Banana Muffins

We have been on a bit of a muffin kick lately...

Matthew loves to help "cook" in the kitchen. He is getting to the point where his presence in the kitchen is actually very useful. For example, he loves to help me unload the dishwasher. With all of the lower back pain I have been having, it has been amazing having a three-foot-tall munchkin hand me the plates, bowls, and dishes from the lower rack so I do not have to bend down to retrieve them. The same is true with cooking. He now knows how to properly whisk both dry and wet ingredients for baking, enabling me to simply dump ingredients into a bowl and let him go at it while I prepare the other components.

Since today was unseasonably warm, Matthew and I went for a long walk in the morning. On our way back home, it began to drizzle, so we quickly hurried inside before we got too wet. We stood at the window and watched the rain fall for just a bit before Matthew turned to me and asked: "Mommy...make muffins?" Rainy days are normally wonderful opportunities to bake, so I agreed.

Ignore the snowman muffin liners in the background. They were all I had!

These muffins have been in our recipe arsenal for over three years now and I cannot believe I have not yet shared them on here. Matthew and I make them often since he loves anything with banana and we normally have a few overripe ones laying around just waiting to be turned into banana bread, cake, or pancakes. These muffins are perfectly moist, sweet, and light. You could add a cream cheese frosting to be really fancy, but really their homey simplicity is perfectly appealing.

Banana Muffins
adapted from Giada De Laurentiis

3 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
2 cups sugar
1 cup vegetable oil
3 large eggs
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
4 ripe bananas, peeled and coarsely mashed

Line 18-muffin cups with paper liners. Preheat the oven to 325 degrees.

Whisk the flour, baking soda, salt, and baking powder in a medium bowl to blend. Beat the sugar, oil, eggs, and vanilla in a large bowl to blend. Stir in the banana. Make a well in the center of the dry ingredients and add the banana mixture. Fold/stir just until blended.

Divide the batter among the prepared muffin cups. Bake the muffins on the middle rack until the tops are golden brown and a tester inserted into the center comes out clean (about 20-25 minutes). Transfer the muffins to a rack and cool slightly before carefully removing from the tin.

Banana Espresso Chocolate Chip Muffins

This past week, we had the pleasure of hosting my parents and four of my youngest siblings for a couple days. Matthew was so excited for their arrival that he was gazing out the window for what seemed like 2 days straight. It got a little annoying to constantly answer the question: "Coming, Grandma?" But I understand his excitement. It's always a party when Grandma is in town.

Matthew gets a crazy amount of attention from his little Aunts and Uncles.  The youngest three are all under the age of 10, and thus function as perfect playmates for Matthew. He, Bruce, and Susanna will parade around the house, moving from one mischievous activity to the next with lots of laughter, squealing, and screaming. This visit, the relatives brought presents for Matthew as well. Matthew received a Thomas the Train wall clock for his bedroom and a helicopter that lights up and makes some obnoxious buzzing sounds (the noises have annoyed Paul and I so much that we have both already thought about chucking it out the window). Needless to say, the kid is spoiled rotten.

In preparation for the visit, Matthew and I baked up a batch of muffins. Matthew has become increasingly helpful in the kitchen. He loves donning his little apron and helping measure, sift, and mix together ingredients. He measures flour and sugar very precisely, even carefully using his index finger to level off the measuring cup. He even invented a little high-pitched song (of course!) to sing as he whisks together the ingredients: "Mix...Mix...MIIIIIIXXXX!" I think he really enjoys seeing the process of baking and cooking. I find that he is more eager to eat the items that he helped prepare. Hopefully, he will continue to delight in being my kitchen helper in the future! I really wish I could post a picture of him helping out, but he has been super NOT photogenic as of late. He makes a really awful grimace whenever I ask him to smile for the camera. It looks like he is being forced into kitchen duty rather than enjoying some bonding time with Mommy.

The muffins we made were Banana Espresso Chocolate Chip from the Baked Cookbook that I received for Christmas. Although I was very apprehensive about how the kids would find the instant espresso powder, these muffins appealed to everyone and disappeared quickly. I think they were definitely best after resting for a day to allow the flavors to really mingle. This is definitely my new favorite breakfast muffin (although these babies will always hold a special place in my heart) - simply perfect with a hot mug of coffee!

