Turn oven to 375 and Grease 18 muffin cups (If you are using two 12 cup tins, once you have added your muffin mixture, fill empty tins half full of water. This keeps your muffin tins from burning and getting ruined. Nano2 taught me this)

#1 Three very ripe bananas (like I mean, ripe enough that some who don’t know better might think they had gone bad) 1 cup of pitted **dates in 1 cup water. As date mixture is heating, add 3/4 cup butter cut into cubes. Heat mixture until it begins to boil and dates begin to soften. Remove from heat.

#2 In a separate bowl (you can use an electric mixer or mix by hand. Just be sure everything is mixed well) mix three soft bananas two eggs 2 tsp. vanilla 1/2 cup dark brown sugar slightly packed 1/2 tsp. baking powder

#3 to Date mixture add 1/4 cup milk or cream 1 tsp. baking soda stir (Once you adds your baking soda you need to work rather quickly. Why? Because once the baking soda hits the liquid it begins to “work” and you want to get your mixture into the oven while it is “working”)

#4 Add date mixture to banana mixture and stir well

#5 Add 2 1/2 cups all purpose or unbleached flour 1 cup semi sweet or bittersweet chocolate chips

stir until fully combined

fill muffin cups to 2/3

Mix two TBLSP. brown sugar and 1 tsp. cinnamon.   Sprinkle this mixture over muffins. Bake for 15 to 20 minutes or until the muffins are brown and bounce back when you touch them.

These muffins are so good and provide a “welcome, I’m glad you came” to your friends and loved ones

**I really like dates, a lot. You will see various recipes on Nanosaprons that contain dates. They are a great natural sweetener and they are good for us too.