Banana Muffins with Oatmeal Streusel

Phew! I finally have a break to sit down and post a wonderful recipe that I made earlier this week! What a crazy week it has been, however I have certainly been able to accomplish alot. I have almost finished the kitchen makeover, I have bottled a BUNCH of produce from my garden, no thanks to Mother Nature for freezing everything EARLY this year, and I've started decorating my house for the FALL season! I love fall! One of my favorite things about Fall is that I wake up in the morning to a cool house and I just want to bake something so that the house is warmed up and the kids are able to have a nice hot breakfast to comfort them before school! I know that last week was "Muffin Week", but I'm having a really hard time stopping! I keep finding all these scrumptious looking recipes.... This is one of them!

Who doesn't just STOP when they hear the word "STREUSEL"? I know that it always makes things sound so much better to me! For sure, it makes things look better.... just one more eye-catching dimension! Not only are these muffins eye-catching, they taste AMAZING!!!..... the moisture from the banana with the texture from the whole wheat flour and the subtle spice of cinnamon.....mmmmmm! A great combination of flavors! Can't beat this recipe for a nice warm breakfast!

Banana Muffins with Oatmeal Streusel

adapted by From Cupboard to Cupboard

printable recipe

Muffins:

1 1/2 cups flour

1/2 cup whole wheat flour

2/3 cup packed brown sugar

2 teaspoons baking powder

1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1/4 teaspoon salt

1 cup mashed ripe banana (about 2 bananas)

3/4 cup milk

3 Tablespoons oil (I used Canola)

1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 large egg

Streusel:

6 Tablespoons rolled oats

5 Tablespoons flour

2 Tablespoons brown sugar

2 Tablespoons butter, softened

1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. To prepare muffins, combine flours, brown sugar, baking powder, ground cinnamon & salt in a large bowl. Make a well in center of mixture. Combine banana, milk, oil, vanilla, & egg in a bowl; stir well. Add to flour mixture. Stir just until moistened. Place 12 muffin cup liners in muffin cups. Spoon batter into 12 muffin cups. They are pretty full! To prepare streusel, combine oats and remaining streusel ingredients in a small bowl. Blend with a pastry blender or 2 knives until mixture resembles coarse meal. Sprinkle streusel over batter. Bake at 375 degrees for 22 minutes or until a wooden toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Remove from pans immediately; place on a wire rack.

Happy Cooking!

Teauna

**BANANA CUPCAKES WITH CINNAMON CREAM CHEESE FROSTING**

Well, I had some extremely ripe bananas that I needed to get used up! I like to try new things so this is the recipe I found! These cupcakes are very moist and the frosting is just the perfect touch!

1 box plain yellow cake mix

1 1/2 cups mashed bananas, from 3 medium or 4 small bananas

1/2 cup water

1/2 vegetable oil

3 large eggs

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

Preheat oven to 350. Place 24 paper liners in cupcake pan. If you don't have liners, lightly mist the pan with PAM and dust with flour, removing all excess flour.

Place the cake mix, mashed bananas, water, oil, eggs and cinnamon in a large mixing bowl. Blend 2 minutes until batter looks thick and well combined. Fill cups 3/4 of the way full.

Bake cupcakes until they are golden brown and spring back when lightly pressed with your finger, about 20-24 minutes. Remove the pans from the oven and place them on wire racks to cool for 5 minutes. Remove cupcakes from pan and place on wire racks to cool for 15 minutes before frosting...

For the frosting:

8 oz pkg cream cheese at room temperature

4 T butter at room temperature

3 cups powdered sugar

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

Place the cream cheese and butter in a large mixing bowl. Blend with an electric mixer until combined. Add powedered sugar a little at a time, blending with the mixer on low speed until the sugar is well incorporated. Add the cinnamon, the beat at medium speed until fluffy.

These cupcakes can be sotred in a cake saver or under a glass dome at room temperature for up to 3 days or in the refrigerator for up to 1 week. Or freeze them, wrapped in aluminum foil or in a cake saver, for up to 6 months. Thaw the cupcakes overnight in the refrigerator before serving.

Happy Cooking

*Teauna*

MOIST BANANA BREAD

Have I mentioned that I LOVE FALL? Well, I do! I love the fact that the house stays cool enough that I want to bake to warm it up. . . I love that it's hunting season so there's a demand for yummy easy-to-eat-on-the-go snacks. . . and I LOVE that bananas go brown quickly so that they're cheaper in the grocery stores and I can make yummy, moist banana bread! My mom has made this recipe since I can remember and it is so good! I can remember that she used to put chocolate chips on a couple of the loaves right before baking for us to enjoy. The aroma of the banana bread baking is AMAZING! When I bake this, I use the small tin loaves. I like that it bakes evenly and they are the perfect size for lunches, snacking, & freezing as they do freeze very well... if you have any left:-)

Preheat the oven to 350.

Grease and Flour 6 mini loaf pans.

5 lg bananas

4 eggs, well beaten

1 cup shortening

2 cups sugar

2 tsp soda

1 tsp salt

1 cup walnuts

4 cups sifted flour

Beat bananas to a liquid, then add eggs. Cream together shortening and sugar and add to bananas and eggs. Sift together flour, soda and salt mixture into bananas mixture. Add nuts and flour. Divide between the 6 prepared loaf tins. Place in oven on middle rack and bake 45-55 minutes until it bounces back when touched on top. You can sprinkle chocolate chips over the loaves just before baking for an extra special touch!

Enjoy!

Happy Cooking

*Teauna*