Track Meet Muffins

What to do with leftover bananas from the husband's high school district track meet? Make banana muffins! I didn't already have a recipe that I LOVED, so I searched banana muffin recipes on my All Recipes app on my nifty I Phone until I found one that I could use as a base recipe. The recipe I decided on had a five star rating (with 2,058 ratings under its belt)! Wow, if that many people were impressed, I knew I just had to try it!

This was a use whatever is in the pantry/ refrigerator recipe, so I tried to add a little something for each one of us to make it incorporate our favorite flavors. For Doodle Bug I added raisins, for the husband I added my homemade spice blend, and for myself I added dried apricots and craisins. I always like to add in yummy extras to suit my family's taste buds.I also took the liberty of squeezing in a little iron and omega 3 by adding flax :)

This recipe is super easy! I'll include the original recipe ingredient list first-- then I will add my extra ingredients spin on it.

Base recipe from All Recipes:

• 1 1/2 cup all purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 3 large bananas, mashed
• 3/4 cup granulated sugar
• 1 egg 
• 1/3 cup butter (softened)

What I added:

• 1/2 cup organic flaxseed meal 
• a handful of rasisins
• a handful of craisins 
• a handful of dried apricots
• 1/2 teaspoon homemade Pumpkin Pie spice blend (you can find my recipe here)
• 1/4 teaspoon ceylon cinnamon (once you go Ceylon, you NEVER go back!)
• 1/2 teaspoon Madagascar vanilla extract

Directions:

• Preheat oven to 350 and prepare muffin tins.
• In a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment,cream softened butter and sugar
• add mashed banana
• add vanilla extract 
• add egg
• In a small bowl, sift together flour, salt, baking soda, baking powder, cinnamon, and spice blend.
• Fold in flour mixture, dried fruit, and flax (do not over mix-- will make tough muffins)
• For large muffins-- bake for 20-25 minutes or until inserted toothpick is clean

Yield:  approximately 17 large muffins

Enjoy!