A little while back Princess Cruises invited us on an Alaskan Cruise. What an experience it was. I remember the first excursion I went on, I kept commenting to our tour guide that everything looked like a postcard. It was an amazing experience…not only the scenery but the food we enjoyed.

One of the excursions we did was the White Pass Scenic Railway in Skagway. See the views?

We opted for the luxury class car and it was worth it! <3 Super comfy and we were served drinks…

Loved this root beer I had! (I'm obsessed with root beer by the way…)

And these yogurt parfait granola cups…the inspiration for the recipe I'm sharing today!

Like I said, the views…that's me…I'm wearing the Bobeau wrap I mentioned in my Travel Essentials article. (Thanks to Cassie for taking this photo!)

And more views…it was completely and entirely epic.

Here's a view of the luxury class car…that's Curtis on the right in the back.

Getting ready to make the granola cups. The original ones didn't have chocolate chips but I wanted to add more sweetness and chocolate to them.

When measuring honey or other syrupy wet ingredients, I always spray my measuring cup with nonstick baking spray.

Whisk those wet ingredients together.

Add all of the dry ingredients together…

And mix thoroughly. I always do this to ensure everything is as evenly distributed as possible.

Then, add those wet ingredients.

I sprayed the back of my spoon and used it to mold the granola into cups.

All done! Now time to bake.

This is what they look like after they bake. I used a regular-sized muffin tin.

This is such a creative way to serve yogurt for your next brunch with family and friends…you can even make them and store them in the fridge for breakfast throughout the week. The fruit as well as the lavender honey make it even more special.

Don't forget to check out my five tips for cruising!

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Yogurt Parfait Chocolate Chip Granola Cups Recipe

Servings 14 to 16 granola cups

Ingredients

• nonstick baking spray
• 1 large egg beaten
• 2 Tablespoons unsalted butter softened
• 1/3 cup plain Greek yogurt
• 1/2 cup honey
• 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
• pinch of salt
• 1/8 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• ½ cup shredded coconut sweetened or unsweetened
• 1/4 cup sliced almonds
• 1/4 cup salted roasted sunflower seeds
• 1/4 cup mini semi-sweet chocolate chips
• 2 cups old fashioned oats

Toppings

• Greek yogurt any flavor, I used strawberry banana
• strawberries or your favorite fruit
• mint leaves
• lavender honey

Instructions

• Heat oven to 325 degrees F. Spray a 12 cup muffin tin with nonstick baking spray.
• Add egg, softened butter, yogurt, honey, vanilla extract, ground cinnamon and salt to a medium-sized mixing bowl. Whisk the ingredients thoroughly to combine them.
• Add coconut, almonds, sunflower seeds, chocolate chips and oats to another mixing bowl. Mix together first and then add and fold together with the wet ingredients with a rubber spatula.
• Divide evenly between the muffin cups (about 2 to 3 tablespoons for each cup). Spray a large spoon with the nonstick baking spray and shape the granola into cups using the back of the spoon.
• Bake at 325 degrees F for 34 to 37 minutes, until they are golden brown. Place the muffin tin on a cooling rack. Once they are completely cool. Cover the muffin tin with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least an hour (you can refrigerate these overnight).
• Once ready to serve, carefully remove granola cups from muffin tin and place in individual bowls or on a serving platter. Add 1/3 cup Greek yogurt to each cup, top with fruit, a mint leaf and drizzle with lavender or plain honey. Serve immediately.

Notes

Inspired by a yogurt parfait granola cups I had on during an excursion on my Princess Alaskan Cruise

Disclosure: This post is sponsored by Princess Cruises. I only share with you brands that I love and share with you my own opinions.

The post Yogurt Parfait Chocolate Chip Granola Cups appeared first on The Little Kitchen.

I'm excited to share with you another recipe with my work with Blue Diamond Almond Breeze Almondmilk! I have been working on the ultimate chocolate chip banana bread recipe made with almondmilk and I was so excited when I got it right!

Sometimes, when I have an idea, it works on the first or second try. Sometimes it takes 4 tries or even 7 tries. You should see me dancing around the kitchen when a plan finally comes together (okay maybe you don't want to see me dance haha!). Ever since I started working with Almond Breeze, I wanted to start baking with almondmilk. I knew it could be done!

