Aunt Cheri's Banana Muffins

My aunt Cheri emailed me this recipe to let me know these are the "BEST" banana muffins ever.  I took her word for it and gave them a try.  When my husband came home from work and popped one in his mouth, this is EXACTLY what he said.  "These are the BEST banana muffins you've ever made!"  


1 1/2 cups all purpose flour
A scant 1/2 cup sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder

1/4 teaspoon salt

1 cup mashed ripe bananas (about 2 large or 3 small)

1 large egg

1/2 cup unsalted butter, melted

1/4 cup milk

Optional:  about a 1/4 cup mini semi-sweet chocolate chips and/or finely chopped walnuts (my addition--see the "My Notes" section below)

Preheat oven to 350°F. Line twelve 1/3-cup muffin cups with muffin liners or grease and flour. Mix flour, sugar, baking powder and salt in large bowl. Mix together the mashed bananas, egg, melted butter and milk in a bowl. Stir banana mixture into dry ingredients just until blended, making sure not to overmix.

If you wish, add chocolate chips and/or walnuts to the batter (see the "My Notes" section below).  

Divide batter among prepared muffin cups, filling each about 3/4 full. Bake muffins until tops are pale golden and spring back when lightly pressed with your finger, about 30 minutes.  Transfer muffins to a rack to cool.

My Notes:  I used a heaping cup of mashed banana because 2 bananas were not enough and 3 were a heaping cup.  I also replaced ½ cup of the white flour with a ½ cup of whole wheat flour.  I think it would be good to do this with whole wheat pastry flour as well.  Finally, I left the chocolate chips out of half of the batter and scooped the non-chocolate chip batter into 6 muffin cups.  I sprinkled these muffins with finely chopped walnuts.  I then added about a ¼ cup of mini chocolate chips to the second half of batter, mixed it in, and scooped this batter into the remaining 6 muffin cups.  I sprinkled this batter with mini chips on top.