Easy Like.....Saturday Morning

I awoke this morning to the sun glistening off the white snow. A crisp, peaceful morning in winter.....filled with the whines of a puppy who needs to get outside. NOW. As I opened the door to freedom, I felt the cold air slap me across the face. I quickly shoved her out, closed the door as fast as I could, and thought to myself that cereal is not going to cut it for breakfast this morning. All I wanted to do was curl up on the couch with a blanket and turn the fire on. Brrrrr.

I surveyed the pantry, the refrigerator, and my fruit bowl to see what I could conjure up. I had a few bananas that were well on their way to rotten. So, I perused my Joy of Cooking cookbook and found this recipe for Banana Nut Muffins. I thought they would be good with a crumble topping.

As they cooked, these muffins filled the house with nothing but goodness....cinnamon, sugar, banana....my gosh, I couldn't wait until that timer went off.



And again, people, there are ways to change this recipe up - add some coconut, or blueberries, or pecans instead of walnuts (toast them for added flavor). I decided to make these in my giant size muffin tin instead of the regular size muffin tin. That was fun. Use whole wheat flour instead of AP if you want to be a little more healthy. Want to add some sweetness? Chocolate chips are the answer. I will always encourage you to use your imagination with these recipes - use what you've got in your pantry. That is what I LOVE about cooking.

The next weekend morning you don't feel like eating the usual bowl of cereal - make these. You'll thank yourself. And so will your family.

Banana Nut Muffins with Crumble Topping
Recipe Adapted from The Joy of Cooking
Photos by A Toast to Taste

Ingredients Needed:

For the muffins
1.5 cups all purpose flour
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
3-4 almost rotten bananas, mashed
3/4 cup sugar
1 egg
1/3 cup melted butter
1 Tbsp vanilla extract
2/3 cup walnuts

For the crumb topping
1/3 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup flour
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
1 Tbsp melted butter

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Grease your muffin tin or line with muffin liners.

In a large mixing bowl, combine flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt.



In a separate mixing bowl, mash the bananas. Then beat in the sugar, egg, melted butter, and vanilla.



Fold the wet ingredients and nuts into the dry ingredients until just mixed. Divide the batter among the prepared muffin cups.



In a small bowl, combine brown sugar, flour, cinnamon, and melted butter, until crumbly. Top each muffin cup with the mixture.



Bake for 18-20 minutes or until a toothpick inserted comes out clean. Let cool for 2-3 minutes before serving.