Banana Nut Muffin

Almost everybody loves bananas, right? I like the variety of the tropical bananas in Kerala. The fat Poovan Pazham, the sweet and tiny Njavalipoovan, the mild tasting Mysore Pazham, the Robusta, the Plantains, the red ones from Trivandrum.
And here we get the Chiquita, the Dole, but all are primarily one category known as the Robusta. I do like bananas but only at a certain stage of ripeness.i.e. when they are still greenish yellow outside but have turned sweet inside.
So what do I do when the bananas turn ripe? Banana nut muffins are made at my house to use up the last 2 bananas which are very ripe inside but have started showing the spots outside. The muffins flavored with the bananas and the nuts, spiced up by the nutmeg and cinnamon is one of my favourite combinations. Omit the nuts if you want to. The muffins are good for a snack for my son, as a breakfast on the go, and perfect with the evening tea or coffee.
You will need: For 16 muffins
All Purpose Flour- 1 ½ cup
Sugar- ¾ cup powdered (Can be reduced as per sweet level)
Maple Syrup/Honey-4 tbsp
Milk- ¾ cup
Butter-2tbsp at room temperature.
Canola/vegetable Oil-3tbsp
Baking powder-1 tbsp
Cinnamon-1tsp
Salt-1/4 tsp
Nutmeg-1/4 tsp
Egg-1
Bananas -1-2 ripe ones mashed.
Walnuts/Almonds- ¾ cup crushed coarsely or chopped
Preparation:
1. Preheat oven to 350 F. Fit 12 muffin cups with paper liner. Coat each with cooking spray. Sift the flour with the baking powder, cinnamon, salt and nutmeg.
2. Combine melted butter, oil and powdered sugar in a blender till extremely smooth. It should not be grainy at all. If doing by hand, blend well. Break the whole egg in the blender too and pulse till mixed. Scrape the contents into a mixing bowl and add the flour gently, folding it in a little at a time. When it is all mixed, add the maple syrup, bananas and nuts. Fold until just blended.
3. With an ice cream scoop, portion the batter into the muffin cups, dividing evenly. Sprinkle raisins/cranberries and a couple of nuts on each mound of batter.
4. Bake for 20-25 minutes or until a wooden toothpick inserted into the muffin comes out clean and dry. The last five minutes of cooking are crucial to prevent over browning, so keep an eye on it. Cool for a minute and then remove from the muffin pan. The muffins can be kept with the paper cups attached.
This is my entry for 'Weekend Breakfast Blogging' hosted by Saffron Trail.