Our favorite banana muffins.

I adapted this recipe from one of our favorite cookbooks, The Joy of Cooking.

Nothing wrong with the original recipe, but as Hubby says, "You just can't help but adulterate a perfectly good recipe."

No. No I can't. I like to reduce sugar and add other healthier stuff to it. Excluding pureed cauliflower. Never again with the pureed cauliflower. {{shudder}}

Banana Muffins
4T butter, softened
1/3C applesauce
1 egg
3 large bananas (the browner, the better!)
1/3C brown sugar
2T milled, ground flaxseed
2C white whole wheat flour
1/2tsp. salt
1 1/2tsp. baking powder
1/2C oatmeal (sometimes I do, sometimes I don't...)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease or line 12C muffin tin.

Mix softened butter with sugar in mixer. Add applesauce and egg, mixing well.

Now, the cookbook will tell you to mix dry ingredients separately. But it is my impression that these test kitchens hire out their dish washing, and I'm not one to dirty a second bowl. So I just add my dry ingredients a little at a time, careful to avoid over-mixing. Scoop into your muffin tin before baking for 15-20 minutes on the center rack.

This should provide you with one dozen large, fluffy muffins.

And if your little girls are keen to, they can sprinkle a few chocolate chips on top before baking.

What are your favorite not-so-bad-for-you treats?