Bananas Foster muffins

Bananas Foster was a dish originally created in 1951 at Brennan's Restaurant in New Orleans, named for a regular, Richard Foster. It is a dessert traditionally made from bananas flambéed in rum and banana liqueur and served with ice cream. When I encountered this recipe in my muffin cookbook and went to look up what exactly a bananas foster is, it made me not only want these muffins but also to try out a recipe for the dessert as well. This recipe was a perfect opportunity to use up the ripe bananas we had on hand and try a new formulation of "banana muffins". And who wouldn't want brandy in their muffins?

Recipe

from 750 Best Muffins Recipes
Makes 12 muffins 

1-½ cups all purpose flour
1-½ tsp baking powder
¼ tsp salt
¼ tsp ground nutmeg
⅔ cup packed light brown sugar
1 egg
1 cup mashed ripe bananas
½ cup unsalted butter, melted
2 tbsp milk
2 tbsp brandy
1 cup diced firm ripe bananas

Preheat oven to 350 F. In a large bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, salt and nutmeg. In a medium bowl, whisk together brown sugar, egg, mashed bananas, butter, milk and brandy until well blended. Add the egg mixture to the flour mixture and stir until just blended. Gently fold in diced bananas. Divide batter equally among prepared muffin cups. Baked in preheated oven for 25 - 30 minutes or until tops are pale golden and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Let cool in pan on wire rack for 5 minutes, then transfer to the rack to cool.

Musings

I was definitely pleased with this rendition of banana muffins--moist with a rich, round sweetness (almost like caramel), which likely stemmed from the brandy and brown sugar. The diced banana chunks were a lovely addition, adding little pockets of creaminess. Sweet and simple! Just how I like my muffins. I could see trying this with a couple tablespoons of rum instead of brandy for a slightly different flavour. But definitely a good addition to the muffin repertoire.