Banana Espresso Chocolate Chip Muffins
Recipe barely adapted from Baked: New Frontiers in Baking

1-1/2 cups mashed, very ripe bananas
1/2 cup sugar
1/4 cup firmly packed light brown sugar
1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, melted
1/4 cup whole milk
1 large egg
1-1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon instant espresso powder
1-1/2 teaspoons baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
1 cup (6 ounces) semisweet mini chocolate chips

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Spray a 12-cup muffin pan with nonstick cooking spray (or line with muffin papers). In a medium bowl, stir together the bananas, sugars, butter, milk, and egg. In another medium bowl, whisk together the flour, instant espresso powder, baking soda and salt. Make a well in the middle of the dry ingredients. Pour the wet ingredients into the well and stir just until combined. Fold in the chocolate chips.

Fill each cup about 3/4 full. Bake in the center of the oven for 20-25 minutes, until a toothpick inserted in the center of the muffin comes out clean. Move the muffin pan to a cooling rack, and let cool  for 15 minutes. After 15 minutes, remove the muffins from the pan and let them finish cooling on the cooling rack. Muffins can be stored in an airtight container for up to 2 days.

TWD: Buttermilk Crumb Muffins

This week's Tuesdays with Dorie featured a simply delightful morning pastry from Marion Cunningham.  These buttermilk crumb muffins were a cinch to put together and, although unassuming and unpretentious in appearance, were undeniably delicious.  Sometimes the simplest ingredients, once stirred together in a certain fashion and combined with other, equally humble pantry staples, can produce a truly memorable treat.

After attending Mass early Sunday morning, my husband and I whipped these together in a jiffy.  We decided to add blueberries to half the batter and made 12 regular size muffins and 2 jumbo muffins.  Instead of shortening (I never have that stuff in the house), I chose to use butter.  The most tedious part about the whole recipe was rubbing the butter into the batter.  Since my butter had been chilled, it took quite a while for the warmth from my fingers to soften the butter enough to properly rub it into the flour/sugar mixture.  And by "quite a while," I mean about 5 minutes.  But, it seemed like forever.  I am usually impatiently hungry on Sunday mornings.

Little man ate two of these the second they emerged from the oven.  In total silence, he ate them with a fork (one of his quirks...heaven forbid his little hands should get dirty!) straight out of the wrapper.  With his cheeks still stuffed full with the remnants of his muffin, he held his plate up and, with a muffled voice, asked: "More...cake?"

I loved these muffins.  I cannot decide whether I prefer the plain muffins or the blueberry version.  They were both delightful. Paul's teeth were blue by the end of breakfast, so I don't think there is any doubt as to which version he liked best!

This was a great recipe and one we will definitely be making again. Next time, I might just dump the whole batter into a cake pan and make it coffee cake style.  Maybe this weekend...

If you would like to give these muffins a try (and I really think you should!), head on over to Alisa's Blog.  She was our host for this week!

Oatmeal-Carrot Breakfast Muffins

I don't know why it is, but Montana-grown wheat just tastes better.  Any of the Western-based bread companies that utilize Montana wheat bake up the most delicious loaves of bread I have ever tasted.  If we have the time while visiting our family out west, I love to pick up a couple loaves from the local bakeries to take back home with me as a treat.  Plus, a loaf of bread makes the perfect airplane snack for my carb-loving child.  During our trip a little over 8 months ago, Matthew consumed an entire loaf of bread during our 4-hour flight from Denver to Ohio.  He didn't eat much over the next few days as that binge worked its way out of his system.

During our most recent trip, my Mother-in-Law gave me a cookbook I had been admiring that featured a wide variety of recipes utilizing the products of Wheat Montana, a local bakery/deli chain.  There are so many great-looking recipes in the cookbook, everything from breakfast treats and artisan breads to main-course wheat berry salads.  

