Strawberry Muffins

My oldest one used to devour these delicious muffins when he was younger. I wanted to bring these back into rotation and share with you.

INGREDIENTS ½ cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, melted ¾ cup light brown sugar 2 eggs 1 tsp. vanilla extract 2 large ripe bananas, mashed (about 1 cup) 1 cup fresh or frozen strawberries (cut into small pieces) 2 ¼ cups all-purpose flour  (I use whole wheat flour) 1 ½ tsp. baking powder ¼ tsp. baking soda 1 tsp. cinnamon ½ tsp. salt

Directions: Preheat oven to 350° F. Line a muffin pan with paper liners or grease with butter or cooking spray.

In a medium sized bowl, whisk together the brown sugar, eggs, vanilla extract and mashed banana. Add in the melted butter and stir to combine.

In another large bowl combine the flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon and salt. Gently fold in the strawberries, making sure they are coated with flour. This helps to prevent the berries from sinking during baking. Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients and stir only until the ingredients are just combined. Do not over mix the batter or tough muffins will result.

Fill each muffin cup about ¾ full of batter, using two spoons or an ice cream scoop. TIP: fill any unused muffin cups halfway with water to prevent warping of the pan and/or over browning of the muffins. Place in the oven and bake until a tester inserted in the center of a muffin comes out clean, 20-25 minutes. Transfer to a wire rack to cool.

Makes 12 regular sized muffins.  (I like to also make mini muffins and freeze them for quick bites for the boys!)