Banana Walnut Muffins w/ Cinnamon

Being someone who truly enjoys the cold weather, of course I love everything associated with it. I don't know about you-but for me there is nothing better on a cold winter morning than fresh baked muffins.

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One summer evening while I was lying in bed cursing the humidity I found myself craving winter something fierce. Suddenly, it became fairly obvious that I would not rest until muffins were made.

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Yes, I know I'm a bit of a freak-who bakes muffins at midnight in June? I guess that goes to show you that when a girl needs a muffin, a girl needs a muffin! When these delectable little suckers came out of the oven not only did my house smell divine, but I truly forgot about the heat as I devowered two of these babies right away....

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1 1/4 C. Flour

1 t. Baking Soda

1/2 t. Salt

2 Eggs, room temperature

1/2 t. Vanilla Extract

1/2 C. Unsalted Butter, room temperature

1 C. Sugar

4 Very Ripe Bananas

1/2 C. Chopped Walnuts

1 t. Cinnamon

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Method:

1. Preheat oven to 350 and line muffin tins with paper muffin cups. Lightly spray the top of the pan with cooking spray.

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2. In a bowl, whisk flour & baking soda together. This takes the place of sifting as the whisk is aerating the mix and breaking up any lumps. It's also evenly distributing the levener.

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3. In a separate bowl cream the butter and sugar until light & fluffy. Add the eggs one at a time until incorporated.

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4. Add the salt & cinnamon, and then the bananas. The batter will look curdled and lumpy-this is OK.

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5. Working quickly now add the dry mixture into the batter only until it is incorporated. DO NOT OVERMIX THE BATTER! Stir in most of the nuts, reserving some for the topping.

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6. Fill the muffin cups 3/4 of the way and sprinkle remaining nuts on top. Bake for 15-18 minutes. As a general rule, but especially for cakes and muffins-do not open the oven door during the first 15 minutes of the baking process. Doing so may cause your cakes to flatten and your muffins to fall.

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You can eat these muffins at any time, but I hear they especially hit the spot around midnight...