Banana Bread Made With Love

Love. It comes it all kinds of forms - true love, friends, brother or sister, grandma. And it's shown in all kinds of ways, by a hug, kind word, token gift, or homemade banana bread-muffins.

Yes. I said banana bread. And I personally don't think anything says love quite like Grandma's Banana Nut muffins. . . with a sprinkling of extra Robin Z love mixed in, of course:-)

Banana Nut Love Muffins

8 oz Cream cheese (neufschatel is a great lower fat subsitute)
1 cup Sugar
2 Eggs
2 Bananas (should equal about 1 cup when mashed)
1/2 tsp Vanilla
2 cups Flour
1 Tbsp Baking powder
1/2 tsp Cream of tartar
1/4 tsp Salt
1/2 tsp Cinnamon
whole pecans or walnuts (optional)

Make sure your cream cheese is room temperature before turning your mixer loose on it.

Add sugar to softened cream cheese and beat until smooth.

Add eggs, peeled ripe bananas (if still somewhat firm, mash bananas in a separate bowl before adding to batter), and vanilla

Beat until smooth.

Add  flour, baking powder, cream of tartar, salt, and cinnamon to cream cheese mixture

and blend just until all dry ingredients are moistened.

Spray your muffin pan (mini, regular, jumbo, or two loaf pans, or one 9 X 13) or line with some cute little muffin cups then, using a spoon, drop batter to fill each cup.

Top with a pecan

and bake for 20 minutes until tops are golden and a toothpick comes out clean.

Grandma suggests making this in a 9 x 13, frosting with cream cheese frosting, cutting into squares, serving with a side of vanilla ice cream (would you guess homemade?) and a glass of iced tea.

Oh, BTW - this recipe makes about 48 mini-muffins:-)

No matter how they're served - they're full of homemade goodness and love:-)

Have a Banana kind of day -

Robin Z