Strawberry Banana Muffins

, 

Valentines Day is coming!!!!  Okay, I know people either love it or hate it, but I kinda love it.  We keep the holiday simple at our house with thoughtful gestures and lots of snuggle time.  I personally like to say "I love you" with food.  Big surprise right?  I also love setting the table in shades of pink and red because, quite frankly,  Valentine's Day is the only time I can really get away with it in a house full of boys!  Since Valentines Day falls on a weekday this year, I wanted an easy yet festive breakfast to serve the boys before school.  When I found this recipe for strawberry-banana muffins, I knew I had a winner.  They are so moist and delicious! Not to mention, I love finding ways to sneak more fruit/veggies into the boys.  Do you have any special V-Day recipes you make for your family?

*****Strawberry Banana Muffins*****
serves 12, adapted from here

// Ingredients //

1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, melted and cooled
2 large eggs, lightly beaten
1 tsp. pure vanilla extract
2 large ripe bananas, mashed
1 cup fresh strawberries, chopped
2 1/4 cup all purpose flour
3/4 cup light brown sugar
1 1/2  tsp. baking powder
1/4 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. cinnamon
1/2 tsp. salt

// Instructions //

1.  Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Spray muffin tin with non-stick cooking spray or line with paper liners.

2.  In a small saucepan, over medium heat, melt the butter.  Let cool to room temperature.

3.  In a medium sized bowl, whisk together eggs, vanilla extract and mashed bananas.  Add the melted butter and stir to combine.

4.  In another large bowl combine the flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon and salt.
Gently fold in strawberries, making sure they are coated with flour.  (This prevents the berries from sinking during baking.)

5.  Add wet ingredients to the dry ingredients and stir only until the ingredients are just combined.  Do not over mix batter or tough muffins will result.

6.  Divide the batter evenly among the 12 muffin cups.  Bake 20 minutes or until golden in color.  Transfer to wire rack to cool.

*I topped our muffins with an easy icing mix of powdered sugar and milk.  Simply combine 1/4 cup powdered sugar with 1 tbsp. milk.  Adjust proportions to desired consistency.

*photos by Amy Mikkelsen