Banana Nut Muffins with Vanilla Frosting

These muffins came about because I had some bananas that were turning brown.  I also needed to try this cooked Vanilla frosting because my mother's birthday was coming up and she had requested a family legacy recipe that called for this frosting.  Well, since my great grandmother's directions were literally: 1/2 cup milk, 3 Tbsp flour, cook to lump stage,  then add 1/2 tsp salt, 1/2 tsp vanilla, 1/2 cup sugar, and 1/2 cup butter, beat.  Well, I didn't think about it, but I added the cooked milk and flour mixture to the other ingredients while it was still warm, resulting in this slightly drizzly but absolutely delicious vanilla frosting/glaze.  It was a happy accident, but I was glad that I tried it before I did the cake, it is supposed to be light and fluffy.  I ended up getting it right for the cake, but I would totally "mess it up" again to make these delicious muffins.  I also used a giant muffin pan to make these; these are not muffins for the faint of heart.  You don't have to make mammoth muffins, but I thought they were fun and no one at the gym complained.  Make whatever kind of muffins you like, but definitely try this frosting.  Don't worry, I'll give you better directions.

Ingredients
 2 cups all-purpose flour
1 cup sugar
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 cup mashed ripe banana
1/2 cup vegetable oil
2 large eggs
2 tablespoons milk

Directions
Preheat oven to 400°. Lightly grease a muffin pan.
In a large bowl, combine flour, sugar, baking soda, baking powder, cinnamon, and salt.
In a medium bowl, combine banana, oil, eggs, and milk; add to flour mixture, stirring until just combined.  Spoon batter evenly into prepared muffin cups. Bake for 12 to 15 minutes, or until golden brown. Let cool on wire racks.

Vanilla Frosting
1/2 cup milk (use whole milk, at the least 2%)
3 Tbsp of flour
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp vanilla
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup butter
In a small sauce pan, add the milk and flour.  Cook, stirring pretty constantly, until the mixture resembles a white paste.  Do not let it burn.  In a bowl, combine the salt, vanilla, sugar and butter.  Add the warm flour and milk mixture and mix with a hand mixture until it is smooth and thick.  Immediately drizzle the top of each muffins with the frosting and let cool.  I actually took my muffins and dipped them into the frosting mixture, letting them cool on a wire rack afterwards.

Originally a Paula Deen Recipe