Quick & Easy Banana Muffins

Preheat the oven to 370°F (185°C) and line a muffin tin with paper liners. In my experience, lightly greasing the liners prevent the muffins from sticking to the paper.

In a large bowl, combine the flour, sugar, baking soda, salt and cinnamon, if using.

In a separate bowl, combine the mashed bananas, egg, oil, and vanilla extract. I prefer to use overripe bananas - the darker and spottier, the better, as it gives the muffins a fuller banana flavor.

Gradually add the dry ingredients to the banana mixture and stir until just combined. The key here is not to over mix; just gently fold until you see no more flour, which results in softer and fluffier muffins.

Scoop the batter into the muffin tin and fill each cup about 2/3 full. For uniformed-sized muffins, I recommend using an ice-cream scoop.

Bake for 15-18 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center of the muffin comes out clean. My oven tends to run hot, so I usually check around 15 minutes to avoid overbaking.

Allow to cool in the tin for 5 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely. These muffins are at their heavenly best when consumed warm so don't resist!