The Case of Chocolaty Chocolate Banana Muffins

Presenting my first ever guest blogger: my friend Detective Charlie Kerrian (created by author Patti Phillips)! Charlie is accompanied by his wife, Sheila, who contributes these mouth-watering muffins. I've tried them myself at home. They can't be beat! Over to Detective Kerrian—
  

Hi everyone,

Sheila and I are so happy to be here with Becki today. When not off solving crimes, she’s busy coming up with recipes, so the three of us always have lots to talk about. Becki offered to serve up a tasty lunch and I said as long as it didn’t include broccoli or tofu, I was good with that. She kept her promise (as any great detective would) and we had pasta, grape tomatoes and a great pesto sauce. I’m pretty sure it’s a featured recipe here on Vegetarian Detective.

Back during the summer when Becki was a Visiting Detective at www.kerriansnotebook.com, the mystery featuring her as the sidekick, A PURSE TO DIE FOR, had just had its one year anniversary and had become a bestseller. Sheila and I now have news of our own to share: KERRIAN'S NOTEBOOK, VOLUME 1 (a collection of my stories from the website) was recently published and is in the top #100 on Amazon for mystery anthologies. Wahoo!

To celebrate the news, we brought our Chocolaty Chocolate Banana Muffins along to share with Becki and her readers. Sheila baked them and I taste-tested them to make sure they were up to Becki’s chocolate lovin’ standards. We normally have them at breakfast, but they work well for dessert when you want something chocolaty, but not too sweet.

I promise that no bodies were found while making these muffins, nor have any bodies ever been reported in my backyard. But, if Becki ever wants to pick up a shovel and dig with me, I’m sure we can find one somewhere. There’s a suspicious looking empty lot not far from us. Just kidding, folks. Maybe. ;-)

Chocolaty Chocolate Banana Muffins

Ingredients

1/3 cup vegetable oil

1 cup brown sugar
1 jumbo egg (or 2 large eggs)
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
3/4 cup stone ground whole wheat flour
3/4 cup all-purpose unbleached King Arthur flour
1/4 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/3 cup Ghirardelli cocoa powder
1 teaspoon sea salt
3 ripe bananas, mashed (about 1 ½ cups)
1 cup Ghirardelli semi-sweet chocolate chips 

Preparation

Preheat oven to 375.

Set standing mixer at slowest speed.

Cream oil and sugar.

Add egg(s) and vanilla and beat until smooth.

Add flours, baking powder, and baking soda a little at a time and beat until smooth.

Add cocoa powder and salt and beat until smooth.

Add bananas and mix thoroughly. Add chocolate chips and stir until blended.

Divide mix evenly among greased, floured muffin tins (or use baking cup papers).

Bake 20-25 minutes in center of oven or until toothpick inserted into center comes out clean.

Makes 6 jumbo muffins.

 

 

Homicide Detective Charlie Kerrian sees bodies everywhere—in the backyard, in the neighborhood, even on vacation. Join Kerrian as he recounts his take on life as a cop in this collection of his 2012 stories.

 

Viewing and Purchase Links

 

Amazon US

Amazon Canada

 

 

Patti Phillips is a transplanted metropolitan New Yorker/north Texan, now living in the piney state of North Carolina.

 

Her best investigative days are spent writing, cooking, traveling for research and playing golf. Her time on the golf course has been murderously valuable while creating the perfect alibi for the chief villain in her novel, ONE SWEET MOTION. Did you know that there are spots on a golf course that can’t be accessed by listening devices?

 

Ms Phillips (writing as Detective Charlie Kerrian) can be found at www.kerriansnotebook.com. Her book reviews can be read at www.nightstandbookreviews.com.

 

 

PS To leave a comment for Becki, Charlie, Cynthia and Patti, click on the comment button below.