lavender banana bread muffins

I know I mentioned the peach-nectarine cobbler that I just made on Sunday, but I made these mini lavender banana bread muffins yesterday and couldn't wait to share them. When I was in Potsdam with David, we visited a little tea shop to look for souvenirs to bring back, and I ended up getting a bag of loose lavender tea to bring home and share with my flatmates.

Last week I went to Costco to get some things and made the mistake of buying a bunch of bananas. Not that I don't love bananas, but how did I expect myself to eat 8 bananas in less than week- not to mention the four days spent waiting for them to get ripe? I decided to make banana bread to make sure that the fruit didn't go to waste, but I didn't want to make the everyday-run-of-the-mill bread (even though it is delicious). So, I thought, "Bananas and lavender? Well, they're both pretty subtle flavors... maybe they'd be good together..."

And so, the end result: the proportions were just right so that I could taste both the banana and the lavender, without either being too overpowering. The extra essence of the flower really brings a new dimension to the bread-classic. I love these.

lavender banana bread* muffins

2 cups flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup butter, room temperature
3/4 cup brown sugar
2 eggs
5 bananas mashed up
1 1/2 tablespoons of lavender, chopped**

Cream the butter and brown sugar together. Once combined, add the eggs and bananas until just blended. Stir in the dry ingredients- be cautious of over-mixing. Bake at 350° for 10-15 minutes*** until golden at the top and a cake tester comes out clean.

*Recipe adapted from Banana Banana Bread
**Don't worry if the lavender isn't chopped very finely- I found that the flowers seems to melt into the batter while in the oven.
***This time suggestion is for mini muffins. Regular muffins might take about 18-20 minutes, and large muffins can take up to 25-30 minutes. No matter the baking medium, always keep checking to see if they are done.