Jumbo Banana Muffins with Caramel Frosting

I know, I know.. another muffin recipe. Well tough ! I am telling you, muffins are a staple around here so expect the recipes to keep coming. And whatever you do, try the recipes! You won't regret it in the least.

Muffins are so versatile and my new best friend. I pack them in the kids lunches, have batches ready for breakfast and the kids devour them as after-school snacks. They are so easy to whip up too. And easy is what I am looking for at 6 am in the morning when I am making a batch for breakfast during the work week!

This recipe comes from fellow foodie blogger Mary at One Perfect Bite. Mary always has incredible recipes and I follow her blog religiously. I saw these banana muffins on her site and had to make them. What struck me as I went through the recipe is the lack of spices. Usually banana baked goods are paired with cinnamon and nutmeg. Not these. These are banana only all the way. Was Mary right in her decision to leave out the spices? Absolutely! The banana taste comes through beautifully without being "hampered" by any add-ins. Instead, it is complemented incredibly well with the caramel frosting.

I drizzled the frosting onto these guys but I think dipping the tops into the frosting would work really well too. The frosting hardens slightly as it sets which reminds me of a caramel glaze we love so much on donuts.

Are these muffins really jumbo? Holy smokes, are they ever! I was nervous when I popped them into the oven. You see I had a jumbo muffin tin but only regular liners. By the time I had filled the muffin tins with batter, the batter was far, and I mean FAR, over the rim of my little liners. I was sure I would have baked mess when they were done. But did it screw things up? Not at all. Check out the photos. That is one rocking muffin top !

The kids ADORED these. They brought some to school and surprisingly their popularity increased yet again. Hey, you have to do what you have to do, right?

So are you ready? Let's get baking !


RECIPE:
*source recipe: Banana Muffins, One Perfect Bite

WHAT YOU NEED

MUFFINS

1/4 cup shortening
1 cup sugar
1 egg
1-1/2 cups mashed ripe bananas (about 3 large)
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1-1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon

FROSTING

2 tablespoons butter
1/4 cup packed brown sugar
1 tablespoon 2% milk
1/2 cup icing sugar, sifted

MAKE IT

PREHEAT oven to 350F
LINE 6 jumbo muffin cups with liners
IN BOWL OF STAND MIXER fitted with paddle attachment, cream shortening and sugar on HIGH speed for 2- 3 minutes
ADD egg and beat thoroughly
ADD mashed banana and vanilla extract blending just until combined
IN SMALL BOWL, whisk together flour, baking soda and salt
ON LOW SPEED add dry ingredients to wet mixing only until combined
DIVIDE BATTER evenly between muffin cups
BAKE for 23-28 minutes or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. I needed the full 28 minutes
LET COOL in pan 5 minutes then transfer muffins to cooling rack

MAKE FROSTING

IN SMALL SAUCEPAN, melt butter over MED heat
WHISK in sugar and cream
CONTINUE whisking until mixture starts to take on a light brown color and comes to a rolling boil
REMOVE from heat and rapidly whisk in icing sugar. Keep whisking until all lumps are removed
LET cool slightly
DIP MUFFIN tops into glaze or drizzle over muffins (use a spoon or a ziploc bag with the corner cut off)

ENJOY !


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