Cream Cheese Banana Muffins

Cream Cheese Banana Muffins.

Eventually, I knew I was going to have to try my hand at baking again, even if it IS in a foreign country.  Not that Thailand is all that foreign anymore, but, when you come from a place like the United States, where the grocery store has every ingredient imaginable, and in a multitude of brands per item, well, trying to bake here is a bit daunting.

A couple of weeks ago Rusty and I headed up to Pattaya to shop at the “big” grocery store.  It’s on Beach Road (sincerely, a grocery store is beachfront, can you imagine?), and the name of it is FoodLand.  I would like to tell you it is a big, fanciful, full of everything store.  But alas, it is not.  It has about 5 aisles, very short aisles.  The baking aisle at Kroger in Houston is bigger than this entire store.  But, I did manage to find baking powder, flour, and baking soda.  It wasn’t easy.  Still, I had it in my head I was going to make banana muffins with the remaining browning bananas I had leftover from the previous week, and so I bought what I needed.

I had packed in my suitcase a small cookie sheet, a brownie pan, and a 6 serving giant muffin pan.  Believe it or not, I even packed two packages of chocolate chips as well.  I had this feeling I may need them.  So, while most people would pack lots of clothes and beach towels for a two month trip to the tropics, I opted for baking goods.

We are all weird in our own way, I guess.

Nonetheless, after smashing the bananas, mixing everything by hand, and hoping for the best, these cream cheese banana muffins went into my little Thai oven with a wing and a prayer.  The result?

Fabulous.

We each had a muffin for breakfast the day I made them, and another the day after.  I stowed two away in the freezer for another day, and to be honest, I’m pretty itchy to get to them.  The cream cheese swirl throughout made them just the right amount of tangy, and the banana flavor really shines.  Also, those dark chocolate chips that traveled 8600 miles with me were the absolute perfect last minute addition.

Will I be making them again?

You bet your butt.

Yield: 6 large or 12 regular sized muffins

Cream Cheese Banana Muffins

Cream Cheese Banana Muffins

Banana Muffins swirled with decadent cream cheese and chocolate chips are the perfect way to use those bananas you have sitting on the counter. Use them up!

Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cook Time: 20 minutes
Total Time: 35 minutes

Ingredients

  • 2 cups all purpose flour
  • 3/4 cup sugar
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt
  • 3/4 teaspoon baking soda
  • 3 ripe bananas (I used 7 small Thai bananas)
  • 2 large eggs
  • 1/4 cup whole milk
  • 6 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted and cooled
  • 2 teaspoons vanilla
  • 1 cup dark chocolate chips
  • For the cream cheese swirl
  • 1 egg, beaten
  • 4 ounces cream cheese, softened
  • 1/4 cup sugar
  • 2 tablespoons all purpose flour

Instructions

  1. Preheat oven to 350. Prepare a 6 vessel giant muffin pan or 12 vessel muffin pan with non-stick spray or liners. Set aside.
  2. In a small bowl, combine four, sugar, salt, and baking soda.
  3. In a separate large mixing bowl, smash the bananas. Add the eggs, milk, butter, and vanilla to the bananas. Pour the dry ingredients in all at once and mix until just combined. Stir in chocolate chips.
  4. In a separate mixing bowl, mix the egg, cream cheese, sugar and flour until well combined and smooth.
  5. Spoon the banana mixture into the muffin tins, and alternate with the cream cheese mixture, slightly swirling as you go. Muffin tins should be 2/3 or more full.
  6. Bake for 15-17 minutes (if using standard pan) or 22-24 minutes (if using larger pan). Keep an eye on them as time nears the end. Remove from oven when done, and allow to cool in pan for 5 minutes. Keep stored in air tight container.

 

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