Blue Banana Muffins

Wedding Cake Murder

## Ingredients

**The Muffin Batter**

* 3/4 cup melted butter ***(1 and 1/2 sticks, 6 ounces)***
* 1 cup white ***(granulated)*** sugar
* 2 beaten eggs ***(just whip them up in a glass with a fork)***
* 2 teaspoons baking powder
* 1/2 teaspoon salt
* 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
* 1/4 teaspoon nutmeg ***(freshly grated is best)***
* 1/2 cup fresh or frozen blueberries ***(no need to thaw if they're frozen)***
* 2 cups plus one Tablespoon all-purpose flour ***(pack it down in the cup when you measure it)***
* 1/2 cup milk
* 1 cup thawed frozen bananas

**The Crumb Topping**

* 1/2 cup white ***(granulated)*** sugar
* 1/3 cup all-purpose flour ***(pack it down in the cup when you measure it)***
* 1/4 cup softened butter (***1/2 stick, 2 ounces)***

## Directions

* Preheat oven to 375°F, rack in the middle position.

* Before you begin: take 2 medium-sized frozen bananas out of the freezer. ***(See the instructions at the bottom of the recipe for freezing bananas.)*** Remove them from the bag and put them in a bowl on the counter to thaw.
* Grease the bottoms only, of a 12-cup muffin pan ***(or line the cups with double cupcake papers--that's what I do at The Cookie Jar.)***
* Mix the melted butter with the sugar in the bowl of an electric mixer. Beat until they're thoroughly combined.
* Add the eggs and beat on low until they're incorporated.
* Sprinkle in the baking powder, salt, cinnamon, and nutmeg. Beat them in at LOW speed.
* Put one Tablespoon of flour in a baggie with your cup of fresh or frozen blueberries. Shake it gently to coat the blueberries and leave them in the bag for now.
* Add half of the remaining two cups of flour to your bowl and mix it in with half of the milk. Then add the rest of the flour and the milk, and mix thoroughly.
* Measure out one cup of the thawed frozen banana.
* Add the cup of banana to your muffin batter. Stir it in thoroughly.

**Hannah's 1st Note: If there's any bananas left over, save it in a covered container in the refrigerator to add to pancakes in the morning. It may turn dark overnight, but that doesn't matter. The kids will love the taste, especially if you also add a few chocolate chips to your pancake batter when you put it in the frying pan!**

* Fold the frozen or fresh blueberries into your muffin batter. Mix gently so the blueberries will stay intact.
* Fill the muffin tins three-quarters full and set them aside. If you have any batter left over, grease the boom of a small tea-bread loaf pan and fill it with your remaining batter.
* To make the Crumb Topping, mix the sugar and the flour in a small bowl. Add the softened butter and cut it in until it's crumbly. ***(You can also do this in a food processor with chilled butter and the steel blade.)***
* Fill the remaining space in the muffin cups with the crumb topping.
* Bake your muffins in a 375°F. degree oven for 25 to 30 minutes. ***(The tea-bread should bake about 10 minutes longer than the muffins.)***
* When your muffins are baked, set the muffin pan on a wire tack to cool for at least 30 minutes. ***(The muffins need to cool in the pan for easy removal.)*** Then just tip them out of the cups and enjoy.

***These are wonderful when they're slightly warm, but the bananas and blueberry flavors will intensify if you store them in a covered container overnight.***

**Hannah's 2nd Note: To freeze bananas for baking or drinks, buy perfectly ripe bananas, peel them, cut them into 2 pieces, and place the pieces into a closeable plastic sandwich bag. Bag all the bananas you want to freeze this way. When you have as many as you want, slip the sandwich bags into a large freezer bag and stick them in your freezer. Freeze them solid before using them, but they can be stored in your freezer for as long as 6 months.**

**To thaw frozen bananas, take out as many as you need, extract them from the sandwich bag and place the frozen pieces in a bowl on your counter. Cover the bowl and let it warm for twenty to thirty minutes. Your bananas will turn to banana puree all by themselves without benefit of food processor or blender. Stir them up, measure out what you need, and use them for baking or for blended drinks.**