happy 138

138. i hate to see bananas go to waste... so in my freezer you can always find frozen mashed bananas just waiting to be used in a new banana bread recipe. i've tried dozens of recipes, this one was t0-die-for.

barefoot contessa's banana crunch muffins

ingredients

• 3 cups all-purpose flour
• 2 cups sugar
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 pound unsalted butter, melted and cooled
• 2 extra-large eggs
• 3/4 cup whole milk
• 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
• 1 cup mashed ripe bananas (2 bananas)
• 1 cup medium-diced ripe bananas (1 banana)
• 1 cup small-diced walnuts
• 1 cup granola
• 1 cup sweetened shredded coconut
• dried banana chips, granola, or shredded coconut, optional

directions

preheat the oven to 350 degrees

line 18 large muffin cups with paper liners. sift the flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt into the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a paddle attachment. add the melted butter and blend. combine the eggs, milk, vanilla, and mashed bananas, and add them to the flour-and-butter mixture. scrape the bowl and blend well. don't overmix.

fold the diced bananas, walnuts, granola, and coconut into the batter. spoon the batter into the paper liners, filling each 1 to the top. top each muffin with dried banana chips, granola, or coconut, if desired. bake for 25 to 30 minutes, or until the tops are brown and a toothpick comes out clean. cool slightly, remove from the pan, and serve.