Banana Muffins - A Mouthful of Happiness!

Happy Mothers' Day!

My Mom loves Banana recipes....banana muffins, banana cake, and banana quick bread. Banana baked goods make her happy! In her honor, today's recipe is my famous banana cake crafted into perfect pint-sized muffins. These will make your Mom and your mouth so happy. This flexible recipe is perfect for cakes, muffins, and decorative quick breads. Remember to adjust the baking time.

Whole-food Moms! You're gonna love making these delicious darlings for your own little dears. You'll feel guilt free giving them seconds because you know you made them with the healthy, whole-grain ingredients. 

Going the extra-tasty mile . . .

At the end of this recipe are directions for a great tasting whole-food icing. It's the perfect topper for decorative muffins, quick breads or if you use this recipe to make a cake.

Ingredients:

1 ½ cups ripe Bananas, mashed  (4 frozen bananas, defrosted)
2 teaspoons lemon juice
¾ cup Butter, softened*
2 ½ cups Brown Sugar, or Sugar In The Raw

3 large Eggs*

3 teaspoons Vanilla
1 ½  teaspoons Baking soda
½ teaspoon Salt  

1 cup of Coconut Milk

½ cup of Almond (or Soy) Milk

1 tablespoon of white Vinegar (white whine vinegar also works)
1 ½ cups of Whole Wheat Flour

1 ½ cups of regular Flour

* Vegan substitutes can be found at the bottom of this recipe.

HINT: Don't skip the fridge trick! It makes these beauties so moist they melt in your mouth!

Directions:

Preheat your oven to 275*F and line a mini-muffin pan with mini-muffin papers. Grab a good fork. This whole recipe is made with a fork.

 

Using kitchen scissors, snip the top off of each defrosted banana and squeeze them into the bowl. They'll look slimy and weird and totally unappealing, but don't worry they're gonna make this recipe great! Add the lemon juice and mash the two together with a fork. Set them aside and let their flavors mingle while you work on the other ingredients.

Hopefully you were able to soften your butter the old-fashioned, by letting it sit on your counter for an hour or two. If not, then microwave your butter for about 25 seconds, you'll know it's ready when you can press it flat with a fork. Add your sugar and cream together with a fork until the sugar is completely mixed into the butter. 

Now crack in your eggs. Using your fork, scramble the eggs into the sugar/butter mix until a fluffy yellow batter forms. Next add in your baking soda and salt. I know it's not traditional to alternate between wet and dry ingredients, but there's a method to my madness. Colliding the eggs with the baking soda is what makes this batter rise beautifully and the muffins melt in your mouth. 

In a small bowl, mix together the coconut milk, almond/soy milk, and vinegar. You're making a buttermilk substitute. Whip these 3 ingredients together with a fork and pour into the egg batter. Mix well.

Now it's time to go bananas! Pour in the bananas and stir well with your fork. Time for the last ingredient: flour. Using your fork, mix in your two flours, a little at a time.

Fill your mini cups a tad more than ½ full. Be careful not to overfill. This recipe rises high and they'll overflow. You don't have to make mini muffins like I did. This recipe can also be used to make large muffins, and is even perfect as a cake recipe!

Bake until the tops are a soft golden brown, about 16 minutes. Follow your nose to tell if these cuties are complete. You should just barely be able to smell them baking. If you can smell them from the living room, they're probably overdone. If you choose to make large muffins or a cake, double check the baking time by inserting a toothpick and making sure it comes out clean.

As soon as they come out of the oven, turn over your pan and dump the muffins out onto the counter or cooling rack to cool. I know tradition says to keep them in the pan, but the problem is they continue to cook in the hot pan. Get them out as soon as you can. 

Let one batch cool while you prep and another batch. By the time you line the muffin pan again, fill each cup and pop them into the oven. The first batch will be ready for their last step: going into the fridge! Place your warm muffins in a resealable Tupperware container and stick them right into your fridge.

I know this is a bit different, but trust me it makes them so moist and delectable. Going from the hot oven into the cold fridge seals in their moisture in ways only thermal laws of Physics can properly explain. Your tongue won't care about the science, it'll be too busy enjoying how perfectly moist and delicious they are. 

Keep them in the fridge until you're ready to serve!

The Frosting on the Cake. . .

Let's be honest, sometimes frosting just makes good things better! If you use this recipe for decorative muffins or a cake, try this awesome whole-food frosting recipe. It takes this recipe from delicious to pure muffin magic. 

Coconut Cream Cheese Frosting:

¾ cup Coconut cream

1 cup (full package) of Cream Cheese, softened

2 teaspoons of pure Vanilla Extract

Allow your cream cheese to soften on the counter. Using an electric mixer, beat the vanilla and coconut cream into the cream cheese by adding a little at a time until it's thoroughly mixed. Use a pipping bag or a small spatula to apply the frosting. If you have some walnuts handy, sprinkle them on top for added delight. 

Banana Cake with Coconut Cream Cheese Frosting

Banana Walnut Quick Bread w/ 1 cup of Walnuts added to batter

Makes : 

60 mini-muffins

or 2 dozen regular muffins

or 4 medium quick breads  

or 1 large cake

Vegan Substitutions

Eggs -  For making muffins, substitute 1/2 banana for each egg. If you're making this recipe as a cake or quick bread, then substitute all 3 eggs for 1/2 cup of all natural applesauce. 

Butter - Substitute the same amount for vegan butter or a vegetable oil of your choice. Do not use butter substitutes like Earth Balance or I Can't Believe It's Not Butter, they have too much water and salt and will not bake well.

Frosting - Substitute the cream cheese with 8oz of firm tofu and 1/4 teaspoon of salt. Using a food processor to grind the tofu and then add the remaining ingredients, into the machine and blend until smooth.