Banana Nut Muffins

Don't you hate how fast bananas go bad? It seems nowadays I can't eat them up fast enough before they ripen. Well one great thing I've discovered that comes from over ripe bananas are these muffins. This is one time you definitely want your bananas to be ripe!

I've made these time and time again, and my husband can't seem to get enough of them. Many times I've resorted to making a bread, but it seems like muffins are not only more convenient for an "on the go" breakfast, and not only do they cook up much faster, but they store nicely in a freezer bag, so all in all, I probably prefer making my bananas into muffins.

If you like bananas, and you like muffins, you'll love these =)

Banana Nut Muffins

Ingredients
-2 medium or 3 small ripe bananas
-1 tsp. baking soda
-2 eggs
-1 stick of butter (melted)
-1 cup sugar
-1 tsp. baking powder
-1/4 tsp. salt
-1 1/2 cups of all purpose flour

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

In a small bowl, mash together bananas and baking soda. (You want to mash them thoroughly so they're fairly smooth, but it's good to leave some bits of banana for moisture.) Set aside.

In another small bowl, sift together flour, salt, and baking powder. Set aside.

In a large bowl beat together eggs, butter and sugar, but don't cream. (The more you beat the mixture, the dryer your muffins will turn out so try to mix everything just enough ;) Carefully fold in half of the flour mixture and then half of the banana mixture, stirring well in between each time. Repeat until all of the flour and banana mixture is completely incorporated. Add 1 cup chopped Pecans and stir.

Using an ice cream scoop (I like to use one to ensure all of my muffins are exactly the same size and it also helps ensure they cook evenly), scoop banana mixture into a greased muffin tin or you could use muffin wrappers. Rap the tin on the counter a few times, causing any air bubbles to rise to the top. Finally, top each muffin with a whole pecan and then bake at 350 degrees for about 12-15 minutes or until golden brown and cooked through. Remove from oven and let cool. When cool, remove the muffins from the tin and enjoy for breakfast, dessert, or a mid-day snack =)

*Makes 18 muffins