Homemade banana muffins, hot out of the oven.
I make sure to nibble all the bits that are stuck to the pan.
Only because it makes washing the pan SO much easier. ;-) 

OK, so these muffins aren't exactly healthy, but I'm including them here because a) I believe that it's healthy to indulge once in a while, b) I made some changes to the original recipe to make them somewhat less sinful, and c) they are creating a REALLY good aroma in my house and I want you to experience the same wonderful pleasure.

I make these muffins every couple of weeks, whenever we have over-ripe bananas. I wrap each muffin individually in saran wrap and put them in the freezer for the kids to enjoy as take-to-school snacks. They're certainly an awful lot healthier than sodium-laden potato chips!

Banana Muffins
This recipe is actually double the original, because I always have more than two over-ripe bananas. No matter how many I make, they seem to disappear in a couple of days. You can definitely cut the recipe in half if you prefer. It'll yield 12 muffins if you do that. 


4 bananas
2 teaspoons baking soda
2 teaspoons hot water
1 stick margarine or butter, or 1/2 cup oil
1/2 cup unsweetened applesauce
1 1/4 cups sugar
2 cups white flour
1 cup whole wheat pastry flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
2 teaspoons salt
1 1/2 cups chocolate chips

Prepare two standard muffin tins (the kind with 12 medium sized cups) by lining them with cupcake holders. Preheat the oven to 400*.

In a medium bowl, mash the bananas well. Stir in the baking soda and hot water.

In a separate bowl, cream the margarine (preferably with an electric mixer). Add the applesauce and sugar. Cream well. Add the eggs, vanilla, and the rest of the dry ingredients.

Pour in the banana mixture and chocolate chips. Mix just till combined. Don't overmix!

Pour the muffin batter into the prepared muffin tins. Fill each tin a little more than halfway. Bake the muffins for about 20 minutes, until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Cool for at least 30 minutes before removing from the pan. Eat them within a couple of days, or freeze them for up to a few weeks if you want them for later.

The well worn recipe. 

Muffin batter, waiting to be baked