by Claire Star
I have a habit of eagerly buying bananas to take with me to class and work as an easy snack. I scope out the greenest and least bruised ones in the bunch and hope they’ll still look okay after my 30 minute walk home from the grocery store. Placed carefully on top of my purchases, they usually make the trip mostly unscathed. The first days at home, I proudly eat my perfectly yellow-green bananas, sliced into the bottom of a bowl of chocolate ice cream if I’m lucky. Three or four days later, though, the banana tucked into my backpack has been forgotten about and jostled around with my books as I hurriedly bike from one thing to the next.
What’s a girl to do with all these marred bananas? When running low on time, they get peeled and set aside in the freezer for my roommate Emily’s smoothies. But if I have half an hour? I turn them into muffins.
Considering my aversion to very ripe bananas, I usually pass up offers of banana breads and muffins knowing they’ll be too sweet for my liking. So, at my friend’s suggestion, I looked for a recipe indicated as low in sugar and fat. I also borrowed some of the Emily’s whole wheat flour so as to further diminish some of the banana taste. I’ll admit I was a little nervous they’d end up being too wholesome or birdseed-y, a wasted effort. Happily, several batches later, my taste testers (who actually like bananas) and I think these are pretty darn good. I’m also pleased because they’re nearly foolproof to make. If you don’t feel like separating the wet and dry ingredients, no problem. They’ll still turn out just fine.
Here’s how to make them…
What’s a girl to do with all these marred bananas? When running low on time, they get peeled and set aside in the freezer for my roommate Emily’s smoothies. But if I have half an hour? I turn them into muffins.
Considering my aversion to very ripe bananas, I usually pass up offers of banana breads and muffins knowing they’ll be too sweet for my liking. So, at my friend’s suggestion, I looked for a recipe indicated as low in sugar and fat. I also borrowed some of the Emily’s whole wheat flour so as to further diminish some of the banana taste. I’ll admit I was a little nervous they’d end up being too wholesome or birdseed-y, a wasted effort. Happily, several batches later, my taste testers (who actually like bananas) and I think these are pretty darn good. I’m also pleased because they’re nearly foolproof to make. If you don’t feel like separating the wet and dry ingredients, no problem. They’ll still turn out just fine.
Here’s how to make them…