Banana Date Muffins

I've been on a banana kick. These banana date muffins were well balanced and tasted as much of cardamom and nutmeg as they did of banana. They're great for breakfast! Try to use Medjool dates; there is a huge difference between good, unpitted dates and the small, hard things in most commercial packages.

I'd heard you can bake in Starbucks cups. It's rather fun.

Banana Date Muffins
adapted from Carole Walter's Great Coffee Cakes, Sticky Buns, Muffins & More

2 very ripe, medium bananas
1 tsp fresh lemon juice
1 3/4 cups all purpose flour, spooned in and leveled
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp ground cardamom
3/4 tsp salt
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp ground nutmeg
1/2 cup very fresh, pitted, hand-cut dates (1/4 inch dice)
1/2 cup toasted pecans, coarsely chopped
1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, melted and cooled to tepid
1/2 cup very fresh dark brown sugar
1/2 cup low-fat plain yogurt
2 large eggs, lightly beaten
1 tsp pure vanilla extract

1. Position the racks in the upper and lower thirds of the oven. Heat the oven to 375 F. Line 14 muffin cups with paper or foil cupcake liners.

2. Cut the bananas into 1 inch chunks and place them in a medium bowl. Mash with a potato masher or a fork. You should have about 1 cup banana pulp. Stir in the lemon juice and set aside.

3. In a large bowl, thoroughly whisk together the flour, granulated sugar, baking powder, cardamom, salt, baking soda, and nutmeg. Toss the dates and nuts through the dry ingredients, separating the pieces of dates with your fingertips.

4. In a medium bowl, whisk together the tepid butter and brown sugar. Blend in the bananas, yogurt, eggs, and vanilla.

5. Make a well in the center of the dry ingredients and add the banana-egg mixture. Using an oversize spatula, incorporate the dry ingredients into the liquids by pushing them from the side of the bowl toward the center. DO NOT OVERMIX. It's okay if a few streaks of flour remain.

6. Portion generous scoops of the batter into the prepared pans using a no. 16 ice cream scoop (1/4 cup capacity.)

7. Bake for 25-28 minutes, or until the muffins are golden brown and the tops are springy to the touch. To ensure even baking, toward the end o baking time, rotate the pans from top to bottom and front to back. Remove from the oven and place on a rack to cool.