Banana Graham Muffins

There's something about the change of seasons that makes a baked good sound like all you need in life.

Although summer and fall are still fighting over who's taking the stage, the potential of my oven is already taking over my mind.


I've been dreaming of baked whole wheat donuts with chocolate ganache glaze, graham cupcakes layered high with marshmallow and fudge, pumpkin bread laced with fresh shredded apples, chocolate silk pie with nut crumble crust and baked meringue top, apple cobblers...

I decided to start nice and "simple" with some zucchini muffins.  After all, end of summer zucchini are taking over my fridge and it's still too hot to commit to something that needs to be baked longer than 20 minutes.

Of course, simple is an overstatement.

Somewhere between pureeing oats and walnuts with whole wheat flour for a wholesome base to looking up and realizing my eggs were whisked in one bowl while my butter and sugar another, I thought to myself "this is not your most graceful kitchen moment".  Needless to say I was not super surprised when I pulled a dozen over moist, over crumbly, un-bakeable, sunken topped muffins from the oven an hour later.

For every part of me that lacked surprise towards my soggy zucchini sponges, there were two parts of me filled with disappointment and just one teensy, tinsey part of me that was hopeful.

So I got my shit together and geared up for the next round: a trusted banana muffin recipe that had yet to fail me.

Banana Graham Muffins


Ingredients

Dry

• 1 c wheat flour
• 1/2 c wheat bran
• 1/4 c wheat germ
• 1 t baking powder
• 1/4 t baking soda
• 1/4 t salt
• 3 t cinnamon
• 1-2 t ginger
• 1/2 t nutmeg

Add-ins

• 1/2 c shredded coconut, unsweetened
• 1/2 c golden raisins
• 1/2 c walnuts, chopped

Wet

• 3 ripe bananas
• 3 lg eggs
• 1/2 c oil of choice
• 1 t vanilla
• 3/4 c brown sugar

Combine

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees and grease a muffin tin.
2. In a large mixing bowl, whisk the dry ingredients until well mixed then stir in the add-ins.
3. In a separate bowl, use a fork to mash the bananas until smooth.  Break the eggs over the banana mash and use the fork to beat them a little, then use the fork to mix them into the bananas completely.
4. Add in the oil and vanilla and mix, then add in the brown sugar and stir until combined.
5. Make a crater in the middle of the dry mixture then pour the wet ingredients into the space.  Use a large spoon to slowly stir fold the dry ingredients into the wet until well mixed.
6. Use a spoon or quarter measuring cup to scoop portions into the tin.
7. Bake for 12-15 minutes until a toothpick poked into the center comes out clean.
8. Enjoy!