.banana walnut muffins.

my mother-in-law spoils her family and guests with a banana bread cake that she makes in a bundt pan. not only is it a pretty presentation, dressed in a dusting of powdered sugar, but it tastes so good fresh from the oven and also the day after for breakfast. it really doesn't last past one day because it is in high demand.

a wife notices her husband's "mmms" and this banana bread cake always entices just that out of my eye guy. so when we ended up with a really ripe banana on our own kitchen counter, i decided to try my hand at making banana bread.

because it would just be the two of us, i knew a full cake would be an insult to our already happy waist lines. so, i wanted to make muffins. with banana bread, there's a fine line between the dry variety and those that are moist. avoiding a dry muffin was my intent.

i did some mixin' and swrilin' and hopin' that after all this....they woudn't get dry in my paaaaannn...ok, enough singing.

once i got to the part where i was to add some chocolate chips, i made an adjustment. i knew my eye guy would prefer some walnuts in them over some girly chocolate chips. doesn't hurt that i would too.

after the muffins were ready to go in the oven, i crossed my fingers they'd come out on the other side and make me proud.

when the timer went off, i finally uncrossed my fingers to put them in my green kitchen mitts. ok, ok...i didn't truly keep them crossed the WHOLE time. regardless, the muffins looked like twelve perfectly plump little banana breads just waiting to be tasted.

that first bite. oh, that first bite. not only were they moist, but they were also decidedly delicious. i couldn't wait for the hubbers to try them. when he arrived home, i almost shoved one in his mouth before he had a chance to say hello.

he didn't seem to mind and proceeded to devour almost the whole dozen. well, i helped and luckily for those happy waist lines of ours, we did stretch the devouring over a couple of days. i definitely think these banana walnut muffins be mother-in-law approved.

this is one of those recipes that i'll be making over and over again. i almost wish i had some house guests coming this weekend so i could lay these out for breakfast. almost.


banana bread muffins

ingredients
2 cups White Sugar
½ cups Vegetable Oil
2 whole Eggs
2-⅔ cups Flour
1 teaspoon Baking Soda
2 teaspoons Baking Powder
1-½ teaspoon Salt
1 cup Milk
2 cups Mashed Ripe Banana
1 cup Chocolate Chips

directions
In a large bowl, combine sugar, oil, and eggs.
In a separate bowl, combine flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt.
Into the large bowl, alternate adding milk and dry ingredients. Mix until just combined.
Add bananas and chocolate chips.
Preheat oven to 350F, spray 3 loaf pans (medium, 4.5″x 8.5″) with cooking spray. Divide dough evenly. Bake all 3 loaves together for 55 minutes, rotating as needed.
Notes:
1. 2 cups bananas = about 4 bananas.
2. HALF of this recipe makes 12 regular muffins, bake for 20-25 minutes.
3. Freezes well in a plastic zipper bag.