Banana Almond Muffins

Just a short little blurb today...  getting stuff together for a weekend trip so I'll be rushing around the house gathering things and tossing it all in my car! :-)

Of all of the fruit-based breads, Banana Bread is my hands-down favorite...of course, it doesn't hurt that it lends itself very well to gluten-free recipe conversion.  I just made some delicious banana almond muffins, so I had to share the recipe!

Banana Nut Bread Muffins

1 stick margarine or butter, softened at room temperature
1 cup sugar**
2 eggs
1 teaspoon GF vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon salt
3 medium to large ripe bananas, mashed well
2 cups Bob's Red Mill GF AP Flour (or your favorite AP flour mix)
1 teaspoon xanthan gum (optional - if your AP flour doesn't already contain it)
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
3/4 cup sliced toasted almonds

**NOTE - I used demerara sugar this time around, which is coarser crystals.  This probably contributed to the awesome texture of the muffins!


Beat the sugar and butter together. Add the bananas, vanilla and eggs and mix very well.  Add all of your dry ingredients (including almonds) and beat for about a minute until thoroughly combined. Spoon batter into muffin tins prepared with liner papers.  Bake at 350 degrees - for mini-muffins you'll want to go for about 12-14 minutes;  regular sized muffins 18-21 minutes.  I recommend rotating pans about halfway through baking for even results.  Remove from pans immediately after these come out of the oven and cool on wire racks.  Store in an airtight container or zipper bag.