I’m Whimsical!
I’ve had a sack of millet in my pantry for a month. I bought it on a whim after reading The Kind Diet. I also bought a lot of collard greens, ume plum vinegar and some nori sheets. Those weren’t so lucky. Whims explain a lot of underutilized belongings of mine, like oil paints, juicers, knitting needles and yarn, and the very large, very nice guitar in my very cluttered closet. I could still learn. I’ve got nothing but time on my hands. And millet.
With my mind set on millet, I thought I’d let the girls come up with a dish of their own.
“Gigi, do you want to play Iron Chef? The secret ingredient is…millet!”
“Yay! Can Lulu be on my team?”
“Sure, you just have to think of something that you can cook with millet.”
“I know! Chocolate!”
Naturally.
Banana Chocolate Chip Millet Muffins
- 2/3 c. millet
- 1 1/2 c. whole wheat pastry flour
- 1 1/2 t. baking powder
- 1/2 t. baking soda
- 1/4 t. salt
- 1/2 t. cinnamon
- 2 bananas, mashed
- 1/2 c. organic brown sugar
- 2 T. canola oil
- 1/2 c. non-dairy or organic milk
- 1 t. vanilla
- 1/2 c. non-dairy or organic chocolate chips
Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Measure your millet into a food processor, spice mill or high speed blender and pulse into a fine texture.
Pour into a large bowl and add flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon and salt.
The girls lined the muffin tins…under protest.
Gigi didn’t want to use the cupcake papers leftover from her birthday. They were “too pretty.”
I’ll remember that when Pea Daddy asks why I’m not playing the guitar he dropped coin on seven years ago.
Then I had to referee who got to put which papers in the tin.
You don’t want to know what happens if you cross the line. I never found out when I was a kid, so I better think of something good.
Mash bananas,
and add to oil, milk, brown sugar and vanilla.
Fold the wet ingredients into the dry. The Iron Chef added her precious chocolate.
Spoon the batter into the lined muffin cups and top with banana slices.
Bake 17-19 minutes.
Because there was a dispute over the spatula, the girls licked the batter off of identical baby spoons. “I want the yellow one!” was quashed before it could even come out. Step ahead of you, pookies.
Of course, it turned into a sword fight.
Then someone said, “Poopy.” It diffuses even the most intense conflicts. Try it, you’ll see.
While the muffins baked, the girls disappeared.
The closed door is never a good sign. What’s that squeaking?
Naturally.
Gigi was saying, “I never want this day to end!” And to me, it felt as if it never would. I lured the monkeys downstairs with muffins.
I don’t blame her. The texture on these muffins is amazing–slightly crunchy, yet fluffy and tender. Dare I say, the best muffins I’ve ever made?
I dare.
Maybe whims aren’t always a bad thing.
“Hey Gigi, want to play Iron Chef? The secret ingredients are plum vinegar and 3 inches of a hand-knitted scarf! You want to help me fold laundry first?”
Naturally.
Oh those girls just kill me… you’re right about the poopy thing though. Makes any kid smile. As does calling them a “Booger butt tomato nose.” Don’t ask how I know.
Mmm, those look like some damn fine muffins. I’m not sure that I’ve ever seen millet in the stores here before… I guess now I have a reason to look harder!
I would NEVER have thought o using millet in that way…PURE GENIUS!!!
my kitten found my (very unused) crochet stash and has scattered it about the house. so now i don’t have to feel bad i don’t use it!
maybe your cat wants some yarn?
First, love every single post of yours Mama P, naturally. Second, it’s funny to me that it’s called ume plum vinegar, since ‘ume’ means plum…just like here in Japan, where places are called Hirosaki Castlejo…’jo’ means castle. Crazy Japanese. And lastly, I vividly remember my childhood of Velveeta processed Mac and Cheese fights between Lulu (my sister’s nickname!!) and me. Whoever got to add the ‘sauce’ the other got to stir…it usually ended in tears
Happy almost 4th of July!
Thankyou SO MUCH for this recipe! I have some whim-bought millet in my cupboard which I didn’t particuarly like, but had no idea how to use up – now I know…..:D
from your opener, I suspect that juicing has fallen a bit off the radar screen. It did for me ages ago. I can’t get into cleaning that thing. Omg I must be slow or something b/c mine…takes me like 15 mins of hardcore cleaning to truly get it clean. I have the same Breville you have but in stainless and the food just never gets outta those teeth. I digress.
The muffs look great! Best muffs you’ve ever made you say? Wow. That’s big!
