Banana Muffins

When I decided not to buy processed food a large hole was created in our breakfast rotation. Sebastian is probably part nutri-grain waffle as I ate so many of them when I was pregnant with him. He would sometimes happily eat them for dinner and lunch as well. However after reading the ingredients I stopped buying them, cold turkey. I tried freezing my waffles, but he never really took to them as toaster waffles. He will happily eat them when fresh but to him a toaster waffle is different.

For me there are only so many days that I can eat toast, even with the range of homemade jams in the house, before I get bored. So I began making mini muffins. Mini muffins also work wonderfully as snacks. Although sometimes my boys grab the container and eat them all. This is one of my favorite muffin concoctions, it is not too sweet, is still yummy after a few days, and they are super moist. I always have a huge collection of over ripe bananas in the fridge so I can make them at a moments notice.

As I was making breakfast this morning my boys were building a lego zoo. They decided that there was a chipmunk that had been rescued and they were nursing him back to health. "Chippie is doing much better because of all the healthy food we are feeding him. Good thing we are bringing him all that food from the local farm." Apparently I can brainwash my children. The bananas weren't local, although one of the employees at the co-op told me once that they had a customer ask for local bananas. Another cashier mentioned the time he had a customer ask for free range pumpkins.

Banana Muffins

1/2 cup butter at room temperature
2/3 cup sugar
2 eggs
1 tsp carob or regular molasses
1 cup mashed very ripe bananas (better to have slightly more then less)
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp unsweetened coco powder
1/4 tsp ground ginger
1 cup whole wheat pastry flour (or white whole wheat flour)
1 cup unbleached all purpose flour
1/3 cup buttermilk (or 1/3 cup milk with 1 tsp lemon juice or white vinegar added)

Preheat the oven to 350 ° Cream the butter and gradually add the sugar. When well mixed and light add the eggs, bananas and molasses and mix until thoroughly combined. Next add the baking soda, salt, cinnamon, coco powder and ginger and mix well. Slowly add the milk and flour, alternating between wet and dry ingredients, beginning and ending with the flour. Blend well after each addition. Scoop the bater into ungreased silicon muffin cups or well buttered metal muffin pans. bake in a preheated 350 ° for 20 minutes for mini muffins and 25 for regular muffins.