Banana Crumb Muffins

Bananas are a popular item in our home.  In fact, we usually buy 2 Costco bunches each week.  And, with as many as we actually eat, there are always a few that don't make it to the end of the week.  Because of this, I'm always in the market for a good overripe-banana recipe.  A few Sundays ago, my extra time coincided with a few overripe bananas.  So, I hopped on allrecipes.com and found this deliciousness. 

These muffins had a great topping.  And, the inside of the muffin was totally moist.  They were even moist and delicious the next day!

Banana Crumb Muffins
12 muffins

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
2 bananas, mashed
3/4 cup white sugar
1 egg, lightly beaten
1/3 cup butter, melted
1/3 cup packed brown sugar
2 Tbls all-purpose flour
1/8 tsp ground cinnamon
1 Tbls butter

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.  Lightly grease (or line with paper) 12 muffin cups.

In large bowl, mix together first 4 ingredients.  In another bowl, mix bananas, white sugar, egg, and melted butter.  Add the banana mixture to the flour mixture just until moistened.  Spoon batter into prepared muffin cups.

In small bowl, mix the brown sugar, 2 Tbls flour, and cinnamon.  Cut in 1 Tbls butter until mixture resembles coarse cornmeal.  Sprinkle topping over muffin batter.

Bake for 18-20 min, or until toothpick inserted near center comes out clean.

NOTES: When I was in college, I took a "Family Cooking" kind of class.  It wasn't as in depth as culinary school would have been, but I did learn a few tricks of the trade.  One of these tricks involved quick breads, which are made with baking powder instead of yeast.  (Examples are pancakes, muffins, banana-type breads...) 

Whenever you are making a quick bread, you should mix your wet and dry ingredients separately.  After you add them together, you should mix only until the dry ingredients are moistened.  Mixing too much causes the gluten in the flour to develop, which creates a more dense structure.  The leavening power in baking powder can't compete with the strands of gluten and you end up with a dense, rubbery quick texture.

In the past, some of my quick breads have ended up with lumps of flour and/or baking soda in the batter.  If you've ever taken a bite with a lump like that, you know it's not a pleasant experience.  I have found that sifting my dry ingredients through a mesh strainer into the wet ingredients helps avoid this problem.