Top 5 Recipes of 2011; Peanut-butter Muffins!

It's time for my number 4 pick of the Top Recipes of 2011, Peanut-butter Muffins, and surprisingly it's a recipe I may never prepare again. But the recipe had such an impact on my family life that I had to include it in the year end wrap up. This recipe marks my wife and my realization of what it was like to have a child with a severe food allergy. We have been very fortunate that her daycare takes food allergies pretty seriously and have been very open to making changes or accommodations when we have concerns over the foods she's being exposed to, yes were those parents that are just out to make things difficult for someone else. We don't do it out of spite, but out of love and fear for our child. We are not sorry if it inconveniences you and your family, it is what it is and an exposure to peanuts could very well lead to the death of my child. What people need to begin doing is trying to see such things from that person's perspective, if it was their child with the allergy how would they respond? I honestly hope that people would then begin to understand the issue and not get hung up on how in inconveniences them, but that it means the difference between the life and death of someones child.


Very rarely do I have a recipe that forces me to really think about what ingredients go into a dish or how a dish is prepared, but this recipe has done both, for the simple reason my little girl is allergic to peanuts and this is the recipe that help lead to her diagnosis. You see Sammie's Uncle is allergic to nuts, so we held off trying peanut butter with her until she was communicating well enough to tell us something was wrong. Upon trying these she got a rash and a persistent cough, which was quickly followed by a dose of Benadryl and a call to the doctor. We had a doctor visit and a blood draw that day, she did excellent through it all. When the results came back, she tested positive for being allergic to peanuts only, but the doctor suggested avoiding all nuts and any thing else that states it "may contain peanuts" to try and avoid the possibility of cross contamination. We have gone through our cabinets and cleared out all the items that either contain nuts or may contain nuts, it's surprising what things were discarded. We have begun looking for alternatives in preparing some of our favorite foods, like no bake cookies and Peanut Butter and Jelly sandwiches, so be on the look out for some reviews on alternative foods and recipes.

(In light of my daughters reaction no picture was taken, as the muffins were quickly quarantined and removed from the house.)

Recipe from Deceptively Delicious by Jessica Seinfeld

Ingredients

Nonstick cooking spray

1 cup firmly packed light or dark brown sugar

1/2 cup natural peanut butter

1/2 cup carrot or cauliflower puree

1/2 cup banana puree

1 large egg white

1 cup whole-wheat flour

1 teaspoon baking powder

1 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon salt

Directions

1.Preheat the oven to 350F. Coat a 12 cup muffin tin with cooking spray or line with paper baking cups.

2. In a large bowl, mix 1/2 cup of the brown sugar with the peanut butter, the vegetable and banana purees, and the egg white, using a wooden spoon.

3. Put the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in a bowl or zipper-lock bag and stir or shake to mix. Add to the bowl with the peanut butter mixture and stir just to combine (the batter will be a little lumpy-do not over mix). Add the remaining 1/2 cup of brown sugar and stir once or twice.

4. Divide the batter among the muffin cups and bake until the muffins are lightly browned and a toothpick comes out clean when inserted into the center, 15 to 20 minutes. Turn the muffins out onto a rack to cool.

5. Store in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 2 days, or wrap individually and freeze for up to 1 month.