Banana Muffins (with pumpkin pie spice)

One of my favorite lazy day things to do is bake or cook something new. I bring my computer into the kitchen which sounds a little hazardous but usually I need a recipe from my computer and I gotta have Pandora going in the background. Also, I get such a sense of gratification using leftovers well (but doesn't everybody) so today it was banana muffins since I had some piling up in the freezer.

Here's the recipe I used (12 muffins, pretty much from www.foodnetwork.com with some slight variations):

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Lightly butter a muffin tin.

Whisk together in a medium bowl and set aside:
-2 1/2 cups flour
-1/2 tsp baking soda
- 3/4 cup brown sugar
-1/4 tsp ground cinnamon
- 1/4 tsp pumpkin pie spice (optional)

Whisk together in a smaller bowl:
- 2 cups mashed banana (I used 4 and it was a little less than 2 cups)
- 1/2 cup vegetable oil
- 1/2 cup milk
- 2 large eggs (at room temperature)
- 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
- pinch salt

Pour wet ingredients into bowl of dry ingredients. Mix with spoon just until incorporated. Don't over mix. Distribute batter into muffin tin. Bake for about 25 min. or until golden brown. Do a toothpick test at the end to make sure they are done (stick toothpick in the middle; if it comes out clean then they are done). Cool on a wire rack.

How can something so gross looking make something so good?

Extra tips:
- This recipe isn't too sweet so the muffins can be good for breakfast. I will probably dust them with some powdered sugar to add a little sweetness.
- Add nuts right at the end of making batter if you like.

Last step: make sure to build a tower of dirty dishes at the end! Enjoy!