Uh, you know you want some of these cupcakes.

Banana Nut Chocolate Chip Cupcakes with Banana Amaretto Buttercream Frosting

Yield: 24ish cupcakes
Banana Pecan Chocolate Chip Cupcakes
2 ¾ cups all-purpose flour
1 ¼ tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
½ tsp salt
¾ cup of unsalted butter (at room temperature)
1 ¾ cups of granulated sugar
2 tsp vanilla extract
2 eggs
1 ½ (about 4) cups very ripe bananas (roasted, if you have the time or forethought to do so)
¼ cup milk
¼ cup yogurt
1 cup mini chocolate chips
1 cup pecans (or walnuts, if you prefer)
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.  Line cupcake pans with paper liners.
Put 5 bananas in a baking pan and stick them in the oven for about 45 minutes or even just until you are ready to mix them into the batter.  The husk will be blackened.  Roasting the bananas makes them softer, sweeter, and stronger flavored.
Whisk together flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt and set aside.
Using an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment beat the butter on medium speed until creamy (about 3 or 4 minutes).  Add sugar and vanilla and beat on medium speed until fluffy (about 3 minutes).  Scrape down the bowl, add eggs, and beat until just combined.  Scrape down the bowl again and add bananas (mash them first if you do not roast them), chocolate chips, and nuts.  Beat until just combined.  Turn the mixer to low speed.  Add 1 cup of the flour mixture, the yogurt, 1 cup of flour mixture, the milk, the remaining flour (tedious, but trust me doing it in this order is what gives them the perfect texture).  Scrape down the bowl, and mix on low speed for a few more seconds.
Fill the cupcake liners about ¾ full.  Bake for 25 to 30 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center of a cupcake comes out clean.  While the cupcakes are baking it’s time to make the frosting.  Once the cupcakes are done transfer the pans to a cooling rack for 20 minutes.  Remove the cupcakes from the pans and place them on the rack to cool completely.

Banana Amaretto Buttercream Frosting
½ cup or 1 ripe banana (roasted, if you have the time or forethought to do so)
½ tsp lemon juice
1 tsp Amaretto
½ stick unsalted butter (at room temperature)
1/8tsp salt
3 cups (or to appropriate thickness) confectioners’ sugar
Beat butter and salt on medium speed until creamy.  Add banana, lemon juice, and Amaretto until combined.  Begin adding confectioners’ sugar one cup at a time until you achieve desired thickness (should be around 3 cups).  Beat until fluffy.  Put into a ziplock bag and stick it in the refrigerator until cupcakes are complete cooled.  Cut tip off of one edge of the ziplock bag and squeeze onto cooled cupcakes.

Once complete, I like to melt a couple of baking chocolate squares and drizzle them on top of the frosted cupcakes.