This banana bread recipe is super moist and is packed with flavor. I used the Almond Breeze Almondmilk Vanilla and I love the flavor it gives to the banana bread…and by the way, it's my favorite Almond Breeze flavor to have with my cereal in the mornings.

Now that I have this recipe under my belt, I can't wait to try more baking & cooking with Almond Breeze Almondmilk…including trying my vanilla cupcakes, these nutella milkshakes and my french toast sticks!

First things, first put that butter on the counter so it can soften.

Then, mix the flour, baking soda, baking powder and salt together. Then take 3 tablespoons of the flour mixture and mix with the chocolate chips. I learned this a couple of years ago…this is how you keep the chocolate chips from sinking to the bottom when you pour it into the batter.

Then, peel the bananas.

I know, I know, banana bread purists will complain that these are not ripe enough (but I agree to a certain extent). Your bananas should be black but guess what? This recipe works even with the ripe bananas above. Yay!

Peel and then mash the bananas. I find that mashing with a potato masher works best!

For this recipe, I use a mix of granulated and light brown sugar. I used an electric hand mixer to cream the butter with the sugars.

After mixing in the egg, this is what the batter looks like.

After adding the vanilla extract,Almond Breeze Almondmilk Vanilla and grape seed oil and mixing it together, this is what the batter looks like. It starts to look curdled. But don't worry.

Add the mashed bananas and mix with a rubber spatula. I find that I like the bread better when I mix in the bananas with a spatula vs. using the hand mixer.

Add the flour mixture in two batches and fold in with the spatula.

Now add, the chocolate chips (that were mixed in with some of the flour).

There's your batter!

Pour into your prepared pan and bake for 55 to 60 minutes at 350 degrees F.

And there you have a wonderfully moist, chocolatey banana bread…that you'll thank me for!

Share it with your friends or keep it all for yourself, I won't judge.

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Chocolate Chip Banana Bread Recipe

Prep Time 20 minutes minutes

Cook Time 1 hour hour

Total Time 1 hour hour 20 minutes minutes

Servings 1 9x5 loaf

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup 1 stick unsalted butter, softened
• 1 1/2 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
• 1 1/4 teaspoons baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 cup miniature semisweet chocolate chips
• 1/2 cup granulated sugar
• 1/2 cup light brown sugar
• 3 medium overripe bananas peeled and mashed
• 1 large egg
• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• 3/4 cup Almond Breeze Almondmilk Vanilla
• 1 teaspoon grape seed oil

Instructions

• Place butter on the counter to soften. Preheat oven at 350 degrees F. Spray a 9x5 loaf pan with nonstick baking spray and set aside.
• Add flour, baking soda, baking powder and salt to a medium-sized mixing bowl. Mix ingredients together with a rubber spatula to combine and set aside.
• Take 3 tablespoons of the flour mixture and add to a small mixing bowl. Add chocolate chips to that small bowl and combine. (This will ensure the chocolate chips don’t sink to the bottom of the bread). Set aside.
• Mash the bananas with a potato masher or the back of a large spoon in another separate bowl.
• In a large mixing bowl, cream the butter and sugar together with an electric hand mixer. Beat for about 60 to 90 seconds. Add eggs and mix thoroughly. Add vanilla extract, the almondmilk and grapeseed oil to the butter and sugar and mix until thoroughly combined, about 1 minute.
• Add bananas and mix with a rubber spatula. In two batches, using the rubber spatula, fold in the flour mixture until combined, don’t over mix. Then, fold in the chocolate chips (that have been combined with the flour mixture).
• Pour batter into the prepared loaf pan. Bake for about 55 to 60 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Place loaf pan on a cooling rack for 20 minutes.
• Slide cooling rack on top of the loaf pan and flip over. Allow the bread to cool upright on the cooling rack, at least 30 minutes to an hour before slicing. Store leftovers in a sealed container.

Disclosure: This post is sponsored by Blue Diamond Almond Breeze Almondmilk. I only work with brands that I love and always share with you my own and honest opinions.
 

The post Chocolate Chip Banana Bread appeared first on The Little Kitchen.