Banana Pecan Muffins

While making food for myself at college, I find myself having to alter recipes to make sure I am not making quadruple what I'll actually eat. With these muffins, however, I stick to the list and make the full 12 muffins. Being that I am the only one usually eating the muffins, most of them would be sitting out uneaten for quite awhile. Instead of making a smaller batch of muffins, I usually just put the extras in a zip-block bag and toss them in the freezer. They warm up quickly in the microwave and are super convenient when you need an easy breakfast!

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Not nuts about nuts? Feel free to substitute the pecans with your favorite mix in, or just keep it simple without anything extra. They turn out delicious with or without nuts. This muffin recipe is very easy, and similar to any basic banana bread recipe you might find. I like banana bread, but the reason I choose to make muffins is because they are so much easier to freeze and reheat.

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Don't have muffins liners? No worries! I discovered parchment paper is a great way to line your muffin pan, and it makes your muffins look a little fancier too. It also makes it easier to pull the muffins out of your pan when their all done. All I did was cut squares (roughly 6x6 inches) out of parchment paper, laid the square over the pan, and pressed down with a jar of jelly (any flat circular shape will work). My parchment liners did not stay put by themselves, but once I filled them with batter they were stable. I love how the parchment paper liners make them look like they are right from the bakery :)

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Banana Pecan Muffins

Makes: 12 muffins

Cook time: 22-25 minutes

Ingredients

3 large ripe bananas

3/4 cup sugar

1 egg

1/3 cup vegetable oil

1 1/2 cups all purpose flour

1 tsp baking soda

1 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp salt

1 cup pecans

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees and line your muffin pan with muffin liners, or parchment paper liners.

2. In a large mixing bowl, mash the bananas with a fork until there are no more large pieces remaining. Mix in the sugar, egg, and oil.

3. In a separate bowl combine the flour, baking powder, and salt. Mix together and gradually add the dry ingredients to the banana mixture. Do not over mix.

4. Coarsely chop 3/4 cup of pecans. Fold them into the mixture until well combined. Scoop batter into individual liners about 3/4 full.

5. Roughly chop the other 1/4 of pecans and sprinkle them on top of the batter. Place muffins in the oven for 22-25 minutes.

6. Let them cool for about 5 minutes, and then pull them out of the pan to cool completely.

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