There is absolutely no secret that one of my favorite things to do is bake – I love the smell, the texture, and obviously the taste of baked (preferably sweet) products. Bananas – also one of my favorite fruits. Although eating them plain is sort of a challenge, they go in my daily smoothie, with cereal, peanut butter banana honey sandwiches (a dentist’s nightmare), and obviously in muffins and bread. 

Muffins are one of my go-to easy to take to work snacks or something to eat before a good morning workout – plenty of quick access carbs and a little fiber to get your day going. Especially if you’re like me and need to eat something within 30 minutes of waking or get nauseous and light headed.  

Chocolate is one of my favorite pairings with banana – almost equal to peanut butter, but lately I’m obsessed with anything pecan in salads and with fruit (especially spiced pecans in a spinach salad) so I branched from the typical banana walnut combo and threw in pecans instead. 

  
Banana Muffins (Praline or Chocolate Chip)

Makes 12-14 muffins

• 1 cup whole wheat flour
• 1 cup unbleached white flour
• 1 cup oats (quick or old fashion)
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1 tsp cinnamon
• 1/2 tsp nutmeg
• 1 1/2 cup bananas, mashed (about 2 small -medium bananas)
• 1/2 butter melted
• 1 cup brown sugar
• 1 tsp vanilla
• 2 eggs
• 1/2 cup chocolate chips or chopped pecans
• 1/2 cup praline pecans (set aside)

1. Preheat over to 350F. Mix all of the dry ingredients, minus the sugar in a large bowl. I like to whisk everything together to get it evenly disptributed. 
2. In a medium sized bowl, mix together the eggs, banana, butter, sugar, and vanilla. Pour the wet ingredients into the dry and stir until only just moist and combined. Do not over-mix, the texture will tturn out rubbery. 
3. Next incorporate either chocolate chips of pecans and stir until only just combined. Fill muffn papers or greased tins 2/3 to 3/4 full. I use an ice cream scoop for filling muffins and cupcakes because you get just the right amount. If you’re making the praline option, top each muffin with two half praline pecans. 
4. Bake for 15-17 minutes or until toothpick comes out clean. Cool on a wire rack and enjoy!

If you’re looking to modify, you can reduce the sugar to 3/4 cup and butter to 1/3 cup and still keep about the same consistency and taste. 🙂