Kid Territory:Recipes: Marvelous Monkey Muffins

Are you ready to start monkeying around in the kitchen for this fun breakfast treat?

This recipe is more fun than a barrel of monkeys, and sure to make the troop (a group of monkeys) smile!

Ingredients

1/4

 cup shortening

1

 egg

1

 cup sugar

1 1/2

 cups flour

1

 teaspoon salt

1

 teaspoon baking soda

3

 ripe bananas, peeled and mashed

(Note: If this looks like a lot or work, you can just get a box of banana bread mix and follow the instructions on the back of the box.)

Then add:

1/2

 cup banana chips
 (even if you used the  boxed mix)

1/4

 cup mini chocolate chips
 (even if you used the boxed mix)

Mix shortening, egg, and sugar in a large bowl. Add your mashed bananas, flour, salt, and baking soda and stir well. (Or, if you are using the box of banana bread mix, just follow the directions on the box.)

Add most of the banana chips and chocolate chips and stir again, saving out a few of each to decorate the top of the muffins. Pour muffin mixture into muffin tins that are greased and lightly floured. Decorate each muffin with two chocolate chip eyes and a banana chip mouth (looks like a howler monkey to me!). Bake at 350° for 25 to 35 minutes, depending on the size of the muffins.

Hey, while you are waiting for the muffins to come out of the oven and cool, you'll have enough time for a game of Barrel of Monkeys® (still available at toy stores and drug stores everywhere!) or a quick story—one of the Curious George books is always a great choice. That monkey sure gets into a lot of trouble. As you're eating your monkey muffins, think about this: monkeys have 32 teeth just like us!

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