I hope everyone had a wonderful summer weekend. I’m still pregnant…and happy about it too! My OB was out of town over the weekend, so we told Lucy to wait until she returned. And she did. Now we’ll see if she’ll listen to me again. I’d love for her to be born over Father’s Day weekend.
My motivation to work in the kitchen is diminishing. I still feel good, but the thought of turning on my oven or stove when our house is already nearing 80 degrees is less than appealing. Yesterday afternoon, I knew I’d feel better if I baked something…but it took a lot of convincing to actually get out my bowls and pans.
If I’ve missed anything during my pregnancy, I’ve missed coffee. As a graduate student and a writer, I drank at least two cups of strong, black coffee every day. One of my best friends (the lovely Mallory) opened a coffee shop (Vintage Heart) in East Austin, and I spent my mornings there, working and drinking. But when I got pregnant in October, I developed the strongest aversion to most everything I loved. I couldn’t even smell coffee without feeling sick. This lasted about 12 weeks…I thought it would never end.
When I moved back to Colorado, my stomach finally settled. My OB told me I could drink coffee occasionally, but that it was best to avoid caffeine as a general principle. Since hearing that advice, I’ve had a few cups of good coffee…and while I loved the taste and the slight jolt of energy, Lucy reminded me that caffeine indeed crosses the placenta. She moved and kicked and shifted her body. And so for her sake, I don’t take more than a sip. Or I make a batch of these coffee banana muffins.
This is a classic banana muffin recipe made more complex with the addition of strongly brewed coffee. If you don’t like the flavor of coffee, leave it out, but I think you’ll find it adds a layer of complexity often lacking in most banana muffin recipes.
Oh yes, I usually post on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday. If you don’t see a post from me on one of those days…you can assume our baby has made (or is making) her arrival! I’ll be sure to update my facebook page with baby pics as soon as everything settles
Banana Coffee Muffins
1/3 cup butter, melted
4 ripe bananas, mashed
3/4 cup granulated sugar
3 TBSP strong, brewed coffee
1 teaspoon finely ground coffee
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 egg
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 cups all purpose flour
1 cup chopped nuts (optional)
Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Line a 12 tin muffin pan with paper liners or grease with butter.
With a wooden spoon, mix butter into the mashed bananas in a large mixing bowl. Mix in the sugar, egg, coffee, and vanilla. Sprinkle the baking soda and salt over the mixture and mix in. Add the flour, mix until it is just incorporated. Fold in the chopped nuts (optional). Divide muffin batter into prepared pan. Bake in preheated oven for 20-25 minutes. Cool on rack before removing from pan.
