Chai Banana Bread Muffins

I love chai. I love it so so much. I call it Christmas in a cup. I love it hot. I love it iced. I love it blended. I love it mixed with pumpkin spice. I LOVE IT! When I saw a Chai Banana Bread recipe, I instantly added it to my list of things to make. However... I'm calling mine Chai Inspired. The original recipe calls for cardamom, which is a chai ingredient, but dang it that stuff is expensive! My bananas were getting too brown before I could justify buying cardamon, so I improvised and they still taste spicy and yummy! I pretty much used her recipe but did a few healthy substitutes using yogurt butter, applesauce and whole wheat flour. I also made have jumbo muffins to break in my jumbo tin I hadn't used yet and half regular sized. I enjoyed these for breakfast, snack and dessert all week. Or for three days because I ate them too quickly.

Chai Inspired Banana Bread Muffins

Original Recipe from Cinnamon Spice and Everything Nice.

Ingredients: 

• 1 1/2 cups mashed ripe banana, 3-4
• 1/3 cup fat free Greek yogurt - I used vanilla but you could use plain too, or regular nonfat yogurt
• 3 tablespoons of applesauce
• 2 tablespoons Brummel and Brown yogurt butter
• 1/2 cup egg beaters (or 2 eggs)
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 1/2 cup packed brown sugar
• 2 1/4 cups whole wheat flour (or whole wheat white flour or all purpose flour, I like whole wheat because of the nuttiness it adds and it's a power food on WW)
• 3/4 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1/4 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice
• 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
• 1/2 teaspoon nutmeg 
• 1 teaspoon vanilla

Cream Cheese Frosting (optional)

• 4 ounces cream cheese, softened
• 2 tablespoons butter, softened
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla
• 2 cups powdered sugar

Directions: 

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Add banana, yogurt, apple sauce, butter and egg beaters to a mixing bowl and  beat until blended. I used, as always, my stand mixer. Add brown sugar and white sugar and beat on medium until just blended. In a separate bowl mix flour, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, ginger, pumpkin pie spice, and nutmeg together. Add dry mixture a little bit at a time to the banana mixture and beat until just combined. Don't over mix! Pour into lined muffin tins and bake for 45-60 minutes, checking often to see if a toothpick comes out clean. Cool on a wire rack in pan for 10 minutes. Remove from pan and cool completely before frosting.

For icing, beat butter and cream cheese together with a mixer until smooth. Add vanilla extract and beat. With mixer on low add the powdered sugar a little at a time until thick enough to spread. Top muffins with icing and enjoy! I also froze a few of mine because I was going out of town and they defrosted well too! 

Double Chocolate Banana Bread

Once upon a time, I didn't eat breakfast very often. I was either too rushed, not hungry, woke up too late or just (let's be honest) too lazy. However, as a Weight Watchers doer and meeting attender I quickly learned breakfast is essential! Fact - people who eat breakfast loose more weight and are just generally healthier. 

As you should know by now, breakfast has become one of my favorites! I mean I can't ever get enough of these make ahead crustless breakfast quiches, I've posted them twice with different variations and made them WAY more than twice. There were the make ahead breakfast burritos and banana pancake muffins. And now... CHOCOLATE! 

Is there anything better for breakfast than chocolate? I mean it's bread. Bread is a breakfast food. It has bananas. That's fruit. Fruit is a breakfast food. So Double Chocolate Banana Bread can most definitely be eaten for breakfast right?! Glad you agree. 

Double Chocolate Banana Bread

(Adapted from a Pinterest recipe.)

Recipe yields 2 loaves of bread, 12 slices each loaf, 24 servings, 6 Weight Watchers points per whole slice, 3 per half slices (which is a great snack size). Calculated using the Recipe Builder on Weight Watcher Etools. 

Ingredients: 

• 2 cup sugar
• 1 cup egg beaters
• 2/3 cup unsweetened apple sauce
• 2 1/2 cup mashed, ripe bananas (about 6)
• 2 teaspoons vanilla
• 1 1/2 cup white flour
• 1 1/2 cup whole wheat flour
• 1 cup cocoa powder
• 2 teaspoons baking soda
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 1/2 cup chocolate chips 
• Optional garnish - powdered sugar for dusting (not counted)

Directions: 

Preheat oven to 350. Spray the bottom of an 8x4 inch loaf pan with cooking spray. I only had one, so I did it in two batches. If you have two, even better! 

Beat sugar, egg beaters, and applesauce on medium speed until combined. Beat in mashed bananas and vanilla on low. 

Combine flours, cocoa, baking soda and salt in a seperate bowl. Beat into banana mixture one cup sized scoop at a time on low speed until combined. Stir in chocolate chips. 

Pour half of the batter into loaf pan(s). Bake 60-65 minutes or until center of bread doesn't jiggle. Cool 10 minutes. Turn out of pan unto a wire cooling rack and cool completely. Sprinkle top with powdered sugar to pretty it up a little.

This recipe can easily be halved if you only want one loaf. But I'm telling you, it's so good you're going to want to share! Which means, one loaf for you and one for sharing. Trust me, you're not going to want to share your loaf.

How do you like your breakfast? Sweet or savory?