If there is one weakness I have, no its not shoes or purses, its muffins. Yes when it comes to indulging more than I need to in a few too many muffins, I am guilty as charged. I love experimenting with muffin recipes, the classics and building upon the classics. When I spotted this recipe for Strawberry Banana muffins on JoyofBaking.com, I knew it was my next endeavor. To me, strawberry and banana is a classic fruit pairing that is under appreciated, unless it’s in the form of chap stick.
Since strawberries can be tart, they can over power the creamy banana flavor, but in these muffins, the addition of cinnamon is the perfect counterbalance. Nutmeg would be a great addition as well as the spice is a great compliment to strawberries.
I made 7 jumbo muffins with this recipe, which baked perfectly between 25-30 minutes. These muffins are a tad heavier than other muffins I’ve baked with the addition of banana, but are they ever scrumptious! They make a very special breakfast on the go, and a just as pleasing treat to enjoy with a hot drink. I hope you find time to enjoy this wonderful fruity combination.

Ingredients:

• 1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, melted
• 3/4 cup light brown sugar
• 2 large eggs, lightly beaten
• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• 2 large ripe bananas, mashed (about 1 cup)
• 1 cup fresh or frozen strawberries, or blueberries, cut into small pieces
• 2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon salt

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (177 degrees C). Position rack in center of oven. Line the muffin pan with paper liners or grease with butter or a vegetable spray. Set aside.

In a small saucepan, or in the microwave, melt the butter. Set aside.

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

In another large bowl combine the flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, and salt. Gently fold in the berries, making sure they are coated with flour. This helps to prevent the berries from sinking during baking. Do not over mix or the strawberries will end up coloring the batter red (or blue if using blueberries). 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 two thirds full of batter, using two spoons or an ice cream scoop. 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 to 25 minutes, or 25 to 30 minutes if you’re making jumbo muffins. Transfer to a wire rack to cool.

Makes 12 regular sized muffins, or 7 jumbo muffins.