Chocolate Chip Banana Bread Muffins

Guys, I have really exciting news!!! This is huge. I mean, big time. Yeah, that’s right, the Playstation 4 was announced yesterday. Bring on the Killzone Shadow Fall.

Okay, sorry, I can’t even pretend. I just had to look up “Playstation 4 games” to find out the name of some popular games of this generation. I mean, my last game console was actually the original gray Playstation. I can’t even remember the name of my favorite game (It’s the one where you shoot the spaceships that line up and dive down at you. . . any ideas?).

But anyway, here’s the actual exciting news: My recipe was published in Cake Central Magazine this month! I contributed an article (quite similar to a blog post, actually) with a recipe and photos of a Strawberry Chantilly Cake inspired by my childhood. If you’re interested, you can check it out here (it’s the “strawberry sweetheart” mentioned on the front cover)!

Baked Pumpkin Donut Holes with Pumpkin Glaze or Cinnamon Sugar

My love of fried dough started with a church and a box of Dunkin’ Donuts. When I was younger, I would always drop by my parent’s Sunday school class before heading to my own. Of course, as a dutiful daughter, I wanted to say goodbye to my parents. As a bonus, I also managed to nab a donut out of the boxes of Dunkin’ Donuts virtually guaranteed to be sitting on the back table.

I don’t know why we never had Dunkin’ in my second grade Sunday school (perhaps something about children and massive amounts of sugar?). I guess it doesn’t matter, because I was lucky enough to find another pathway to donut bliss.

But although I had access to plenty of donut flavors, none enticed me so much as the Chocolate Kreme Filled Donut: A powdered sugar donut filled to the brim with delicious chocolate creme (actually, filled past the brim – look at the little rosettes on each donut due to too much filling ahhhhhh). Hang on, let me wipe the drool from my keyboard.  Sorry. But I have not eaten one for years.

Unfortunately, the Dunkin’ in my town closed down, which I despair over to this day (A little courtesy notice, please? I would’ve pitched in my allowance!). The years between the closing of Dunkin’ and my leaving for college were filled with the opening of Krispy Kreme (fine, their glazed donuts are friggin’ delicious just out of the fryer, but do people really need to line up at 3am for the opening?!) and LaMar’s (chocolate glazed is pretty dec).

When I got to college in Houston, though, I found Shipley’s. Ohhhh Shipley’s. Did you know that the one on Kirby used to open at like…5am (before they closed down…like all the great donut shops of my life)?? And that the one on Richmond is open until 10pm? I did.

Unfortunately, upon being tossed from that great blanket of security and fun known as college, I have yet to find a donut love in Dallas. Probably because I am still too traumatized from the Dunkin’ Debacle of 1999. So when I started seeing a plethora of donut recipes pop up (check out this ridiculous milkshake), I knew it was time to make some of my own. And, I found this amazing baked recipe! Plus I replaced almost half the oil with applesauce. So. healthy. Also, I tried out two different topping options. Because when is one (donut) ever enough? Enjoy!

Coconut Brie Brunch Biscuits

I love brunch. No, I adore brunch. Not enough good things can be said about brunch. Brunch is MAGIC.

Butter. Coconut. Brie. Love.

Let’s look at the facts. For what other meal are you encouraged to:

1. Leisurely sleep in
2. Saunter to a restaurant in pajamas (okay, not encouraged, per se, but accepted?)
3. Eat eggs benedict! (my one true egg love)….AND….
4. Drink cocktails before 4pm without being judged

???

Seriously. Seriously?? That’s what I thought.

Being a brunch person, I’ve put in my time researching Dallas brunch places. Last weekend, I brunched (verb? yes) at Malai Kitchen on the recommendation of D Magazine.

I CANNOT get over that ooey gooey cheese flowing out of these buttery biscuits. Ahh!

Malai Kitchen serves Thai food. You might think this would make for a strange brunch place, but what it really makes for is homemade coconut biscuits oh my wordddd. Shredded coconut flakes inside buttery biscuits, which were really just the base for poached eggs (for eggs benedict!!!)!

So yeah. I made some. With brie. Which I’m casually announcing but not feeling very casual about at all, since I also LOVE brie. But I feel like my love for things might be discredited if I love too many things, so I’m trying to calm it down.

I also added coconut cream. Love! Okay, I’ll stop now.

I highly recommend eating these with melted butter and honey drizzled on top.

Just, make these? For brunch? And then invite me over please! Also, want to know more random things about me (as if you don’t already know too much)? I finallyyy updated my page to reflect my favorite TV shows. So important.