Muffins: Take # 2

Not too long ago I attempted my first muffin recipe and miraculously didn't fail. I considered that endeavor to be so tasty and worthwhile that I wanted to give it another go. Some yummy potential was stocked in my home on a recent lazy Saturday morning and my creative juices were flowing. On hand i had a half used bag of walnuts in the freezer begging to be used and a bunch of bananas turning on the counter. I couldn't imagine not using bananas for something good, so taking these items into account my mind immediately thought of a few options: banana nut pancakes, bread, granola, or muffins. These may not not have been the most original ideas, but I knew that it sure was a great way to use these perishables quickly and efficiently.


I followed the recipe pretty closely with this one given that I was a banana-nut muffin virgin. However, i did throw in some unsweetened apple sauce in place of some butter and did cut the sugar significantly. I made these changes because my personal goal when cooking and baking is to always be able to share whatever I make with my family and friends. That being said, I also want both myself and my fiancé to be able to eat these without a ton of guilt. It is for these reasons and more that I try to sub out or cut down on those ingredients (in this case sugar and butter) that may make an item heavy, greasy, or high in saturated fat and calories.

Banana Nut Muffins Recipe

Prep time: 15 minutes
Cook time: 30 minutes

INGREDIENTS

3 or 4 ripe bananas, smashed
1/3 cup melted butter (I cut this in half and added apple sauce)
3/4 cup sugar (I used 1/4 cup of sugar)
1 egg, beaten
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 teaspoon baking soda
Pinch of salt
1 1/2 cup of flour
1 cup chopped walnuts (toasted or raw)


METHOD

1 Preheat the oven to 350°F. With a wooden spoon, mix butter into the mashed bananas in a large mixing bowl.
2 Mix in the sugar, egg, and vanilla.
3 Sprinkle the baking soda and salt over the mixture and mix in.
4 Add the flour, mix until it is just incorporated. Fold in the chopped walnuts.
5 Pour mixture into a prepared muffin tin. Bake for 25-30 minutes. Check for doneness with a toothpick inserted into the center of a muffin. If it comes out clean, it's done. Cool on a rack.

Yield: Makes 12 muffins.


This recipe is a quick and simple way to use up any nuts that you may have. I am thinking that slivered almonds or pecans would work with the banana flavor well too. This particular muffin is also a wonderful way to make your home smell as though you have been baking all day.

A bonus was that they were a cinch to put together without any major kitchen electrics at all. I invested in Rachel Ray's set of three silicon spatulas about 2 years ago from Bed Bath and Beyond and couldn't be happier. The set includes three VERY different sizes for your various kitchen needs, these never ever fail me. The medium one came in very handy for this particular recipe by helping me to scrape every last bit of muffin batter from the side of the bowl. Honestly, i am sure that any spatulas will do, but this set is my go to due to their head shape. I will post the link below along with the link for this weeks recipe.

Spatula link:
http://www.rachaelraystore.com/Product/detail/Rachael-Ray-Tools-Gadgets-3-pc-Spatula-Set-Orange/601092

Recipe link:
http://www.simplyrecipes.com/recipes/banana_nut_muffins/

Happy eating everyone and an even happier weekend!

Location:Brooklyn,United States