Relatively Offbeat: Banana Nut Mini Muffins

I've been on such a baking kick lately, and my parents are pretty good at instigating. Little hints like "we could use some cupcakes around here" and "we don't have many sweets in the house" are typical triggers to my baking shenanigans. I love it.

Being that I'm a huge fan of anything banana flavored, and my mom likes anything that has nuts in it, we decided to make a bunch of banana nut mini muffins for our on-the-go breakfasts in the mornings.

So here's a recipe for making banana nut muffins. We went for mini muffins, but any size will do!
Also, many recipes call for 1 and 1/2 stick of butter, but we like the healthier alternative of applesauce! The substitutes are 1:1, so if you prefer butter, it would be

Ingredients:
2 cups flour
1 and 1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
4 overripe bananas
1 cup brown sugar
3/4 cup applesauce
2 eggs
1 tsp pure vanilla extract
1/2 chopped nuts (your choice)
(we chose walnuts)

Also, many banana nut recipes call for butter, but we like the healthier alternative of applesauce! The substitutes are 1:1, so if you prefer butter, it would be 3/4 cups of butter (1 and 1/2 sticks)

Directions:
Preheat oven to 375 degrees F, lightly butter 2 muffin tins.

In a large bowl, combine the flour, baking soda, and salt; set aside. Mash 2 of the bananas with a fork in a small bowl so they still have a bit of texture. Whip the remaining bananas and sugar together until well blended. Add the applesauce (or butter), eggs, and vanilla and beat well, scraping down the sides of the bowl once or twice. Mix in the dry ingredients just until incorporated. Fold in the nuts and the mashed bananas with a rubber spatula. Spoon the batter into the muffin tins to fill them about halfway.