When I bake, I have the tendency to go on a baking binge; I can't just bake one thing generally. I use baking as a form of stress relief, which may be why I tend to bake in waves. This particular time I whipped up some granola, as well as some banana blueberry muffins. Both are easy and relatively quick, and perfect for some added breakfast variety. 

The granola was made with plenty of maple syrup, cinnamon, and vanilla. If you haven't made your own granola before, I highly recommend it. It is so much cheaper than store-bought granola, and so very easy to make. Plus, it makes your house smell amazing for most of the day, making it a free air freshener too! 

Vanilla Granola

Instructions:

Preheat your oven to 300°F

In a large bowl, toss together the oats, almonds, cinnamon, and salt.

In a medium bowl, whisk together the melted butter and maple syrup until combine, and then whisk in the vanilla.

Spread evenly on a baking sheet and bake for 45 minutes, stirring the granola every 15 minutes. 

Allow the granola to cool completely, and store in an airtight container in the refrigerator. 

Ingredients:

2 1/2 cups old-fashioned, rolled oats

3/4 cups slivered almonds

1/2 teaspon cinnamon

pinch of salt

1/2 cup pure maple syrup

1/4 cup butter, melted

1 tablespoon vanilla

The muffins were made to satisfy a craving. Filled with blueberries and bananas, and topped with cinnamon sugar, they were near perfection. 

As a side note, I'm sort of obsessed with oven light. It creates excellent shadows, which do a great job of highlighting textures, and it is a wonderfully warm light, making everything look even more appealing. The bokeh that results from an oven light is stunning as well. 

Window light is another one of my favorite light sources. It can produce an excellent backlight situation, as well a the perfect soft, filtered, sidelight. It is a simple (and free) way to get incredible lighting on your subjects.

Anyways, back to the important stuff, the muffins. These guys were fresh out of the oven, and my apartment was filled with the smell of their freshly baked goodness. It smelled so good in fact, that I couldn't resist taking a bite before I was technically done photographing...

Blueberry Banana Muffins

Instructions:

Preheat oven to 375°F.

Grease muffin pan, or use muffin liners.

Using a mixer, cream the butter and 3/4 cups of sugar in a large bowl. 

In a blender, combine the bananas, eggs, milk, baking soda, vanilla, and salt, until smooth.

Pour half of the banana mixture into the butter mixture, along with 1 cup of flour. Mix with the mixer until incorporated. Add the remaining banana mixture and cup of flour, and mix until incorporated. Fold in the blueberries. 

Pour into prepared muffin pan.

Mix together 1/4 cup sugar and cinnamon, and sprinkle evenly over each muffin. 

Bake for 18-20 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out nearly clean.

Cool completely, and store in an airtight container.  

Ingredients:

1 cup granulated sugar

1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened

1/4 teaspoon salt

2 overripe bananas

2 large eggs

7 tablespoons sour milk (1 tsp vinegar + 6 1/2 tbs milk)

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 teaspoon baking soda

2 cups all purpose flour

2 cups blueberries

1 teaspoon cinnamon

 Have a wonderful Wednesday!