Thursday, October 7, 2010

Banana Crumble muffins

Our kitchen runs in a simple way- my mother is in charge of the cooking, which she does, infallibly every single day. Then there's me with my sweet and baked goods, which I make whenever I feel like it. My father's in charge of the drinks whenever we have a more Western style dinner- say roast or steak. And my sister's the kitchen assitant, helping out here and there, or recreating recipes from school or other little things she might like to try.

And then there are the few dishes each one of us creates which don't fall into our normal category- sort of like signature dishes, although not quite because they're not that good. But these are dishes which other members of the family will rarely attempt.

IMG_2095

For me, these special things would be mostly my occasional dinners (like butter chicken or beef rendang) and my yorkshire puddings which I make everytime we have roast (which unfortunately, have never lasted long enough for a photo). My sister's would be her fruit punch, a recipe from one of our first cookbooks. My father's would be his HK style borscht or a couple of dishes he whips up whenever mum's not at home. None of these are particularly special, and could easily be replicated by other members of the family but just never are.

One of my mum's special little somethings is bannana bread, which, funnily enough, comes from my cookbook. She claimed banana bread as her role one afternoon, while I was at school when she made the banana bread from a recipe we'd been looking at.....together! It was an instant hit, and she's been making it regularly ever since.



Although this doesn't mean I'll never make banana bread, this is the reason why most banana bread recipes, as good as they may look and sound, rarely make it to the top of my list of things to bake. And because that list is so long, I've never really gotten around to making banana bread =)

But, when I saw these gorgeous banana crumble muffins here, with their delicious looking crunchy crumble topping, along with the soft fluffy insides I just couldn't help but make them =D And this was before I read on to realise that more than 5,500 other people had tried and loved the recipe too!





So this was how I made my first batch of banana muffins- and they tasted every bit as good as they looked on the computer screen!! I didn't bother measuring the crumble ingredients properly or mixing them properly because by the time I'd spooned the mixture into the muffin pans, the oven had already been on for ages. Which is why the topping didn't quite come out as I'd expected. But most cakes which come out of my oven have really crunchy tops anyway, so along with the crumble topping the top was really really yummy and crunchy =D

The muffin itself was also delicious, a lot lighter than banana bread but just as good! My parents actually prefer the banana bread over this, but I really love the crunch of the crumble topping- it makes a huge difference to the slightly more ordinary muffin =) Unfortunately the crunch didn't last long, and when I took it out of the box the following day, the top had gone soft =( Popping them back into the oven helped a bit, but it wasn't quite the same as on the first day- I guess I'll just have to gobble them all down on the day I make them!

Which isn't a difficult thing. At all =)



Banana Crumble Muffins
From Allrecipes via The Little Teochew

Ingredients

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
3 bananas, mashed
3/4 cup white sugar
1 egg, lightly beaten
1/3 cup butter, melted

1/3 cup packed brown sugar
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1/8 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 tablespoon butter

1.Preheat oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C). Lightly grease 10 muffin cups, or line with muffin papers.
2.In a large bowl, mix together 1 1/2 cups flour, baking soda, baking powder and salt. In another bowl, beat together bananas, sugar, egg and melted butter. Stir the banana mixture into the flour mixture just until moistened. Spoon batter into prepared muffin cups.
3.In a small bowl, mix together brown sugar, 2 tablespoons flour and cinnamon. Cut in 1 tablespoon butter until mixture resembles coarse cornmeal. Sprinkle topping over muffins.
4.Bake in preheated oven for 18 to 20 minutes, until a toothpick inserted into center of a muffin comes out clean.

27 Comments:

Min said...

Nice bake! I baked this muffin before, really love it, the crumble really makes the muffin awesome!

sensiblecooking said...

I rarely bake muffins. But with crumble topping I can't wait to make this one. And you family kitchen story sound similar to mine only difference is I was never too much of kitchen person growing up. Oh miss my home.

Kristy Sayer-Jones @ Southern In Law said...

These look delicious!
My family's kitchen dynamics were extremely similar to yours! But now as i've gotten older, I've become the primary chef!
At first my mum was standoffish about me taking over the kitchen, but now she's more than happy that it's a job i've taken off her hands.

And me? I'm EXTREMELY happy :)

SteelCityFlan said...

They sound and look nummy. The pictures are also lovely on this one too! :)

Anonymous said...

