Banana Apple Cider Muffins

Ingredients:

• 1 ½ cups all-purpose flour

• 1 tsp. baking soda

• ½ tsp. salt

• 1 tsp. ground cinnamon

• ½ tsp. ground nutmeg

• 1/4 tsp ground clove

• 1/4 tsp ground cardamom

• ½ cup coconut sugar

• ⅓ cup granulated sugar

• ½ cup butter, melted and cooled

• 1 large egg, at room temperature

• 2 large, very ripe mashed bananas

• ½ cup apple cider, boiled and reduced to ⅓ cup

• 1 tsp. vanilla extract

• ¾ cup freeze-dried apple chunks - I think the smaller the better so you may have to cut them up a bit

• 1 cup butterscotch chips [ I sometimes do less of these, they are the burst of sweet you get, but I don’t love too sweet, so I just play with it / use what I have! ]

Instructions:

1. Pour apple cider into a small saucepan and bring it to a boil over medium-high heat. Reduce the heat and let it simmer until it has thickened and reduced to about ⅓ cup, set aside to cool.

2. In a small bowl, combine the freeze-dried apple pieces with the reduced apple cider. Stir gently and let stand for 10 mins for the apples to soften.

3. Preheat your oven to 350°F - line a muffin tin with paper liners.

4. In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, cardamom, cloves and nutmeg.

5. In a medium bowl, combine the melted butter, coconut sugar, and granulated sugar. Beat until smooth. Add the egg, mashed bananas, and vanilla extract, mixing until just combined.

6. Pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients. Combine the ingredients until just blended, try not to over mix.

7. Fold in the apples [ discard any extra cider ] and butterscotch chips.

8. Divide the batter into muffin cups, filling them about two-thirds full. Bake for 25ish minutes, or until a toothpick inserted comes out clean.

9. Let the muffins cool in the pan for a few minutes - they are pretty moist with all the fruit so this ensures they are baked through. Enjoy! I freeze mine to always have on hand!

Too Good Chocolate Chip Cookies

Updated 11/22: I have spent a ridiculous amount of time tweaking my recipe for the very perfect, decadent chocolate chip cookie.

I think I found it, during quarantine day 346. I obviously must share so everyone else comes out of this with the baking my feelings #quarantine15 as I will. And with that, friends, enjoy!

Ingredients

• 2 1/4 cups  all-purpose flour

• 1 teaspoon baking soda

• 1 teaspoon sea salt

• 2 sticks of IRISH butter, lightly melted

• 3/4 cup raw sugar

• 3/4 cup  coconut sugar

• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

  ***I use Trader Joe’s bourbon vanilla extract / it is deliciously nutty and has a little bit of a scent of bourbon which I find special, BUT if you do not have access to this - I use a 3/4 teaspoon of vanilla extract and 1/4 of almond extract and it gives it a similar lil nutty scent OR you can sub 1/1 vanilla bean paste, it just gives it more depth of flavor***

• 2  large eggs

• 2 cups (12-ounce package) of semi sweet chocolate pieces ( I LOVE Enjoy Life mega chunk chips - they are like BURSTS OF DELISH CHOCOLATE FAIRY DUST // Also faves: Guittard Semi-Sweet Baking Chips and Trader Joes Semi Sweet Baking Chips )

• flaky sea salt for sprinkling on top

  Directions

• Preheat your oven to 375° F.

• Mix flour, baking soda and salt in small bowl.

• Beat butter, granulated sugar, coconut sugar and vanilla extract in large mixer bowl until creamy.

• Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition.

• Gradually fold in flour mixture.

• Then fold in chunks of heaven.

• Use a small ice cream scoop to drop delightful dough onto lined ( parchment paper or I use silicone mats ) cookie sheet.

• HERE’S THE SECRET, LET THAT DOUGH SIT FOR AT LEAST 24 HOURS IN THE FRIDGE OR FREEZER. I know it’s agony, but the longer the dough sits the more flavor it takes on. Seriously, it matters. You can tell a difference in like 12 hours of the dough sitting longer. I try to do 36 to 48 hours!

• Sprinkle on a pinch of sea salt before baking

• Bake for about 11 minutes or until lightly golden brown on the edges and still gooey in the middle

• Let cool on sheet for less than a minute so they are solid and set enough to transfer to a wire rack.

• DEVOUR ALL OF THEM. OR SHARE, you choose.