Banana Muffin Recipe + Tip on Freezing Bananas

The title does no justice to these muffins.  Unfortunately I am all out of creative juice so the best I could come up with was 'banana muffin recipe'.  Although I'm guilty of judging a book by its cover or a blog post by its title, please do not judge this recipe by the title.  Keep reading, try the recipe and I promise you will not be disappointed.  Unless of course you don't like banana muffins, then I'll forgive you if you stop here.

I've been trying banana bread recipes for years, and I've never quite found one that keeps me coming back, until now.  These muffins are dense, yet full of fluff.  The banana flavor is outrageous.  And the nutrition?!  People, these muffins do not contain butter or sugar.  [pause to pick your jaw up because I know it just hit the floor]  

The recipe comes from the Weelicious cookbook by Catherine McCord (it was a Christmas present from my sister-in-law, much appreciated!).  She's also the author of a blog which is very useful for first time mothers trying to figure out what to feed their infant once they hit the solid food stage (4-6 months).  Here are a few other Weelicious recipes that are on my radar: graham crackers, sweet potato muffins and veggie nuggets. 

I buy bananas every week at the store.  Most of the time we eat them before they go bad, but sometimes we reach the point of brown spots and squishy centers.  At that point I just say no thanks and I stick them in the freezer, peel and all.  When I make a recipe that calls for 'very ripe' bananas, I pluck them from the freezer and depending on how fast I need them, I either 1) microwave them in 10-15 second intervals, just until you can easily press into the peel with your finger, or 2) set them on a plate in the refrigerator until again, you can easily press into the peel with your finger.  At this point, I take a knife and make a slit in the peeling along the length of the banana.  The slit should be deep enough to reach the flesh of the banana.  Once cut, I peel the peeling back and plop the banana out.  I then proceed with the recipe as normal.

Alterations / Specifications:

As I typed up the recipe card (below), I realized that I forgot to add baking powder, oops (how long can one claim preggo brain?).  I guess it didn't make much of a difference because they're delicious as is.  In fact, I'm a little hesitant to use the baking powder next time in fear that it might take away from my first impression.  

I only used one banana for the topping and cut them to be 1/8" slices.  Truthfully I think a 1/4" slice would be overpowering for the mini muffins but it would be okay for the regular muffins.

I made both the mini muffins and regular muffins. They're equally as delicious.  My regular muffins took 25 minutes to bake, whereas the recipe suggests 20 minutes.

I used the honey in lieu of agave nectar.  I've actually never bought or used agave nectar in cooking.  Has anyone else?  Thoughts?

Since this is a Weelicious recipe catered towards little ones, I had to ask Baby J his opinion.  See for yourself.

Download the recipe card below and enjoy!  Bon Appetit!