“This blog post is part of a paid SocialMoms and Dreyer’s blogging program. The opinions and ideas expressed here are my own.” When a late night urge to bake (recipe included) turns into a midnight muffin party at my house, we build memories and have a real “reason to smile”. Learn how you can give families in need a reason to smile by helping my sponsors at Dryers to support “Operation Smile”.
Tonight I am up late baking! I’m not sure why, but I just had a little itch to bake this evening. I had some ripe bananas, so I decided to whip up a couple batches of my kids’ favorite Banana Chocolate Chip Muffins (recipe below).
It makes me so happy to see their faces light up in the morning when they realize I made them a special little treat and to see them enjoy it while we cuddle up and watch some early morning cartoons. Life just doesn’t get much better then that!
While I was sitting on the couch writing this and letting the muffins cool (it’s about midnight), my son got up and needed a glass of water. I sent him into the kitchen to get one and the next thing I know he is walking into the living room smiling and holding a muffin in each hand. So I let him snuggle on the couch with me and eat his midnight snack. Next my husband came in from getting some late-night work done for his business and upon smelling the muffins headed straight to the kitchen to grab one for himself! All of the noise woke up my little girl, and she decided that she needed to join our midnight muffin party too (good thing its summer vacation)! It ended up being a really fun, special, totally unplanned, memory building time together! I just love when my family has moments like this that are a true reason to smile!
If you want your own way to give some special families a reasons to smile join Dreyer’s in their “turn scoops into smiles” project to support Operation Smile. All you need to do is upload or share an image of your own reason to smile to the Dreyer’s Facebook Page using the hashtag #ReasontoSmile. When you do this, you will be helping Operation Smile, a program that provides surgery to children who have a cleft lip or cleft palate. For every photo uploaded, Dryers will help 500 children receive this life-changing surgery.
After doing that, reward yourself with two of Dryers new limited-edition, summer ice-cream flavors “Fun ‘n the Sun Banana Split” and “Summer in the City Cheesecake.” Each flavor is only available through August 2014 and retails for $6.49 for 1.5 quarts. I’m thinking that my family might even have a midnight ice-cream party next!
A delicious cool treat and a cool way to help others… that’s a reason to smile!
Banana Chocolate Chip Muffins
Ingredients
- 2/3 cup melted butter
- 5-6 ripe bananas mashed
- 2 eggs
- 3 cups whole wheat flour or all purpose works too
- Pinch of salt
- 2 tsp baking soda
- 1 Tbsp cinnamon
- 1/3 cup milled flax seed optional
- 1 cup chocolate chips optional
- 1 cup raisins optional
- 1 cup chopped nuts optional
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°.
- Mix butter, bananas and eggs
- Mix in flour then remaining dry ingredients
- Add in optional ingredients (note, the milled flax seed is optional, but when used gives the muffins a lovely golden crusted top)
- Fill muffin cups approximately 3/4 full
- Bake for 18-20 minutes
- Cool and enjoy
Ruthann says
Ummm…. Don’t you need to addd some sugar for sweetness? I made these & my kids are like, don’t make them again! I even tried one & tasted like I was eating flour.