Banana Muffin Recipe With Picture

This is Banana Bread in a more convenient form that is perfect for weekday mornings when you are not up to making a full blown breakfast. The good thing about these muffins is that they can be made anytime of the year as bananas are always available with consistent quality. The important thing to remember though is that some preplanning needs to be done. This recipe uses bananas that have turned brown with age which are hard to find in grocery stores. Bananas are most often sold when their skin is still bright yellow, sometimes even a little green, which indicates that the flesh is still quite hard with little flavor.

This may be great for eating raw but not for making muffins when you want the bananas to be soft and sweet. For those times when you don't want to wait several days for the bananas to ripen you may want to have a few brown bananas already frozen in your freezer. All you need to do for this is to place very ripe bananas in a plastic bag either whole or you can peel and mash them (in food processor), stir in 1 teaspoon lemon juice for each banana, and then freeze in an airtight container or bag. They will keep about six months in the freezer.

Usually I recommend lining the muffin pans with paper liners to keep the muffins moist and to make cleanup easier. However, using liners keeps the crusts of the muffins from becoming crisp which is exactly what I want here. Of course, the crust will soften after you cover and store the muffins but immediately after baking the crust will be crisp while the interior is moist and sweet. Another point, some people may not want white chocolate in their muffins. If this is the case simply replace the chocolate with chopped nuts or even dried fruit.

Note: Bananas originated in Southeast Asia and are one of the best known fruits in the world. Although there are hundreds of varieties most of us only know the dessert kind which have a high sugar content and with their sweet taste are usually eaten raw. Bananas are long and curved and grow in bunches (9-12). They are picked unripe when their skin is still green. As they ripen their skin turns yellow which can be easily peeled off to reveal a cream colored soft flesh. Originally called "Apple of Paradise" or "Adam's Fig".

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (180 degrees C) and place the oven rack in the middle of the oven. Butter or spray a 12 - 1/2 cup muffin pan.

In a large bowl combine the flour, sugars, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and white chocolate. Set aside.

In a medium-sized bowl combine the mashed bananas, eggs, melted butter, and vanilla. With a rubber spatula or wooden spoon, lightly fold the wet ingredients (banana mixture) into the dry ingredients until just combined and batter is thick and chunky. (The important thing is not to over mix the batter. You do not want it smooth. Over mixing the batter will yield tough, rubbery muffins.) Spoon the batter into the prepared muffin tins and place a slice of banana on top of each muffin for garnish. Bake about 20 - 25 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Place on a wire rack to cool for five minutes and then remove muffins from pan. Serve warm or at room temperature.

Note: To mash bananas I have found the easiest way is to just use my fingers, a fork or a potato masher.

Makes 12 regular sized muffins.

Recipe:

1 3/4 cups (245 grams) all-purpose flour

1/2 cup (100 grams) granulated white sugar

1/4 cup (50 grams) light brown sugar

1 teaspoons baking powder

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1/4 teaspoon salt

2 ounces (65 grams) white chocolate, cut into small pieces

2 large eggs, lightly beaten

8 tablespoons (113 grams) (1 stick) unsalted butter, melted and cooled

3 very ripe large bananas (approximately 1 pound or 454 grams), mashed well (about 1-1/2 cups)

1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

Garnish:

1 large banana, sliced (optional)

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