Monday, February 6, 2012

The One - Banana Muffins

With bioelectricity homework due tomorrow, I'm starting to flip out a touch.  I barely understand circuits, have not yet managed a single class without falling asleep (the late afternoon time slot doesn't help) and worry about my other classes while concentrating hard to understand the professor.  In addition, there is an analysis due Wednesday that requires software only available in the biomedical engineering lab, which closes at 5:00pm, and I have classes just about all day tomorrow.  Not to mention that biofluids homework is due soon, and I spent all today working on research and robotics....  

Let me take a break.  I'd rather briefly dream about the banana muffins I made, last night.  I made these for breakfast and snacks this week, and I must say, they're quite worth a dream or two.

This is it.  I've found it.  I've been looking for it since the very beginning, and I finally have it.  My one, the banana muffin.  Not the banana loaf, since it doesn't quite have the crusty top I'm still looking for, but this is the muffin.  Soft throughout, not too greasy, full of banana flavor (that my bananas were generously brown-speckled didn't hurt, either) and improved with time.  I've tried this recipe before, but I used softened rather than melted butter.  This time, I went back to the original recipe at Simply Recipes, having once again found it from 17 and Baking.  These banana muffins are beautiful and simple, and there is nothing more to say.


Banana Muffins slightly tweaked from Simply Recipes
Makes about 12 muffins

Ingredients
3 ripe bananas
cup butter, melted
¾ cup brown sugar
1 egg
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon vanilla
2 teaspoons cinnamon
¼ teaspoon salt
1½ cups all-purpose flour

Equipment
1 large mixing bowl
1 fork for mashing bananas (optional)
1 rubber spatula
¼ teaspoon measure
1 teaspoon measure
½ cup measure
12 cupcake liners or butter and flour for your pan

Directions

1. Preheat the oven to 350°F.  Butter the cupcake pan.  I actually buttered and floured my pans, which worked great.  However, it was messy and wasted a fair amount of time and flour, and depending on how much time I had, I would really just butter.

2. Mash the bananas* and mix them with the melted butter.  Add the sugar, egg, baking soda, vanilla, cinnamon and salt and mix until thoroughly combined.

3. Add the flour and gently fold just until there are no streaks of flour left.

4. Fill each cupcake cup almost all the way up and bake at 350°F for about 20 minutes.  Allow to cool for about 5 minutes, then cool them completely on a wire rack.  Enjoy! 


Note:  I microwaved the butter to melt it first, then used a fork to mash the bananas.

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