Going Bananas

Banana Macadamia Nut Muffins from Epicurious

I recently came across a recipe for whole wheat banana muffins on a cute little blog called Sweet Fine Day. What triggered my interest was that it said her daughter was a picky eater but ate these up so I gave them a whirl. They were good and my daughter gobbled them up, but sadly they weren't enough for my sweet tooth. Once I have the craving though, I can't stop until it's been satisfied. So off I went to track down some sweet banana muffins for yours truly. First stop - my grandma's old recipe that my mom grew up on and loved. I thought I'd give nuts a whirl so I made three versions - plain, pecan and walnut. They were delicious, and yes, quite sweet. They should really be called banana cupcakes! I thought I should compare an old recipe with something off my tried and true recipe source, Epicurious, so I made their Banana Macadamia Nut Muffins. They were all delicious but the Banana Macadamia Nut Muffins were a bit lighter than my grandma's recipe. I think you could switch out the nuts if you preferred walnuts or pecans. I'm not sure that I've settled the nut debate yet so next time I might have to do a third, a third, a third. Either way, you can't go wrong with a banana muffin every morning with your coffee jolt of choice (cappucino or americano pour moi)!

Grandma Tess's Banana Muffins

½ c butter
1 ½ c sugar
2 eggs beaten
2 c flour (scant)
½ t salt
1 t baking powder
¾ t baking soda
¼ c sour milk (add 1/2 t lemon juice to milk and let sit)
1 c mashed over-ripe banana (or more)
1 t vanilla
½ c nuts optional

Mix in order given
Butter muffin pans or use paper muffin cups
Fill muffin pans 2/3 full (you might end up with extra batter but don’t fill tins too high)
Bake at 375 for 25 minutes

Banana Macadamia Nut Muffins

http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/BANANA-MACADAMIA-NUT-MUFFINS-2050

Recipe for Whole Wheat Banana Muffins

http://www.flotation9.net/sweetfineday/2008/04/29/whole-wheat-banana-muffins/