banana muffins

Delish!  
Perfect for after-school snacks
and for tucking into lunch boxes!
(Yes, still using Christmas muffin liners!)

Check out Claire's perfect Banana Muffins.


My boys love muffins - and I love the ease with which they travel.  Our two favorites are today's post, banana muffins from Cook With Claire, and our pumpkin muffins.  A couple of browning bananas were calling me yesterday, so in the early afternoon I quickly pulled the ingredients together and they were ready as an after school snack.   (Happily consumed over homework and again after a friendly game of football.)

My DF Claire's muffin recipe is the best.  Her technique is simple, her ingredients wholesome and her pictures the perfect tutorial.  My only adjustment was to leave out the chocolate chips (oh, no!) because we were all out.  Make muffins with your kids - so simple and satisfying!

claire's banana bread

golden, gorgeous, smells amazing!

We came home from NH to a bowl of over-ripe bananas; a perfect excuse to brag about my friend, Claire, and her amazing blog, cookwithclaire.org. I have been cooking since college, improving with the passage of time and brave friends but it wasn't until Claire started her blog, that I truly attempted baking.  Before that it was drop cookies, the occasional brownie and sugar cookies at Christmas.  But two years ago this January, Claire began her blog and we dove in with her Heirloom Cake.  Success! And my kids have been requesting her recipes ever since.

This is Claire's recipe for banana bread - her grandmother's - and a favorite here at Chez Stump.  Be sure to check out her blog - her food pictures are wonderfully helpful.  Baking this today made our house smell so yummy!

notice my ipad ... logged on to Claire's blog!

Claire's Banana Bread

adapted from cookwithclaire.org

Ingredients:

⅓ c unsalted butter, softened

¾ c light brown sugar (substituted because we were out of dark)

2  eggs

2 bananas, mashed 

1/2 t vanilla (flavor to make up for light brown sugar) 

½ c half & half (substituted because we were out of whole milk)
1 ½ c all-purpose flour 
1 t salt1 t baking soda

Directions:


Tip: I take the butter and eggs out early in the day so that they are at room temperature when I am ready to begin.  If I forget this step - I simply soften the butter with approximately 2 10-second spurts in the microwave. Then I put the butter in the bowl of my KitchenAid Mixer and use the wrapper to butter the loaf pan.  

my batter is a bit lighter today:
 due to the light brown sugar

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. If you haven't already, butter a loaf pan. 


2. Cream butter and brown sugar until smooth. Add eggs and bananas, (and vanilla, if using) and mix until blended. 


3. In a small bowl, with a fork, wisk flour, salt and soda together. Add flour mixture and milk to the banana mixture in a couple of batches, ending with milk. Mix until blended.  Bake for about an hour until a toothpick inserted in center comes out clean.


Great heated - try serving with vanilla ice cream & chocolate sauce!