Random question…I have a ton of NN Baking Blend and also their Crystals. I know you bake tons w/ their stuff. Do you think I could use either in say, my coffee? I am almost out of my white stevia powder but have jars!!! full of the other kinds. Any thoughts would be appreciated!
Perhaps you could ask them to do something with the boxes of popcorn and the weird peanut butter I bought the other day? Seems they are creative
Love the posts by the way!
I’m tempted to go buy millet JUST to make these!!
those muffins look delicious! for whatever reason the picture reminds of me a nice piece of sweet cornbread that we used to eat as children. the texture was just as you described, grainy but fluffy. hmm, maybe i can adapt your recipe and recreate a wonderful childhood memory. i’m sure it’ll beat jiffy (do they have that in the pacific northwest?).
I have also added toasted millet to muffins for a delightful crunch (usually in pumpkin date muffins) but I’ve never ground it to flour first. A very iron chef moment.
In that final shot, Lulu looks like one my great aunts who has imbibed too much…I think it is the hat and the way she’s gripping that cup.
xoxo
LOVE lulu’s pb & j shirt!!
I have never had millet. I think we have it for the bird feeder? I would probably be too afraid to eat it.
I just made banana muffins last night, and now I’m going to have to let some bananas go brown again asap. Your description of these sounds too delicious to pass up.
Meanwhile, could you please have the girls play Iron Chef with a big bag of miso? I needed such a small amount for a veggie burger recipe that went over like a lead balloon, and now that $11 bag of miso is just taunting me every time I open the fridge.
Mi so sick of seeing the unused miso.
I want to go back in time to jumping on the bed and saying “I never want this day to end.” the picture of your girls reminds me of one that is in my babybook of my sister and I. thank you for sharing your children’s memories to remind us all of our own
Love the iron man contest. too cute!
We love millet and this recipe looks great
Hope you and your family have a wonderful weekend!
Banana chocolate chip muffins are the best kind of muffins. Hands down. I can’t eat anything besides breadstuffs right now so these look perfect. Unfortunately, I also can’t cook /bake either. Boo on food contamination. I’m baking these once I’m better!!!!
Hi! I’m a new follower but I absolutely adore your blog. Every post puts a smile on my face.
Those muffins look incredible – I love millet!
hahaha my sister and i (she’s 20 i’m 21) used to fight in the car on trips to Martha’s Vineyard when we had to share a backseat in the minivan over who was crossing the (imaginary) Line separating our zones lol.
these muffins look FABULOUS! banana and chocolate together is second to peanut butter and chocolate in my opinion. my mom used to make banana bread with chocolate chips and i LOVE it.
I just love waking up and having your post to read. It always makes my morning. It is nice to know someone else is going through similar situations with the kiddos. Poopy is also a familiar laugh getter in our house along with booty, go figure!
How did you like The Kind Diet? I loved it, it helped me make the transition to Vegan along with watching Earthlings, which was horrifying. Some of the recipes are a little far out there yet for me, and that is why I am so happy I found your blog, much more kid-friendly. So Thank you! Thank you! Thank you!
MMmmmmmm, best muffins ever?! Yum, they do look quite amazing!! Thanks for the recipe!!
Love that last pic of the girls, hehe!
the last muffin picture is pure gold. it convinced me to go out and buy some millet.
your girls are just too cute! do they eat anything you put in front of them? it looks like they have very open minds and a sense of adventure.
I can’t even deal. I think I have an autoline into your brain (you don’t know it though) because every time I need something you make it. This week, how to use up the bag of millet that I didn’t particularly like as a cooked.
How have I never noticed how blue Lulu’s eyes are? Your girls are so beautiful.
How in the frick do you come up with a new and fabulous recipe every single day? I’m fully convinced you’re Wonder Woman in disguise.
As always, miss the Peas like mad. Heart you!
is it bad that i’m 22 and still think the word poopy is the most hilarious word in the english language? don’t answer that.
These look like AMAZING muffins! I love bannana/chocolate combinations & I love the texture of millet.
My mom is wheat-intolerant, so could I sub almond flour for the whole wheat pastry flour?
Sure! And I bet you could even increase the amount of millet flour. You might also try grinding gluten free oats into a flour.
Ok…must make these. Bake @ 350?
Oops, I’ll edit to add the temp…375 degrees.
Millet may be my fave grain, next to quinoa
I love it! And these muffins look scrumptious.
Also, way to be economical. Millet flour (which you made simply by grinding) is a fortune!
i just told one of my friends about your blog last night and i know she’s going to fall in LOVE! especially with this post…i want to play iron chef!
