Banana Bread Strawberry Jam Muffins
By: Kas Tebbetts
Tags: Food, Recipe, Valentines Day

Everybody’s worried about Valentine’s Day dessert, but I’ve got you covered for Valentine’s breakfast. The holiday can be dangerous if something goes wrong… the flowers don’t get delivered, dinner reservations get messed up… but you can start Valentine’s Day right with a batch of adorable muffins. These muffins are moist, sweet banana bread filled with homemade strawberry jam. It’s everyone’s favorite combination of strawberry and banana in a cute, yummy muffin.

Thank you to my neighbor for giving me the inspiration for this recipe! While visiting her house I casually mentioned Baking in Black and White and how I am only baking from old recipes. She then casually reached into an antique secretary desk and pulled out stacks of yellowing recipes that used to belong to her mother-in-law, who was a caterer in Vernon, Texas. Let me tell you, they are a gold mine! You all will benefit from my neighbor’s kindness. There are endless 1st prize winning pecan pies from county fairs, a blueberry dome cake (so excited to try that), cranberry pecan cookies (yum!)… the possibilities are endless.

The recipe for these muffins came from her church recipe collection from 1972.

The recipe itself is for Nut Bread, but the 3 bananas qualify it as banana bread. I didn’t include the nuts for my allergic friends, plus I’m slightly put off by the strawberry-nut combo.

This was my first time making jam, and I really had fun with it! I used lemon juice to help break the strawberries down, and added a few spices and sugar. It was pretty easy, and very rewarding. I feel like I have achieved even further grandma-status now that I can make jam (check that one off my list). I loved the final product, and that is saying something, seeing as I’m one of those people who never puts the J in PB&J.

As for the muffin component, they are super easy and pretty foolproof. There’s nothing like bananas and a ton of cinnamon to make a muffin moist and delicious.

And the fancy-looking heart part… I literally took a knife to the muffin and cut a heart out. Yep. That’s it. I hollowed the heart-shaped holes out a tiny bit to make room for the jam, spooned it in, and I was done! I am not an artist- if I can make the heart shapes, so can you.

Banana Bread Strawberry Jam Muffins

Makes: 1 dozen (1 hr)

Ingredients: For the jam: 1 package of strawberries, 1 tbsp cornstarch, 3 tbsp sugar, 1/2 tbsp cinnamon, sprinkle of nutmeg, juice of 1/2 lemon, 1 tsp vanilla For the muffins: 2 cups all-purpose flour, 1 tbsp cinnamon, 1 tsp baking soda, 1/2 tsp baking powder, 1/2 tsp salt, 1 cup packed dark brown sugar, 1/2 cup canola or other vegetable oil, 3 ripe bananas (mashed), 2 eggs (beaten), 1/2 tsp vanilla, 3 tbsp milk 1. Preheat oven to 325 degrees Fahrenheit and grease a muffin pan. Set aside. To make the jam: 2. Cut strawberries into small pieces and begin to cook in small pot on medium-low. 3. Mash strawberries as much as possible in the pot with a spatula or spoon. Squeeze lemon juice into the pot. Continue simmering on medium-low until strawberry juice starts to gather. 4. Mix 1 tbsp cornstarch in a small bowl with a few tablespoons of the strawberry juice and return to the pot. Stir in to thicken. 5. Add vanilla, sugar, cinnamon, and nutmeg. Continue cooking until desired consistency (10–15 minutes). Then transfer to a small bowl to cool. To make the muffins: 6. Sift together dry ingredients. 7. Beat oil and sugar in large bowl until well combined. Add mashed bananas and eggs and mix well. 8. Gradually add dry ingredients and mix to incorporate. 9. Add milk and vanilla and combine. 10. Spoon or poor batter into greased muffin pan. Bake at 325 degrees for 15–20 minutes, or until tops are lightly browned and skewer comes out clean. 11. Let muffins cool before cutting out heart shapes and filling with jam.

Surprise your boyfriend, girlfriend, best friend, your mom, or best yet: yourself with a beautiful breakfast!

Happy Valentines Day!

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