Muffin Monday: Blueberry-Banana Muffins

As some of you know, I have a tradition of having a warm muffin with my second cup of coffee most days of the week. How do I manage that daily? I make them ahead of time, freeze them, and then pop one in the microwave when it's time to pour my second cup! And now it's time to share another of my muffin magic with you.

I'm really very fond of fruity muffins since morning breaks often call for fruit anyway. This month's version combines banana - which gives these muffins a moist crumb - and blueberries - which give them a bright flavor burst. This recipe makes a small batch, but it can be be easily doubled or tripled. I sometimes prefer a smaller batch if I'm looking to make several kinds of muffins in one go and want to devote no more than one muffin tin per variety.

This is also a fantastic way to use that last lonely banana that's pretty much not appealing (pun … kinda intended?) for fresh eating anymore. Sure, you can toss it in a smoothie, but this is also one of those rare muffin recipes that simply calls for just one solo banana and a cup of berries. Which brings me to that - if you don't have blueberries or (gasp!) don't like them, feel free to substitute a different kind of berry. Blackberries, gooseberries, raspberries, and chopped strawberries all work well.

So pull out your muffin tins and with a little prep work, you can have a couple of weeks of muffin magic on hand. Besides, if you start early, you can make your first moment include a fresh from the oven muffin. After that, I find a frozen muffin takes about 30 seconds in the microwave to reach the perfect serving status!