Banana Doughnut Muffins with Banana Frosting

Now I'm going to tell you about one of my favorite things.

It's after baby/toddler falls asleep in the next room, and I am sitting on my couch blogging.

Yeah, I blog from a couch.  What about it?

I'm writing and uploading and thinking about whatever delicious thing I just ate, and then I hear something.

A cough, a whimper, the scuffle of blankets and pillows.

The pat pat pat of tiny, footy-pajamed feet.

The door skreeks open, but since the bottom half of it is blocked from my perspective I can't see anything.  It's like a ghost just opened the door.

And then he emerges, my tiny little human being.  All PJ'd out and blinking in the lamplight, rubbing his fat cheeks.  His unfocused eyes go straight to my couch (he knows I am a creature of habit) and zero in. 

He toddles over, seeming about to collapse any minute, calculating just enough energy to get to my arms.

He throws himself into them, is hoisted onto my lap, immediately burrows into my chest and, seconds later, is sound asleep.  Soft and heavy and warm and cuddled in just right.

It interferes with blogging, I'll tell you.  Sometimes I have to put it off for a whole day.  Sometimes I go lay him down in his bed again so I can get back to work.

Sometimes I hit save, put in a movie, and hold him with me for hours.

And that is one of my favorite things.

(It's also why I blog from a couch.)

Banana Doughnut Muffins with Banana Frosting (adapted from Cooking for Isaiah, by Sylvia Nardone)

This recipe is another victim of my lack of a doughnut pan.  Who needs a doughnut pan?  I said.  What a silly contraption, I said.  I can make doughnuts any way I want without a doughnut pan, I said.  Well, that's true of raised, yeasted doughnuts but it turns out for some of the cakier variety, you do need that pan.  But silver lining is, they turn out great in muffin form!  And it just FEELS healthier, right? 

makes 12 doughnuts

1 1/4 c flour (or GF flour mix, which is what she uses)
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
2 large eggs
1/2 cup brown sugar
1 1/2 cups mashed ripe bananas (about 3)
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1/2 cup vegetable oil

Frosting
1/4 cup butter
2 1/2 cups confectioner's sugar
1/2 cup mashed banana (about 1/2 banana)
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon fresh lemon juice

Preheat the oven to 350.  Line a muffin tin with papers. 

In a small bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, salt and cinnamon.

In a large bowl, whisk together the eggs, sugar, bananas, vanilla and oil.  Stir in the dry ingredients until just combined; fill each muffin cup about 2/3 full.

Bake until golden and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean, 12 to 15 minutes.  Let cool in the pan for 10 minutes, then remove from pan and let cool on a rack until room temperature.

Meanwhile, to make the frosting, in a small bowl beat together the butter and confectioner's sugar until fluffy.  Beat in the banana, cinnamon, vanilla and lemon juice.  Spread the frosting over the cooled muffins.