Kitchen Sink Banana Muffins...
It happened again this week. The greenish bananas I bought at the grocery store this weekend for our snacks and lunches were already brown and overripe by yesterday. This is a double-edged sword...it's a bummer to not have them for their intended purpose. But it also means that it's time to make something yummy out of them so I don't have to waste them by throwing away. Once again, Ina Garten came to my rescue. To me, that woman can do no wrong...every Barefoot Contessa recipe I've tried has been completely delicious. These muffins are no exception...they're over-the-top and filled with all sort of yummy goodness.
I tweaked the recipe a bit by adding cinnamon, subbing pecans for walnuts, and using a combo of white and brown sugar. I decided to call them Kitchen Sink Banana Muffins, because they're full of all kinds of yummy additions. They'll be great for a little after-dinner treat or a quick breakfast with a piece of fruit or lowfat yogurt. These muffins take about 15 minutes to whip up, then they bake for about 30 minutes. The hardest part is waiting for them to cool enough to eat them without burning your mouth -- they smell so good when they come out of the oven that it's hard to resist eating one right away!!
I tweaked the recipe a bit by adding cinnamon, subbing pecans for walnuts, and using a combo of white and brown sugar. I decided to call them Kitchen Sink Banana Muffins, because they're full of all kinds of yummy additions. They'll be great for a little after-dinner treat or a quick breakfast with a piece of fruit or lowfat yogurt. These muffins take about 15 minutes to whip up, then they bake for about 30 minutes. The hardest part is waiting for them to cool enough to eat them without burning your mouth -- they smell so good when they come out of the oven that it's hard to resist eating one right away!!
Kitchen Sink Banana Muffins
adapted from Barefoot Contessa's Banana Crunch Muffins
Step 1: Preheat oven to 350. Place paper muffin liners in a 12-cup muffin tin. Add 1.5 cups flour, 1/2 cup light brown sugar, 1/2 cup sugar, 1 tsp. baking powder, 1/2 tsp. baking soda, 2 tsp. cinnamon and 1/4 tsp. salt. Stir well to combine. Melt one stick of butter and add to the dry ingredients. Stir to combine.
Step 2: Combine 1 large egg, 1/2 cup milk, 2 tsp. vanilla, and one mashed banana in a small mixing bowl. Add these wet ingredients to the butter-flour mixture and stir well to combine. Be careful not to overmix...a gentle hand will give you much lighter muffins. Lesson: Don't want muffins like hockey pucks? Be gentle with your muffins, and your muffins will return the favor!
Step 3: Add the following ingredients to the muffin batter: 1 diced banana, 1/2 cup chopped pecans, 1/2 cup granola, and 1/2 cup shredded coconut. Carefully fold these ingredients into the batter until they're evenly incorporated.
Step 4: Spoon the batter into the paper muffin liners. Sprinkle the top of half of the muffins with some of the granola, and sprinkle the other half with coconut and a bit of sugar. The original recipe says you can also sprinkle crushed banana chips on top of the muffins.
Step 5: Bake the muffins for 25-30 minutes, until they're golden brown. Remove from the pan and let them cool for at least 15 minutes before eating. These muffins come out so pretty and brown...crunchy on the outside and moist on the inside.
Best of all? These muffins taste every bit as good as they look! Each bite is a bit different. Sometimes you get a piece of the diced banana, sometimes a pecan or some coconut, and sometimes a bit of the crunchy granola. This is the best muffin I've tasted in ages, and so much cheaper than the muffins at my favorite bakery/coffee shop. I hope you'll give these a try this weekend -- they'd be perfect for a lazy Sunday brunch!
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