Banana-Hazelnut Dirt Bombs
I wrote a little on two other posts earlier today. Then, I walked by that bunch of ready-ripe bananas….. My mind, being in the oxygen-deprived, season-starved state that it is, went to Summer in Orleans, MA and the Cottage Street Bakery. Their Dirt Bombs are famous.
One thing led to another and here’s what happened:
THE BANANA-HAZELNUT DIRT BOMB
10 tlbs unsalted butter, room temp
2 large eggs room temp
3/4 cup light brown sugar
1 tsp vanilla extract
1/3 cup plain greek yogurt
1/2 cup 1%milk room temp
3 cups all purpose flour
2 1/2 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp baking soda
generous 1/2 tsp freshly grated nutmeg
1/2 tsp allspice
1 tsp coarse (kosher)salt
1 1/4 cups mashed overripe bananas – about 3
3/4 cup chopped hazelnuts
1/4 cup minced crystalized ginger
Preheat oven to 350F. Place paper liners in about 18 muffin tins. Set aside.
In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, allspice and nutmeg. Set aside. In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat butter and light brown sugar until light and fluffy. Add eggs one at a time and beat in thoroughly, scraping down bowl and paddle as needed. In a small bowl, whisk together the milk, yogurt, bananas and vanilla. With mixer on low, add dry ingredients alternating with wet in proportions as follows: dry=3, wet=2. Mix ONLY until dry ingredients are barely incorporated. Remove bowl from mixer and hand mix in the hazelnuts and crystalized ginger. Scoop batter into prepared pans with a large ice cream scoop. Bake for 20 minutes until lightly browned and a toothpick inserted in center comes out clean, turning pans after 10 minutes. Remove from oven and let cool for 10 minutes on a wire rack – do not cool in pans. Remove papers from muffins and turn them into Dirt Bombs as follows:
Melt 1/2 stick unsalted butter. Set aside. In a medium bowl, mix 3/4 cups granulated sugar and 2 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon. After the muffins have cooled for 10 minutes, brush with melted butter and roll in the cinnamon-sugar. Re-roll if desired. Do this one by one – do not butter all the muffins first. Voilå!
whatever gets you through to the Springtime weather, right?
