Blueberry-banana muffins

With a few ripe bananas in the kitchen and a freezer full of berries, I decided to throw together my standard banana bread, but with a twist!  The result: blueberry-banana mini muffins!!  Oh how I love mini's :)  I think my favorite things about minis are their tiny size (obviously), and the fact that they can feed so many more people in a bite size bundle...plus they bake faster!!  Of course, this quick baking time is only beneficial if you have multiple mini muffin tins, but luckily I stocked up on the tins with World Market coupons and can now bake 4 dozen at a time.  (Other wise you're in the kitchen forever baking batch after batch and that can get exhausting!)

Blueberry-banana muffins
Yields 1 standard sized loaf or about 44 mini's (about 18 regular muffins)

Ingredients

• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon
• 2 eggs
• 2 cups flour. (plus about 3 Tablespoons to toss with blueberries)
• 1 cup sugar
• 1/2 cup (1 stick) room temperature butter
• 3 medium size ripe bananas
• 1 1/2 cups fresh or frozen blueberries
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon baking powder

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees, and line muffin tins with paper liners (spray loaf pan if using).
2. In a small bowl, mash bananas with a fork.
3. Rinse blueberries under cool water and spread on a towel to dry.  If using frozen berries, make sure to spread out so they won't re-freeze together.
4. In a medium bowl, whisk together dry ingredients.
5. In a large bowl, cream butter and sugar.  Add eggs, 1 at a time, and mix until incorporated.  Blend in vanilla and then blend in mashed bananas.
6. Using a wooden spoon or a spatula, stir in dry ingredients in 2 batches until incorporated, but do not over mix.
7. Toss blueberries in about 3 Tablespoons flour to coat the edges and prevent berries from sinking to the bottom of the muffins.  Gently fold berries into batter.
8. Fill muffin tins 2/3 full and bake 12-18 minutes for minis, 22-26 minutes for regular muffins, or 1 hour for loaf.  Since the consistency is that of bread versus cake, make sure to test the center with a toothpick, rather than just testing the springiness with your finger (which is how I test cupcakes).  Bread is more dense and can be deceptive, so make sure the toothpick comes out clean!
9. Cool on wire rack.  Best eaten when still warm though :)

Tip:  You can opt to not include the blueberries if you just want banana bread/muffins, or even add 1 cup of blackberries or chopped walnuts!  

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