Easiest, No-Bowl Banana Muffins

The list of to-do's is more than 10 deep and I keep finding things that need doing that haven't even made the posted list.  Moving is never easy, but moving from one foreign country to another with a month long stop back home is an especially daunting task.  It's one of those days when there are so many things that need my attention it's paralyzing.  I don't know where to start and therefore haven't started at all.  I think by the end of the day I will have just closed my eyes, pointed at my list and tried to accomplish whatever my finger lands on.  That's as good a method as anything else.  My goal?  Get just one thing crossed off the list, no matter how small.

When you have a day ahead like the one that I have, it never hurts to start out with something to eat that is simple and delicious.  This muffin recipe is my families absolute favorite.  I get it asked for it all the time so I thought it was about time to share it in this space.  The best part of the recipe?  It requires only two measuring items- one measuring cup and one measuring spoon- and absolutely no bowl.  Part of what makes this a fave with my kids is that it is squished and mixed in a big zip-top bag.  They just love doing the "hard work" that it takes to mix the batter.  I kind of love that part too.  Then I simply snip off a corner of the bag, squeeze into the muffin cups and toss the empty bag.  Easy.  Brilliant, in fact (it's not my idea so I can call it that without bragging).  You can thank me later.

Easiest, No-Bowl Banana Muffins
Makes 12 standard muffins.  Adapted, only slightly, from Yammie's Noshery.
For the printable, click here. 

You really can't go wrong with these muffins.  It's a simple as squish, squish, squeeze and you're eating warm muffins for breakfast.  I like to keep them simple with just a sprinkling of sugar on top but I have tossed mini chocolate chips into the batter or made a quick struesel top at the request of my kids.  I'm sharing the recipe for my simplest version here, but feel free to play with it to your heart's delight.  The important thing is to follow the order given for adding the ingredients or you will end up with a wet measuring cup to scoop dry ingredients.  It just won't work.  So while it goes a bit against the "rules" of baking I promise it works.  Oh, and the only two measuring tools that you'll need are a 1/4 cup measuring cup and a 1/4 tsp measuring spoon.

3 bananas (the spottier, the better), 1 cup mashed
2 large eggs
3/4 cup cane sugar
1 cup all-purpose flour
pinch of sea salt
3/4 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon (sometimes I use nutmeg instead, especially if I am adding chocolate chips)
1/2 cup neutral flavored oil
1 tsp vanilla extract

Line a 12 cup standard muffin tin with muffin liners.  Preheat your oven to 375 degrees.

In a large zip-top bag, mash the bananas.  Add the eggs and sugar to the bag, zip up and squish until completely mixed.  Open the top and add the flour, salt, baking powder, baking soda and cinnamon to the bag.  Close and mix until there are no more dry spots of flour.  Finally, add the oil and vanilla to the batter and give it a final squish to blend all the ingredients.

Snip a corner off the zip-top bag and squeeze the batter evenly into the prepared muffin cups. Sprinkle the tops with a bit of sugar.  Bake for 18-20 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center of a muffin comes out clean.

Cool the muffins in the pan for a few minutes and then remove from the pan and continue to cool on a wire rack.  The muffins will keep in an airtight container for 2 days.