The first recipe I chose to tackle was Oatmeal Carrot Breakfast Muffins.  This relatively healthy muffin recipe calls for the addition of shredded carrots, orange peel, and a healthy handful of dried fruit.  There is very little added sugar (for a muffin) and only a modest amount of oil.  The original recipe calls for the addition of raisins, which I switched out for dried cranberries (which pair most wonderfully with orange!).  I also used white flour instead of wheat (all I had!) and added a couple extra tablespoons of grated carrot (I grated waaay too many but threw them all in anyway...despite what my husband may think, a few extra veggies never hurt anyone!).  I also skipped soaking the oats for a few hours, opting instead to microwave the oat/milk mixture in the microwave at 50% power for 3-4 minutes, or until the oats had begun to soften.  Worked like a charm.

These baked up beautifully.  Matthew could hardly wait to try one.  He had his head pressed up against the oven door, cheering his future snack on as they rose and swelled in the heat.  Although I don't know if he could beat Paul's enthusiasm.  My hardworking husband had just come inside from mowing the lawn...and he was sweaty, stinky, and looking for food.  He must have devoured about three of these muffins before pitifully whining about the fact that he had burnt the roof of his mouth.  Biting into a muffin fresh out of a piping-hot, 400-degree oven will do that to you.  He'll never learn.

My Paul, in muffin heaven.

The whole pan was gone by the end of the day.  Paul and Matthew were fighting over the last muffin, so Paul decided to go all "King Solomon" on us and split the muffin in half so they both could enjoy it.  Matthew freaked as he watched the muffin being mutilated and refused to eat his half.  So, clever Paul got to enjoy the whole muffin.  I think he planned that one.  In order to avoid a family schism, I might have to make another batch of muffins.

Wheat Montana Oatmeal Carrot Muffins

adapted from The Wheat Montana Cookbook

1 cup rolled oats

1/2 cup dried fruit (raisins or cranberries)

1 cup skim milk

1/2 cup shredded carrots

1/2 cup white sugar

1/2 cup brown sugar

1/4 cup vegetable oil

2 eggs

1 teaspoon grated orange peel

1 cup flour (wheat or white)

1/8 teaspoon salt

1 tablespoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

In a large bowl, combine the oats, cranberries and milk.  Stir well, cover and refrigerate for 2 hours.  Alternatively, if you don't have the time to wait, combine everything in a microwave-safe bowl and microwave on 50% power for 3-4 minutes, or until the oats have softened a bit but all the milk has not been absorbed.  Let cool as you gather the remaining ingredients.

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.

Whisk together the carrots, sugars, oil, eggs, and orange peel.  Stir into the oat mixture.  Combine the flour, salt, baking powder, and baking soda.  Stir into batter just until moistened.  Spoon batter into a greased, 12-cup muffin tin.  Bake in the oven for 20-25 minutes, or until the tops of the muffins bounce back when lightly pressed.

A Duo of Strawberry Muffins

I know I have been bombarding this site with strawberry recipes recently. However, when one has nearly 8 quarts of big, beautiful berries quickly approaching the point of rotting, nothing can be done except to make lots of strawberry-studded treats!

I decided to make some strawberry-banana muffins for Matthew's playdate last week. I was so excited to whip this recipe up for the kiddos, imagining them chomping down on their sweet snack with glee as I whisked together the flour and salt. I was already hearing their angelic voices singing my praises, declaring my triumphant muffins "the best snack ever" as I carefully scooped the batter into each individual muffin cup and slid the pan in the oven.

Once the muffins had cooled substantially enough so that little mouths would not be burnt, I handed each child a muffin and eagerly waited for the imminent hums of approval.

Instead, I was handed back a mangled, half-eaten muffin by one of the little girls who immediately informed me: "I don't like it...there are mushy, yucky things in there!"

She meant the strawberries. The big, beautiful, juicy strawberries that this very same child had gleefully stuffed her face with along with her peanut butter sandwich for lunch. Apparently, when baked into a sweet, buttery cake, the strawberries took on a less appealing taste and texture.

I took a bite of the rejected muffin to see if I agreed with the child's assessment.

A peek inside the Strawberry-Banana Muffin.  Notice all the "yucky stuff."

And I have determined that she's absolutely crazy.

The muffins were delicious! They are just in need of a more refined palate to truly enjoy their lightly sweetened crumb. It just goes to show, when you are planning a snack for a group of picky eaters, you might as well save yourself some time and effort and just open a box of graham crackers.

