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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.
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