eggsecutive Orders tops the bestseller list of Independent Mystery Bookstores in January!


In The Diva Paints the Town, Sophie bakes a special cake for Wolf for Valentine's Day. Of course, chocolate cake was the first thing that came to my mind for this week. If you're a chocoholic, don't worry, I hear there's a wonderful cake coming tomorrow! So my next thought was that Valentine's Day falls on brunch day this year. And I stumbled upon the notion of Waffles Topped with Bananas Foster. What could be sweeter or more decadent? In the event you don't have a waffle maker, you can certainly make your favorite pancake recipe or french toast and use the Bananas Foster on top. Still too much work? Serve the Bananas Foster over vanilla ice cream for dessert. Actually, as it turns out, that's my favorite. I'll have to type fast because my ice cream is melting!

Waffles

There's really nothing too difficult about making waffles. Make sure your waffle maker is hot and be sure to brush it with oil in between waffles.

2 cups flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon sugar
4 tablespoons melted butter
3 tablespoons canola oil
1 teaspoon vanilla
3 egg yolks
3 egg whites, beaten to a soft peak


This is how simple it is to make waffles. Mix everything except the egg whites. Stir it all with a fork until well blended but still a bit lumpy. Add the egg whites and stir in. Avoid the temptation to over-stir. A few lumps are okay.

Fill the waffler maker about 1/2 to 2/3 full. Close the top and cook. Each waffle machine differs a bit but it should only take a couple of minutes to cook.

Quick and Easy Bananas Foster

4 bananas, cut in half and sliced lengthwise
4 tablespoons butter
1 cup dark brown sugar
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 cup banana liqueur
1/4 cup rum

Melt the butter in a saucepan. Stir in the brown sugar and cinnamon and cook gently for a couple of minutes. Remove from heat. Stirring, add the rum and liqueur. Add the bananas and cook gently another few minutes. Spoon over waffles or ice cream.

Enjoy!

Thanks to Ingrid of The Conscious Cat who awarded us The Over the Top Blog Award! We've had so much fun with it, and I've learned a lot about my fellow bloggers.

The rules state that we must complete the questions with one word answers.



Avery Aames missed sharing her answers on Monday so I'm sharing them with you today.

Your Hair? - Highlighted
Your Favorite Food? - Ice-cream
Your Hobby? - Golfing.
Your Fear? - Claustrophobia.
Something You Aren't? - Lazy
Where Did You Grow Up? - California
Your Life? - Busy!
Your Mood? - Cheery
Your Favorite Color? - Red



And now for Krista Davis's answers --

Your Hair? – Layered
Your Favorite Food? – Cherries
Your Hobby? - Furbabies
Your Fear? – Snakes
Something You Aren’t? – Svelte
Where Did You Grow Up? – Virginia
Your Life? – Enjoyable
Your Mood? – Upbeat
Your Favorite Color? - Red




Don't forget to enter your suggestion for the name of a fictional cupcake. You could have your name and cupcake written into BUTTERCREAM BUMP OFF! (The sequel to SPRINKLE WITH MURDER, which just received a *Starrred Review* from Publishers Weekly!). Send proof of your pre-order of SPRINKLE WITH MURDER along with your name and cupcake name to Jenn at jennmck@yahoo.com






Congratulations to Helen K. who suggested the winning Secret Ingredient for Mystery Kitchen’s Iron Chef contest! Helen won a box of Fannie May Chocolates. What was the secret ingredient? Find out during our next Iron Chef week in late February! And keep reading our posts to find out how to enter our next contest!

And finally, since Valentine's Day is tomorrow, I thought I'd share a little message left by one of my dogs. Happy Valentine's Day!

~ Krista

Banana Bars

Congratulations to Kaye Barley of North Carolina, this week’s winner of our $25 gift card to Williams-Sonoma! Didn't win? Keep trying because we still have some gift certificates to give away. Leave a comment and you could be this week's winner.




Okay, you can quit laughing now. I know you have bananas that look just like these. They're sitting on your kitchen counter and your family is beginning to make fun of you. They're asking things like -- how rotten do bananas have to be before you'll throw them out? And to prove that they're still edible, you peel one and bite into it. It's not rotten, of course, but it's soft and unappealing, but now you can't throw it out because you have to save face. The good news is that those less than desirable bananas are absolutely perfect for baking. This is a very easy recipe that makes moist banana bars that taste and smell wonderful.

BANANA BARS

1 stick unsalted butter, softened
1 cup light brown sugar, packed
2 eggs
3 very ripe bananas
1 cup flour
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
dash salt
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
dash mace (optional)
1 teaspoon vanilla

Preheat the oven to 350 and grease a 9 x 9 baking pan.

Place the flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt, nutmeg, and mace in a bowl and stir with a fork to mix. Set aside.

Cream the butter with the sugar. Add one egg at a time. When well mixed, add the bananas, one at a time. Slowly add the flour mixture. Add the vanilla.

Pour into the prepared pan and spread. Bake 25 to 30 minutes, until a cake tester comes out clean. Cool in the pan on a rack.


FROSTING

To be perfectly honest, these are so sweet and moist that they don't need frosting. If you're in a hurry and you want to dress them up a little bit, melt some chocolate chips with a little butter and drizzle the chocolate over the top. I made a quick chocolate frosting.

1/2 square (1/2 ounce) unsweetened chocolate
2 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
1 tablespoon cream
3/4 cup powdered sugar

Melt the chocolate. (You can do this in the microwave in super short spurts.) Cream the butter and mix in the vanilla and the cream. Add 1/2 cup powdered sugar. When blended, add the melted chocolate. Add the remaining powdered sugar gradually, using only as much as you need to make a nice spreading consistency.

Don't forget to enter our contest! We hold a new drawing every week, so be sure to enter each week for a $25 gift certificate to Williams-Sonoma. Leave a comment to enter or, if blogger is being difficult, send an "Enter me!" e-mail with your first name and state to MysteryLoversKitchen@gmail.com Good luck!