1.Preheat your oven to 350°F (175°C) right away. Line a 12-cup muffin tin with paper liners or give them a good coating of cooking spray.

Start with bananas – they should be nice and spotty, almost black. That’s when they’re sweetest. Peel and mash them in a large bowl until they’re mostly smooth but still have some small lumps for texture.

Melt butter in the microwave or on the stovetop until it’s just liquid but not hot – about 30 seconds in the microwave usually does it. Pour it into the mashed bananas while stirring.

Add granulated sugar, egg, and vanilla to the banana-butter mixture. Mix until everything’s well combined and looks a bit lighter in color.

In the same bowl, sprinkle the baking soda and salt evenly over the wet mixture. Then gradually stir in the flour until it’s just combined. Stop as soon as you don’t see any dry flour – overmixing will make your muffins tough.

If you’re using frozen cherries, don’t thaw them – add them in frozen. For fresh cherries, make sure they’re well-drained after washing. Gently fold the chopped cherries into the batter. They’ll marble it slightly pink – that’s perfect!

Mix brown sugar and cinnamon in a small bowl for the topping.

Fill each muffin cup about 3/4 full – I use an ice cream scoop for even portions. Sprinkle each muffin with some of the cinnamon-sugar mixture.

Bake for 20-25 minutes. You’ll know they’re done when the tops are golden brown and spring back when you gently press them with your finger.

Let them cool in the tin for about 5 minutes.