These muffins are banana! B-a-n-a-n-a!

Ok, so we are a couple of Claire Robinson snobs... at least we admit it ;)  If you have yet to check out her show, "5 Ingredient Fix" on Food Network I suggest you set your Tivo, DVR, etc. Her recipes make a big flavor bang without a lot of buck at the grocery store.  Recipes with lots of ingredients make people nervous, including me, and the more you need the more likely you are to forget one or more. You will notice several of her recipes showcased in our blog from time to time.

A few nights ago I pre-made muffins for our morning breakfast.  Every since I discovered this recipe called for "ripe" bananas I was all over it! We had a whole bunch of neglected very ripe bananas from the last Sam's trip that never made it into the snack rotation and if you know me personally I hate to waste anything. I even drove to the grocery store that night at 9:00pm to get "self-rising" flour because we were out - I was just that excited and bent on making them.


Brown Butter Banana Muffins: Yield 12 muffins

1/4lb (1 stick) unsalted butter
4 ripe bananas
1/3 cup raw agave syrup or honey
1 large egg
1 3/4 cups self-rising flour

Preheat the oven to 375F.

Line a 12-cup muffin tin with paper muffin liners.

Put the butter in a small saucepan or skillet and melt over medium heat. Continue cooking, stirring occasionally, until the milk solids have turned a nutty golden brown and remove from the heat and let cool.

Peel the bananas and mash into a large bowl with fork until liquefied. Add the honey (what we had on hand) and egg and stir well; pour in the butter and whisk until completely combined. Add the flour and, with a rubber spatula, fold it into the wet ingredients until just combined; do not over mix.  With an ice cream scoop, evenly divide the batter among the muffin tin cups.

Bake in the center of the oven until golden brown and the tops spring back when pressed, about 25 minutes. Cool for 5 minutes in the muffin tin; transfer the muffins to a rack to cool completely. Serve warm or at room temperature.

Note: To make self-rising flour, add 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder and 1/2 teaspoon of salt to 1 cup all-purpose flour.

What to toss in if you have it:
Chopped toasted pecans will add a nice crunch; or Claire also reccomends a smear of cream cheese on a warm muffin, heaven!

5 Ingredient Fix - Easy, Elegant, and Irresistible Recipes, Claire Robinson, Host of 5 Ingredient Fix [October 2010]