At least Mr. Matthew thoroughly enjoyed his muffin...

I made another batch of strawberry muffins later that evening that included rolled oats, a bit of balsamic vinegar and black pepper. I liked those even more! They were really not too sweet and really accentuated the natural flavors of the strawberries. Simply lovely. I froze a big batch of those to enjoy for quick breakfasts on the go during the week. I might just have to make another batch once this batch disappear. They are fantastic!

Strawberry-Banana Muffins

adapted from Sunny Anderson

1 cup fresh strawberries, chopped

1 cup sugar, plus 2 tablespoons

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

Pinch ground cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1 teaspoon salt

1-2 large very ripe bananas, mashed

2 large eggs

1/4 cup canola oil

1 lemon, zested

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

In a small bowl, mix together strawberries and 2 tablespoons sugar. Let sit 15 minutes until strawberries give off juices.

In a small bowl, mix together flour, cinnamon, baking soda, nutmeg and salt.

In a large bowl, whisk together the mashed banana, eggs, oil, 1 cup sugar, strawberries, and lemon zest.

Mix the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients until combined. Do not over mix. Fold in blueberries and walnuts.

Scoop batter evenly into muffin cups. Bake until a toothpick inserted in center of muffin comes out with a few crumbs but not wet, about 30 minutes. Cool on a rack to room temperature.

Strawberry Oatmeal Muffins

from Simply Recipes

Note:  Do not be afraid of the addition of balsamic vinegar and black pepper to this recipe.  It simply serves to enhance the strawberry flavors.  You really will not get a gigantic bite of pepper in the final product.  I promise.

1 1/4 cups old fashioned oats

1 cup plain yogurt

1/2 pound strawberries

2 teaspoons granulated white sugar

1 teaspoon balsamic vinegar

2 eggs

1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, melted

1/2 cup brown sugar (packed)

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 cup all purpose flour

1 Tbsp baking powder

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon finely ground black pepper

1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

Mix the oats and plain yogurt together in a large bowl.

Rinse and core the strawberries. Roughly chop the strawberries (I cut them in quarters lengthwise and then make one or two crosswise cuts). You should have about 1 1/2 cups of chopped strawberries. Place in a small bowl. Sprinkle with white sugar and balsamic vinegar. Gently stir to coat the strawberries with the sugar and vinegar.

Position a rack in the middle of the oven and preheat oven to 400°F. Prepare a 12-well muffin tin by coating with butter or lining with paper muffin cups.

Whisk together in a medium bowl the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, finely ground black pepper, and cinnamon.

Add the eggs, melted butter, brown sugar, and vanilla extract to the oatmeal and yogurt mixture. Stir until just incorporated.

Use a wooden spoon to gently stir the flour mixture into the oatmeal. Stir until just incorporated and the flour is moistened. Do not over-mix! Or your muffins will end up rubbery. The batter should be rather lumpy, not smooth.

Gently fold in the strawberries, including any of the sugary vinegary liquid the strawberries have been sitting in.

Spoon the batter evenly into the muffin tin wells or cups. Bake until the tops are browned and the muffin bounces back when you gently press on the top with your fingertips, about 20 minutes. A bamboo or metal skewer inserted into the center should come out clean. Let cool for a couple minutes in the muffin tin before removing to serve.

Put Some Coffee in Your Muffins!

Favorite moments this week...

1) Jumping on the bed with Matthew and Paul last night. Paul and I would have Matthew sit in the middle of the mattress and then one of us would jump on the bed so he would go flying into the air. He loved it! This fun little activity also had the added bonus of completely tiring Matthew out so he woke up a little later than usual the following morning.

2) Going to Mass with Matthew and watching him perform the Sign of the Cross with the rest of the congregation at both the beginning and end of Mass. He also turned around and waved at everyone he could during the Sign of Peace (right after giving his Mommy a big kiss!).

3) Sweeping out the garage, vacuuming the cars, and washing cobwebs away with Paul while Matthew took a nap on Sunday. The sun was shining and we had a lot of fun goofing around while simultaneously performing some of our least favorite (but extremely necessary) housekeeping duties. I hope we did not annoy our neighbors too much with our hysterical laughter.

