Nutty Banana Muffins

It's been a tough winter. Plenty of snow...plenty of days spent indoors (when I'm not outside shoveling)...and plenty of time to think about "days gone by."

My friends and I spent plenty of weekends at brunch in the city. Who hasn't? It's a great way to relax and share some laughs and just enjoy life. One of our favorite places was Good Enough to Eat. The food was fresh...the atmosphere was fun...and even in the winter, it felt sunny there.

So, naturally, I bought their cookbook and everything lives up to their name. Last week, after another 6 inches of snow and the threat of more, I was in the need of some "sun" and this recipe did the trick.

Fortunately, my boyfriend had some leftover bananas that he wasn't going to eat because they'd become tooooo ripe. Perfect! I took them home to make these tasty muffins. Simple, right? Not quite. Many banana muffin recipes require bran, which -- sorry -- I just don't have on hand. But the "Good Enough to Eat" recipe doesn't. What's more...it goes one step further on my list of favorites because it includes maple syrup. Now that's sunshine in a muffin cup.

Here's what you'll need:

6 tbs butter -- melted

1/2 cup maple syrup

1 large egg

1 teaspoon vanilla

2 ripe medium size bananas

1 1/2 cups flour

1/2 tsp salt

1 tsp baking soda

1 tsp baking poder

1/2 cup walnuts -- chopped

Next:

1) Combine all liquid ingredients in a bowl

2) Mash bananas in a separate bowl and add to liquid ingredients

3) Combine all dry ingredients well in another bowl...add the walnuts

4) Pour liquid contents into dry. Fold until just combined

5) Fill muffin cups (using a non-stick pan or else use paper liners)

6) Sprinkle top of muffins w/additional nuts (or chocolate chips)

Bake at 400 degrees for about 20-25 minutes*

Yes...there's an asterisk there. Unfortunately, my oven seems to be running hot. I let these cook for 12 and they were DONE. OK...maybe even a little dry but that's the beauty of this recipe. They still tasted great. You'll see.