Muffins

Hello everyone.  My name is Jessica and I am a dish whore.

Yes, I am able to admit now that I crave the thrill and give into it often.  Sifting powders while adding liquids, mixing into a thick batter that is divided and grows into deliciousness.  Chopping vegetables and artfully arranging them around a fresh, bloody slab of home-grown beef.  There is nothing like cooking a delicious meal, creating everything from pancakes to a mashed potatoes in the comfort of your own home.  Sometimes I even share the spoils of (my kitchen) war.

Unfortunately, with cooking, especially baking, comes dishes.  And I do not like cleaning dishes.  In fact, the sink is more often than not filled to the brim because of my lacking skill.  Usually caked in some sort of thick sweetness that was delicious a few days ago.

Recently, I tried this recipe for Banana Muffins on a whim.  The fact that I had bananas in my fridge that were going bad in a day and I wanted to use them is beside the point.  The true point is this recipe uses minimal dishes, which is always good (or so my husband says).  And oh yeah, they are frickin' delicious!  Really, I know they are!  I shared them and everyone said so.  Plus, if you are getting tired of pumpkin, but still want something that feels within the season, then you are all set.  So go make them and feel good about eating half before sharing because they have fruit in them, so that makes them healthy!
..... right?

Fun Party Fact to Share with Complete Strangers About Bananas: If your bananas ripen before you are ready to use them, peel the ripe bananas and store them in a plastic bag in the freezer until you're ready to use them.  Yay!

Banana Muffins

Yields about 18
1/2 cup vegetable oil
1 cup packed brown sugar
2 eggs
3 large ripe bananas (Bananas can be slightly green or slightly over-ripe)
2 cups white flour (I want to try making it with wheat flour... if anyone does, let me know how it tastes!)
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
1 cup chocolate chips
1 cup chopped walnuts (But you can substitute with almonds or pecans.)

- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.  Oil/spray the muffin tin (I used a cupcake one without any paper liners. It gave a good size and shape.)
- With an electric mixer, beat the oil, sugar, eggs, and bananas until well blended.
- Sift together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.  Fold the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients.
- Add the vanilla extract, chocolate chips, and nuts.  The chocolate chips and nuts are optional, but why on earth would you not want chocolate?!
- Spoon the batter into the muffin tin, filling about 3/4 of the way.  Bake for 20 minutes.
- Cool on a rack.  Stuff face.

And voila!

 

My classmates ate all of them before I could get a picture... so this is the last lonely muffin.