Banana Crunch Muffins

The smell of banana bread baking is one of my favorite kitchen smells.  But my banana bread was always so….boring, especially since Nathan normally doesn’t like nuts or “chunk” type add ins.  Me, I’m all for them.  In the world of ice cream, for example, I gravitate towards Ben & Jerry’s chunkerrific ice creams, while Nathan would likely pick plain vanilla or chocolate.  One Sunday morning several years ago, we saw Ina Garten make this recipe on The Barefoot Contessa.  I thought “Wow, those muffins sure look tasty”, and my husband AGREED!  He agreed even though they’ve got lots going on.   If Ben & Jerry made muffins they would look like these.  So after some experimenting and changes to suit my husbands….er….Picky-ness, a favorite muffin recipe was born. These muffins get their “crunch” from granola, coconut, and banana chips.

Banana Crunch Muffins

adapted from this recipe in The Barefoot Contessa Cookbook, by Ina Garten

Ingredients:

• 3 cups all-purpose flour
• 2 cups sugar
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 pound unsalted butter, melted and cooled
• 2 extra-large eggs
• 3/4 cup whole milk
• 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
• 1 1/2 cups mashed ripe bananas (3 bananas)
• 1 cup granola
• 1 cup sweetened shredded coconut

Dried banana chips, optional

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.Line 18 large muffin cups with paper liners. Sift the flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt into the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a paddle attachment. Add the melted butter and blend. Combine the eggs, milk, vanilla, and mashed bananas, and add them to the flour-and-butter mixture. Scrape the bowl and blend well. Don’t overmix.

Fold the granola and coconut into the batter. Spoon the batter into the paper liners, filling each 1 to the top. Top each muffin with dried banana chips, if desired. Bake for 25 to 30 minutes, or until the tops are brown and a toothpick comes out clean. Cool slightly, remove from the pan, and serve.

Picky Apple Note:

• The “crunch” of the granola and banana chips fades pretty quickly, so these are best eaten in the first day or two.
• The original recipe calls for a cup of walnuts, which I omitted.  I’m sure either walnuts or pecans would be delicious and add to the “crunch.”