Spread the word…we take any and all readers. Okay, not that creepy guy that lives in the house with the overgrown yard and his Santa windsock flying in July.
I LOVE Lulu’s t-shirt – so cute!
So can I grind the millet even if I have one of those Vita’s that claims “Can’t grind grain?” Can i find non-dairy choc chips at Trader Joe’s? Could I ask more annoying questions on the eve of a holiday weekend???
Lulu’s shirt says “Best Friends Stick Together.” It’s kind of adorable. I just used my Vita’s wet blade (I don’t have a dry one). And TJ’s semi-sweet chocolate chips are vegan. Love that store. Hope you have a great week, Tiff!
I’ve never cooked with millet, but I’m thinking this recipe is a fabulous place to start. Just look at those chocolate chips oozing out. Gigi knows where it’s at.
I love your blog! Having two little girls of similar age, I know the true life craziness! lol
I like to replace 1/4-1/3 millet (or quinoa) in when I cook rice. It adds texture and other nutrients.
My mom used to make a yummy millet pudding like dish by blending cooked millet with pineapple juice and vanilla(??) till smooth, pouring it into a baking dish with granola in the bottom, topping with fresh berries, and chilling till firm.
Wow, Sara, that pudding sounds great! Thanks for the idea!
Haha your kids are growing up so quickly! What a wonderful recipe! I’m dying to try it!
omg I went out and bought ume plum vinegar after reading that book too! If you figure out what to do with it PLEASE let me know bc it’s still unopened in my pantry and it was hella expensive.
Maybe there is a way we can turn it into wine?
I’d really like to make those muffins but I hate bananas. I was thinking of substituting pumpkin. What would you think the equivalent might be? I’d guess 2 mashed bananas is about 3/4 cup? So perhaps I should go with 3/4 -1 cup of pumpkin. I’ve never tried substituting pumpkin for bananas before, but I’d think it would just be a straight substitution since the sweetness is relatively similar. Any thoughts?
I think it’d be a great idea! 3/4 c. -1 c. sounds about right. You may want to add a bit more sweetener and perhaps some nutmeg. Let me know how they turn out!
LOL – your monkeys are hilarious! I did the same thing after reading the Kind Diet and still have interesting goodies sitting on my shelf, staring me in the face every time I open the pantry. You’ve inspired me to be whimsical.. looking forward to seeing what experiments my little Iron Chef and I can create in the kitchen today!
Oh and ume plum vinegar… I make a carrot-daikon salad and use it in the dressing. Grate 2c ea carrots and daikon, make dressing of ume plum vinegar, mirin, toasted sesame oil.. mix all together and sprinkle with black sesame seeds. Easy breezy, and really good as a side dish to summer/spring rolls.
gracious me! those muffins look divine!
nice use of millet. i bought a bag a couple months ago and haven’t cracked into it yet!
I cook with quinoa all the time, as part of a gluten free diet… I bought some millet about a month ago, one of the reasons was to bake with it (I see bloggers everywhere with their millet bread but it eludes me!).
It’s still sitting there. perhaps this weekend I’ll venture into new territory with your muffins.
happy weekend!
GAh!! I am obsessed with millet right now. I used to be all about the quinoa but millet fills me up more and it’s $3 cheaper per lb. Not a tough decision there! Gigi’s little sad face is breaking my heart…awww!!! I bought millet flour recently but have yet to use it….I need to get my magic wand out! Also, I NEED lulu’s shirt. Seriously!
those muffins look amazing, i’ll have to save that recipe
I’ve never cooked or baked with millet before. Maybe I’ll give it a try! Your muffins looks delish. And your girls are, as usual, too cute
Oh my those girls are geniuses! I loveeee millet and it’s slight crunchy-ness, I bet it tastes amazing in these muffins.
I use ume plum vinegar in place of salt sometimes. You just need a little bit so it doesn’t take vinegary at all. I actually cook collard greens with it and it cuts the bitterness! Cook a head of collards with a little oil, garlic or whatever seasonings you like then add a tsp of ume vinegar towards the end, amazing!!
haha too funny you said this about the kind diet, because I just read it and got myself some umi plum vinegar and used it once! that stuff is SALTY!!!! i guess a tsp really does go a long way!
I have SO much millet but in the form of puffs, so i gotta figure out something to do with taht! I know you have a millet puff recipe in here somewhere!
