Banana Muffins Gone Nuts

There’s a snap in the air that comes with the sepia toning of leaves. My mind travels to the warmth of a cozy kitchen, and the comforting scent of autumnal goodies. It’s the time of year when your kitchen is perfumed with spices like cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg and clove. When this kind of chill settles in the air, I feel compelled to have something sweet baking. It’s the culinary equivalent of incense. The infusion of buttery spiced carbs is just a no brainer. This go ‘round I decided on banana muffins. Quick, simple, and because bananas are so perishable, it’s a good way to make use of your fruit if they ripen too quickly. You can also make one large loaf or mini loaves with this recipe, to share with friends. What is better than good food and good company?

Banana Muffins

8 oz (2 sticks) softened butter

2 cups sugar

2 large eggs

1 tsp vanilla extract

2 bananas mashed or pureed

2 ½ cups all purpose flour

2 tsp baking soda

½ tsp salt

1 tsp cinnamon

1 cup sour cream

*1 cup of any of the following, depending on the variation you’re making:

Chopped nuts of your choice / chocolate chips / butterscotch chips

Prep:

Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Line two 12 cup muffin tins with muffin liners, and spray pan lightly, so the edges won’t stick when the muffins are done.

Sift the flour, baking soda, salt and cinnamon together in a bowl and set aside.

In an electric mixer, on high speed, beat butter and sugar until light and fluffy.

Beat in eggs, one at a time, and vanilla extract, until blended. Add banana puree gradually, until it us fully incorporated. (The mixture may appear to separate, but will come together as you add the dry ingredients)

Mix:

Switch your mixer to medium speed. Alternately add the flour mixture and sour cream in thirds. Using a rubber spatula, scrape down the sides and bottom of your bowl as you go along, to ensure that everything is evenly incorporated. Mix until well blended, but do not over beat. Over beating will result in a dry and tough product.. The batter should have a rich, silky texture. Fold in nuts or chips with spatula distributing them evenly throughout the batter.

Bake:

For muffins: spoon batter into cups, filling them half way. Yields 2 ½ dozen muffins

Place muffin tins in the center of the oven rack. Bake for 25 minutes, or until inserted pick comes out clean..

For loaves: pan sizes may vary, but the rule of thumb is to fill loaf pans no more than 2/3 full. The size of the loaf will also determine the baking time. Start at 25 minutes as a guide line, and adjust time accordingly. Insert a tooth pick in the center of the loaf to test doneness. When the pick comes out clean, remove from oven and let cool.

*Variation: can be served with cream cheese icing

8 oz softened cream cheese

¼ cup softened butter

4 cups 10x sugar

1 tsp vanilla extract

In a mixer, on high speed, beat butter and cream cheese until smooth. Blend in vanilla.

On medium speed, beat in 10x sugar until blended, stopping occasionally to scrape down the bowl.. Mix on high speed until mixture is smooth. If you prefer a thinner icing, add 1 tbsp of milk while mixing. Frost cooled muffins with icing and serve.