4) Throwing Matthew into the giant leaf piles at the park. His laughter is so addictive!

5) Cheering for Texas in the World Series. After that embarrassing 16-7 loss to the Cards in Game 3, they have played some great ball to lead the series 3-2. I can't wait for Game 6 tonight!

6) Finding and enjoying this little gem. Paul and I had really good laugh over this one. In case you didn't know...we are geeks.

7) Making (and eating!) these delicious muffins. I have never been a big muffin fan - but these combined my love of coffee and chocolate into one of the most delicious snacks I have ever had! They are perfect as a morning treat with a steaming hot cup of coffee. If you're a coffee lover - give these a go!

Coffee-Break Muffins

adapted from Dorie Greenspan's Baking: From My Home to Yours

2 c. all-purpose flour

1/3 c. sugar

1 tablespoon instant espresso powder (no substitutes)*

1 tablespoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

1/8 teaspoon salt

1/3 cup light brown sugar

1 egg

1 cup strong brewed coffee, cooled

1 stick unsalted butter, melted and cooled

1/2 teaspoon vanilla

1/2 - 3/4 cup chocolate chips, roughly chopped (optional - but I highly recommend!)

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Line a 12-cup muffin tin with paper liners.

Whisk the flour, sugar, espresso powder, baking powder, cinnamon, and salt in a large bowl. Add the brown sugar, breaking it up with your fingers to ensure that there are no lumps. Whisk to combine.

In a separate bowl, whisk the coffee, eggs, and melted butter. Add to the dry ingredients and stir just to combine. Gently fold in the chocolate.

Divide evenly among the muffin liners. Pop it in the oven for 15-20 minutes, or until a small, thin knife inserted into the center comes out clean (well - at least clean of batter...some melted chocolate might get on there!). Let pan cool 5 minutes on a wire rack before carefully removing the individual muffins.

I found that these tasted even better after resting overnight!

Variations: If you want to make a white chocolate mocha-like muffin, add white chocolate chips! Make them plain and drizzle and, while they're still warm, poke holes and drizzle with caramel sauce for a Caramel Macchiato!

*This is so worth the small investment. I use it all the time in chocolate recipes. For example, try adding a tablespoon or two to your favorite brownie recipe to really kick up the chocolate taste!

Love for Pumpkin Cream Cheese Muffins (and my Chiropractor)

For the past several months, I have suffered from some terrible head pains that caused me to wonder if I had some major medical problem with my noggin. The pain would normally be dull and easy to ignore when I got up in the morning but would gradually intensify throughout the day, becoming nearly unbearable by sunset. I fretted about it for the longest time, and even mentioned it to my primary care physician who attributed it to stress and tension. When I mentioned it to a friend of mine, she recommended that I visit her chiropractor for an adjustment.

I finally booked my first appointment a few weeks ago. I was very apprehensive about taking Matthew with me since it was a very small office and I would probably be laying on a table the whole time and thus unable to stop his little, sticky fingers from gravitating towards the electrical outlets he loves to inspect (oh and those little protective covers do NOT work because he LOVES to pull them out). When we arrived, we were immediately escorted to an examination room where I was strapped up to an electric muscle stimulation machine that ran a current via an electrode along my back to stimulate and massage the muscles in that area. I was laying on my stomach with my face pressed into a small hole so I could only see a small section of the floor. The doctor then told me to "relax and enjoy" as he left me and Matthew alone, shutting the door behind him so my child could not follow him.

Let me tell you - it is very difficult to "relax and enjoy" something when the child is nervously pacing the room just looking for trouble. He knew that I was helpless and I think that thrilled him. He began circling the table, giggling and clapping. I could see his feet zoom by every 20 seconds or so as he made his laps. Then he discovered the little stool with wheels and began to push that around the room. From my limited viewpoint, I could see the stool being wheeled slowly around the table, followed by his tiny little feet. Then he became bored with that little game, and began to fiddle with the chords connecting the electrical stimulation machine to my back. Not only did this kind of hurt, but it freaked me out. I began trying to bat at him with my arm, but could not reach very far. He found this funny and began slapping my arm.