Here’s the millet puff recipe: http://peasandthankyou.com/2010/06/08/stars-in-their-eyes/
omg I’m totally using the poopy rule out during my next heated debate LOL
I bought nori because of that book, and felt as if I were eating fish food flakes :-/
I have never bought millet! I was debating buying the Kind Diet but never got around to it. Hm. I haven’t gotten the umi plum vinegar but I did buy the plums (umeboshi) – I pureed them in some dressing that I used to make and it was really good. Thanks for the reminder
Amazing! Love the part about the guitar! I laughed out loud at that!
These muffins look AMAZING! I love the touch of the banana on top. I’m intolerant of sugar and I love when recipes don’t call for any because they’re naturally sweet. I can’t wait to try them!
Oh, and Gigi’s comment that she never wanted the day to end was absolutely adorable. Your girls are so beautiful!
I, too, have had a bag of millet lurking in my pantry for far too long. I’ve kinda been on a muffin kick too lately, so I will have to make these ASAP!
The recipe looks fantastical!! I love the use of millet in the muffins, I will definitely have to try it with some of my creations as I am gluten free and millet would be the perfect thing to add! Love the look of a banana slide on top of the muffin too, very cute!
I have such random ingredients in our pantry for the same reason. I wish I as creative as you to use them up.
I grew up on millet! It still is one of my all time favorite breakfast foods! With fresh berries, sweetener, cinnamon etc. It’s great savory too! I made a millet/ cracked wheat/Quinoa roasted veggie Mediterranean Tabouleh type salad. SO GOOD!
I buy millet bread, it’s delightful!!! I will have to pick up some millet so I can make these muffins, yumm!!
Jen
http://jenslosinit.blogspot.com/
These look so great! Ironically, I’m right in the middle of baking banana-coconut bread myself, too small a world
What an awesome idea for the millet. GREAT IDEA! I always have whim purchases, especially when I goto the states for work and return with a whole suitcase full of supplies that I naturally just cannot get here in Saudi Arabia. Nice work!
Ha Ha! I did! Luckily I found some to buy from the tubs at our local health food store.
Can’t wait to try the muffins, just as soon as my bananas are ripe 
My oh my looks like you’ve got a couple of fashion statements on your hands!
Those muffins look to die for. I’ve gotta pick myself up some millet it looks like!
What a fantastic blog!
I need to make these muffins as I also have had millet sitting in my pantry for about two months!
Hmm, I have a big container of millet sitting in my cabinet. Thanks Mama Pea!
Hope you guys had a good 4th.
Hehe, what a cute game! And that actually sounds like a fantastic recipe – what a little culinary genius you have on your hands!
Hi!
I’m new. We have the EXACT SAME crib.
Hi, New. I’m Mama Pea. You have awesome taste in nursery furniture.
Looking forward to trying this recipe! I have some millet just waiting to be used and this seems like an excellent way…
Is that a VitaMix you used to grind the millet into flour? If so, I have yet to use mine for that purpose and wondered if you used the regular container/blades or the special “dry” container.
I’m also continually torn about the need to soak my grains. Any thoughts?
Hey Jen, I just used the regular container/blade to grind the millet. I’ve heard the dry blade really isn’t necessary. I also didn’t soak (that would require time…of which I have very little).
What a great idea for millet. Those muffins look amazing!
Hey if youeverwant to get rid of the yarn and needles send them my way. I will send you back socks, scarves, and hats.
I featured your recipe here =)
http://www.thecleaneatingmama.com/2010/08/saturday-breakfast-lunch.html
I can’t wait to try these!
FIToriBLOG.com
This has become my default basic recipe…I LOVE it! Today I made them with applesauce instead of bananas and I can’t wait to try w/pumpkin & pumpkin pie spice! GREAT recipe! Oh, and I used flax instead of millet because that’s what I had in the pantry.
Any idea why you can’t use all millet instead of the flour? I really try not to eat any flours but have yet to find a recipe where you use all millet or amaranth or quinoa? Can you???
Not sure…you can try it!
Yum, these are delicious! I love vegan baking and again my hubby and boys loved these. What’s not to love, chocolate, bananas, muffins, hot out of the oven smeared with buttery earth balance. Hopefully I don’t eat them all during naptime!
You are making me hungry! Glad you loved them!
Just made these!! So delicious. Loved the texture. Didn’t have chocolate so used carob!
This may seem silly b/c these are “millet muffins” but I am out of millet (I was SURE I had some, but have checked several times and it is not appearing!!) and live 40 minutes from the nearest stock, soooo am wondering if you think I could sub another grain and which you would recommend? I would love to make some to freeze for our camping trip this weekend!
Thanks!
You could try quinoa, do you have any?
Yes I do and that was my first thought so I am glad that’s what you suggested!! I will give it a try!
Thank you!