Banana Nut Muffins

Growing up, we lived about 20 minutes away from my grandparents house so we saw them pretty often.  Usually we would go over there and watch the IU (Indiana University) basketball games, make laps on the big wheels up and down the (really long) driveway, and pester my grandpa for more money to buy candy at the gas station down the way.

In all of those times visiting my grandma and poppop, I only remember eating a handful of things: Chicken and Noodles (loved it), Apple Pie (each time she made it, it was the better than the last), "Yay Big Meat" (my grandma would describe how big the beef was by holding her fingers about 2 inches apart and say it was "yay big" - hated it), Pumpkin Cookies (again, loved them), and Banana Bread.

Her banana bread was so light and moist and when you bake it, the top turns this dark espresso brown color which is magically sweeter than the rest of the bread.  There is a reason that I loved it then and I still do now.

To make her perfect banana bread into muffins, I just tweaked a few things (namely the baking time, amount of batter, and the amount of pecans).  The muffins are still sweet and not dense at all AND now they're portable.

BANANA NUT MUFFINS
1 1/4 c. flour
1/2 tsp. salt
1 tsp. baking soda
1/2 c. vegetable shortening
1 c. sugar
1 c. mashed ripe banana (about 3)
2 eggs, slightly beaten
1 c. chopped pecans

1.  Sift together dry ingredients.  Set aside.

2.  Beat together vegetable shortening, sugar, banana, and eggs.  Mix in dry ingredients.  Stir in pecans.

3.  Pour batter into 12 lined muffin cups.  Bake at 350˚ for 20-25 minutes - knife test.

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