Then he bit me.

Not funny, Matthew!

Little barbarian.

Then he started running and counting to himself as he took another lap around the table. Suddenly, his foot hit a small button on the floor and the table upon which I lay began to move slightly upwards. He stopped, gave out a shriek of delight, and pressed the button again. This time I went down a little bit.

He pressed it again.

Up I went.

Up a little more.

Down a bit.

Down.

Down.

This is supposed to be relaxing?!?!
Down.

Up again.

Down.

Up.

Up.

Up.

This is getting REALLY annoying.

Down.
Up.

Down.

Matthew, Stop! *maniacal giggle*

Up.

Up.

Up.

And I could do nothing but enjoy this little ride. At least his finger wasn't in a socket.

Thankfully, the chiropractor returned to the room and broke up the fun fest. He then proceeded to adjust my back, shoulder, and neck muscles. Immediately after he cracked my neck (which honestly brought to mind the scene of John Malkovich snapping the neck of a female bank teller in the movie In the Line of Fire), I felt relief. He told me that I had a severely pinched nerve on my right side that was restricting blood flow to the muscles in my head, causing them to contract and tense. He was pretty confident that all those contractions were the source of my head pains. I was also informed that the nerve might try to retract to the pinched position and in order to keep it in place, I would have to come back for 2-3 additional adjustments.

My quality of life has improved so much from those adjustments that I view my chiropractor as a hero of sorts. In fact, I may love him. The only major flaw I can find with him is that he wears way too much cologne. Since the appointments are very....umm...hands on...I end up smelling like a Hollister store for the rest of the day. But I can overlook such a seemingly small defect.

While I hold great love and admiration for my wonderful chiropractor, I probably would choose a bite out of these pumpkin cream cheese muffins any day. These are a fabulous way to use fresh or canned pumpkin and are excellent as a special treat for breakfast one of these fall weekends. They do take a bit more effort and finesse than the average muffin recipe, but they are so worth it. So worth it. You will not be sorry.

Pumpkin Cream Cheese Muffins

adapted slightly from Annie's Eats

For the muffins:

3 cups all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon cinnamon

1 teaspoon nutmeg

1/2 teaspoon cardamom (optional - but I love this spice)

1 teaspoon cloves

1 tablespoon + 1 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice (store bought or your own!)

1 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon baking soda

4 large eggs

2 cups sugar

2 cups pumpkin puree

1 1/4 cups vegetable oil

For the cream cheese filling:

8 ounces cream cheese, softened

1 cup powdered sugar

For the streusel:

1/2 cup sugar

1/4 cup chopped pecans (optional)

5 tablespoons flour

1 1/2 teaspoons cinnamon

4 tablespoons unsalted butter, cold

To make the streusel: Combine the sugar, flour and cinnamon in a medium bowl with a whisk. Cut in the flour until the mixture resembles course crumbs. Cover tightly with plastic wrap and refrigerate until ready to use.

To make the cream cheese filling: Whip the cream cheese until smooth and then gradually add the powdered sugar. Mix well to combine. Shape into a log and wrap tightly with a lightly greased piece of plastic wrap. Freeze until firm (I had it in the freezer for 4 hours). Once firm, remove the plastic wrap and slice into 24 pieces.

To make the muffins: Preheat the oven to 425 degrees. In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, spices, salt, and soda. In another bowl, whisk together the pumpkin, sugar, eggs, and oil. Add the flour mixture to the pumpkin mixture and stir together until just combined.

To assemble the muffins, place muffin cups in 2 12-cup muffin liners. Place 1-2 tablespoon of the batter in the bottom of each well. You should have enough batter to completely cover the bottom of the muffin tin. Place a piece of cream cheese in each cup and then spoon some more batter over the top and up the sides of the muffin cup, being sure to completely cover the piece of cream cheese. Top each with a generous sprinkle of streusel (seriously, go crazy on the streusel!).

Bake for 20-25 minutes. Transfer the muffins to a wire rack and let cool completely - or you may burn your face. I may or may not know this from experience.

Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator if not eating the same day. You can warm them up slightly before eating them by nuking them for 10 seconds in the microwave.

Make these. TODAY.