Something yummy to do with those Banana's headed for the trash can!

Years ago when I had some old banana's on the counter I would always intend to use them for banana bread or some other yummy banana concoction.

Invariably..more times than I would care to admit, I would get busy and... once I noticed the fruit flies or saw the mold, Those once valuable bananas, would end up in the trash can.

What a shame.

Hallelujah!  I saw the error of my ways!

Now, I covet them, I hoard them,  When I pass the banana spot in the store and they have (cheaper) overripe bananas...I snap those baby's up!

and I freeze them.

There are lots of things that I do with them.

Banana Bread

Banana Cake with Cream Cheese or Peanut Butter Frosting

Banana Bread Pudding

Banana Whoopee Pies

Banana Cookies

but my all time favorite is... Banana Muffins.

They are not much different than Banana Bread...in fact, there is no reason I can think of that you couldn't take your favorite Banana Bread recipe and just make muffins, if you are so inclined.

What I like about the "Muffin" is that I can make lots of them and freeze them.  Then, if I want something quick, or I have a sweet tooth and nothing on hand to satisfy it, I can pull one serving (or what ever I need) out of the freezer. 

I love Banana Bread but Banana Bread is the reason I came up with my Banana Bread Pudding... the bread goes stale sometimes before I can eat it all.

Anyway... Frozen bananas are surprisingly slimy, watery and gross looking when you thaw them out but,

 HAVE NO FEAR!!!!!

They are perfect for baking!

Don't throw away a single drop of that slimy juice.  Your baked good will love it.

FYI... When I make muffin topping,(I have a few different types that I like) I make big batches of it and then throw the leftover in the fridge(or freezer).  I have never had a problem with it and sometimes its in there for a few months before I use it all up.  Its nice to have that part all ready, especially if you have sudden company and you want to whip something up in a hurry.

I am not the original author of this recipe.  I cant remember where I got it.  Somewhere online I suppose.  Its a good one, for me anyway.  I have made a lot of different ones and settled on this one.

Banana Crumb Muffins

Topping:

1/3 Cup Brown Sugar

2 Tbsp. Flour

1/2 tsp. Vanilla

1 Tbsp. Melted Butter

Sprinkle topping on top of muffin batter prior to cooking.

Muffin:

1 1/2 Cups Flour

1 tsp. Baking Soda

1 tsp. Baking Powder

1/2 tsp. Salt

3/4 Cup of Sugar

1 Egg

1/3 Cup melted Butter

3 over ripe Bananas (mashed)

The texture of a muffin is best if the batter is not over mixed so, many people mix by hand.

I use my mixer, I am just careful that I don't mix it to death.  To ensure that you don't over mix, it is helpful if you beat your egg a bit with a fork before you put it into the batter.  Other than that, I dump it all into the bowl and mix just until all the ingredients are wet and and the egg is all mixed in.

I use a 325 oven.  I like that temp. for much of my baking.  I find that I don't burn the bottom of things (especially cookies),  but it does take a little longer.  For these muffins 30-40 minutes.  Start checking them at 25 to 30 minutes.

I also love love love an Ice Cream Scoop for a tool.  I wish I had more of them in different sizes.  I learned that trick baking in a restaurant.  We had a different scoop for every job.  It speeds up the job and makes all your sizes uniform.

FABULOUS TOOL!

so... bake away and don't throw away anymore of those bananas.  Depending on where you live, they probably traveled a long way to get to your house.

Peace.