Weekend baking: Whole Wheat Banana Muffins

I guess I'm kind of weird about bananas--I only like them when they're pretty green, and as soon as any brown spots show up, I'm not interested in eating them anymore. Which is how I ended up with 3 extremely overripe bananas on my kitchen counter. They were no good for eating (although one of my friends loves bananas so ripe that the entire skin is brown, can you imagine? Yech!) but were perfect for baking! And with whole wheat flour, almonds, and honey instead of sugar, I like to think that these will be a relatively healthy choice for breakfast when I don't have time to make something more complicated. They looked like they were going to be pretty plain, so I added a sprinkle of pearl sugar on top before baking them. Mukmuk seems to approve :) (The recipe's at the bottom of this post.)

It was surprisingly warm (well, relatively speaking) on Sunday so I enjoyed my walk to the Morningside Heights farmer's market. It's a lot smaller than the one at Union Square, but is also a lot less hectic (and, well, it's within walking distance. Sometimes you just don't want to take the subway.)


I picked up some fresh shiitake and enoki mushrooms from Madura Farms. I sliced up a bunch of the shiitakes and sauteed them in olive oil with half of a shallot and a sprinkle of sea salt, then tossed that with whole wheat fettuccine (from Knoll Krest Farm, also at the market) and more olive oil and some crumbled feta from Ardith Mae. Oh man. What a delicious lunch! Half of it is going into my bento box tomorrow and I can't wait.


And for dessert, a winesap (right) and an arlet (left) apple. Yes, I ate both of these in one day. Yeah, I was really hungry I guess! The winesap was extra delicious (so crispy!) so next week I will be sure to buy more. I picked up a few other things from the market (sweet potatoes, yellow potatoes) and I'm sure they will be put to good use soon.


On the way home, I saw these gorgeous tulips at a flower stand and couldn't resist. This winter feels like it's gone on forever and spring seems so far away, but these flowers give me some hope! They're on my table now, brightening up my apartment. Gosh, I really hope spring comes soon.

Whole Wheat Banana Muffins, adapted from King Arthur Flour
1/4 cup butter, softened
1/2 cup honey
1 1/2 cups mashed bananas (about 3!)
1 egg
1 tsp vanilla
1/3 cup milk
2 cups white whole wheat flour
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp baking powder
1 cup chopped almonds, toasted and cooled
1 cup chocolate chips (optional)
pearl or coarse sparkling sugar (optional)

Preheat oven to 350 F. Line a 12 cup muffin pan with paper liners.

Combine butter, honey, and mashed bananas, and beat until smooth. Beat in egg, vanilla, and milk. Sift dry ingredients together and stir into the liquid ingredients. A few lumps are fine! Stir in the almonds and chocolate chips, if you're using them. Divide between the muffin cups, filling them almost full. I had enough batter to make 13 (the last one went in a stand-alone cupcake case). Sprinkle with pearl sugar, if desired. Bake for 20 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center of a muffin comes out clean. Cool on a rack and eat!