My family also has that "tradition" too. My dad makes the steamed bread (mantou) and my grandma makes this sesame green onion bread and my mom basically cooks everyday. While I only bake. :) I love making banana bread because I can always whip it up in less than 15 minutes. I remember the first time I made them and it took me forever to mash the bananas, now I know all you have to do is just use a fork. I guess the crunchy topping became soft because of the moisture in the air.

Yup, I'm busier now, but I always find the time to go blog hopping. :) How's school going? Did it end already?

A Canadian Foodie said...

What a wonderful peek into your family world! When my children were still living at home, there were only 3 of us (divorce) and I was the one that cooked. If they did, there was never evidence of it, nor any left for me. But, I know they did because they would tell me what they made, and the groceries would be gone. My feelings were hurt, but it never seemed to change. I think they always thought they made enough for three, but just never did. Anyhow, that wasn't often and I was usually home in time to make dinner myself. They never liked helping. I didn't like cooking that much at the end of a long day. I wish I had me now for them then. But, we ate nutritious meals and usually had meat on Sunday with guests. We never planned to be vegetarians. It was never a decision. It just evolved over time and with the choices we would make for evening meals. Three girls are quite easy to cook for. I miss those days because I love my girls and they grow up so fast. Now, there is my husband and I. I "hear" he cooks "weinie water soup" but have never seen evidence of it! I believe he would die of starvation if I wasn't here to cook for him. I love doing that.
When I was a child, I was never allowed to cook in my mother's kitchen. Though, I did have my specialties. She just never knew about them. (He he)
I love banana bread and your photos are fantastic!
:)
Valerie

Maz at Dimmi said...

click! Definitely saving this one on my 'to do' list... :)

Maz

Lynn said...

Yum! these look delicious! Perfect for a sunday brunch!

Maria @ Scandi Foodie said...

These sound yummy :-) I like the crumble topping!

Angie's Recipes said...

Beautiful banana muffins! And how I love the crumble topping!

chow and chatter said...

its so cool that you made gnocchi and these muffings look amazing love the photos as well super talented

rebecca

Shirley @ Kokken69 said...

This is so lovely, Von. I love anything with bananas (except banana flavored milk). I think it is wonderful that every member of your family has a signature dish that has become somewhat of a family legacy...

Adriana said...

I love how everyone in your family has a different role in the kitchen. My parents cook, and I bake - that's pretty much it!

I've made these muffins once before, and while they were delicious, the crumble topping didn't stay crunchy very long either. But as you said, it really doesn't matter because they don't last very long!

Anna said...

Yum, I love banana muffins with a crumbly top! If you ever get around to making banana bread, I'd highly recommend you try the banana and chocolate type - it's awesome :D

Cooking Gallery said...

I am not very into bananas, but I like banana cakes (do you also know banana cakes that are a bit like mochi in texture? I used to buy those in Sydney China Town, very yummy!!)

Joudie's Mood Food said...

These look amazing for early morning. I love the crumble topping. Crunch with a moist cupcake... Perfect!

Anonymous said...

Crumble and muffin in one?! I am sold!

Dee D. said...

Those look and sound great! Crunchy top with crumbly inside, mmmm :)
I love your blog layout by the way, it's really cute :D

panda said...

there are days when i think of gobbling up a whole tray of baked goods just because i don't want them to go to waste and taste bad the next day - i think if i made these banana crumble muffins; that would be exactly the case!

sweetlife said...

how neat that everyone has their own role, i beleive families should be together in the kitchen...i love these stunning muffins and love the topping..yummy

sweetlife

tigerfish said...

The crumble definitely bring added texture into your muffins :)

Anonymous said...

Scrumptious muffins! I love the crumble topping!

grace said...

i do believe that this is the first time i've seen a banana muffin with a crumble topping. apples? yes. blueberries? yes. sigh--what a sad life i've led until now. :)

Zoe said...

Ohhh! very yummy muffins! and very well presented blog! Look forward to see your next post!

Viv said...

im salivating looking at this after dinner...>< wish i have some of this crunchy banana-y goodness but instead i only have sweetened tea as my after dinner treat in my new apt :P

MaryMoh said...

Wow...looks like your whole family are good cooks! Must be so fun in the kitchen all the time :D Love your banana muffins. I love all bakes with bananas. I would eat a few :)

Unknown said...

whoaaa i love banana baked goods, especially when topped with crumble heheheh

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