The Best Banana Muffins

When our family is snowed in, there’s nothing MP enjoys more than baking. Post-holiday, however, MP wanted to make a healthy snack for us all. She turned towards an old favorite, a banana bread recipe pulled from the pages of a Betty Crocker cookbook MP and DP received for an engagement present years ago.

For the muffins, you’ll need:
1 cup of sugar
1/2 cup of unsalted butter, softened (we like Kate’s Homemade)
2 large eggs
4 medium ripe bananas
1/3 cup of water
1 cup of all-purpose flour
2/3 cup of wheat flour (we like King Arthur)
1 tsp. baking soda
1/2-tsp. salt
1/4-tsp baking powder
1 cup of granola for topping (like Lucy’s)
Optional: chocolate chips, nuts, or berries

For this recipe, we store ripe bananas in the freezer to have on the ready (which is proof how often we make it). MP defrosted four medium-sized bananas before beginning and left a stick of butter out on the counter to soften. She uses this time to preheat the oven to 350º.

To start, mix one cup of sugar and 1/2 cup of softened butter in a large bowl until the mixture looks like mashed potatoes. Then mix in the two eggs. Once blended, beat in the ripe bananas (if they’re defrosted there is no need to mash them beforehand) and 1/3 cup of water.

Take out a medium bowl and mix the dry ingredients. MP used 1 cup of regular flour and substituted 2/3 cup of wheat flour to give the muffins a nuttier flavor. Add 1 tsp. of baking soda, 1/2 tsp. salt, and 1/4 tsp. of baking powder.

Slowly add the dry ingredients to the banana mixture and mix until there are no streaks of flour. Now you can get creative: add nuts, chocolate chips, or berries to the mixture if you like.

Next, fill a muffin pan with cupcake liners. Use 1/4 cup measuring cup to fill each liner. MP topped each muffin with store-bought granola for added crunch.

The muffins before going into the oven.

Bake the muffins for approx. 25 minutes until golden. Let cool on a baking rack and enjoy! This recipe makes about 16 muffins. They’re perfect on a snowy day with a cup of tea.