I’m a muffin junkie. That sounds terrible…junkie…lol. What I really mean is I LOVE muffins and I’ve been on a mission to make every kind out there because they are awesome. 🙂
These banana muffins are really like a banana bread in disguise as a muffin shape. They are full of intense banana flavor with a hint of crunch from the pecans. I’ve topped the muffins with a cinnamon and sugar streusel to give them the perfect touch of spice and sweetness.
Banana Muffins Recipe
(Makes 12 standard size muffins)
Ingredients for Streusel Topping:
- 1/3 cup brown sugar
- 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
- 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
- 2 tablespoons butter, melted
Ingredients for Muffins:
- 2 and 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 tablespoon baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1 cup pecan nuts, chopped
- 2 and 1/4 cups banana, ripe and mashed (equivalent to about 4 to 5 bananas)
- 1/2 cup white sugar
- 1/2 cup low fat sour cream
- 1/4 cup oil
- 3 large egg yolks
Directions for Streusel Topping:
- Combine the brown sugar, flour, cinnamon, and melted butter and stir well until combined. Set it aside.
Directions for Muffins:
- Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.
- In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and pecans. Set the dry ingredients aside.
- In a medium bowl, mix together the bananas, sugar, sour cream, oil, and egg yolks.
- Add the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients with a spatula or wooden spoon and stir just until the dry ingredients are moist.
- Grease 12 standard sized muffin cups then scoop the muffin batter evenly into them. (They should be filled almost to the top.)
- Sprinkle the tops of the muffins with the streusel topping (see instructions and directions above).
- Bake the muffins in the preheated oven for 8 minutes.
- Reduce the oven temperature to 350 degrees F and bake them for 8 to 10 additional minutes or until a tester inserted in the center comes out clean.
- Let the muffins rest in the baking pan for about 5 minutes and then remove them to a wire rack to cool.
Store the muffins in an air tight container on the counter or wrap them up individually in plastic wrap, place them in a freezer friendly bag, and freeze them.
I like to make the streusel first so that I have it ready as soon as I’ve poured the muffin batter into the muffin tins.
The bananas definitely must be ripe. Are they gross looking? Are they mushy? If yes, then you’re good to go! If you use bananas that aren’t ripe enough then your muffins (or any other goodie that you bake using bananas) may come out bland or with a weird texture. The bananas I used today are straight from my freezer. I just popped them in the microwave for about 30 seconds to get them to room temperature.
Please note that this recipe calls for three egg YOLKS, not the whole eggs. The yolks give the batter that buttery yellow tint. Also, the yolks contain a lot of fat, which add flavor and make the muffins moist and tender. You can use the leftover egg whites for an egg white omelette. 🙂
I hate to sound like a broken record because I say this in every muffin post…but it’s very important that you do not over mix the batter. Lumps in the batter are okay. If you over mix any muffin batter then you will likely have dense muffins. I always mix the batter using a spatula, as opposed to a hand or stand mixer where it’s easy to over mix quickly.
I baked these banana muffins using the “High Domed” method. Basically that means that I poured the batter into each muffin tin until they were almost full (instead of the 2/3 full that is typical for muffin baking). Then I baked the muffins initially at a high temperature, 400 degrees F, for 8 minutes and reduced the temperature to 350 degrees F for the remaining 8 to 10 minutes of baking time.
I used this same baking technique for my High Domed Chocolate Chip Muffins to achieve a high domed (or as others call it “bakery style”) muffin.
While I love combining other fruits and assorted ingredients with bananas, I wanted a muffin that focused on that amazing banana-y essence and these certainly fit the bill!
Mmm, I adore this streusel topping. A topping can really make or break a muffin and this one certainly makes it! It reminds me of a of crumb topping with slightly more crunch. I could eat the streusel by itself. 😉
The bananas are an amazing ingredient because not only do they taste good, they also make these muffins wonderfully moist. Plus the sour cream also helps create a moist and light texture. I love using sour cream in my muffins, cakes and breads, just like my Classic Banana Bread.
I’m lovin’ my new polka dot paper cups too. 😉 Spray the insides of the paper cups with cooking spray (before you pour the batter in, of course) because it makes it MUCH easier to peel off the muffins when it’s time to eat them.
What’s your favorite muffin?
Adapted from: Prepared Pantry
Here are those High Domed Chocolate Chip Muffins I talked about.
Or perhaps you are in the mood for Chocolate Banana Muffins.
Or just want more of that awesome banana flavor with Classic Banana Bread.
These banana muffins look perfect. Plan on making them later this afternoon with all my leftover ripe bananas!
Awesome! Have fun baking. I know you’ll love them. 🙂
I just tried your Banana Muffin and it’s really good. The color didn’t turn out on the yellowish side since I used really over riped bananas (leftover super riped bananas) but the texture and flavor is good. I substituted oatmeal for part of the flour though and will substitute half oat next time. My son wants more sweetness to it, so I might try adding some chocolate chips to it next time ( my banana muffins usually have chips anyway). I added walnuts instead of pecans as well since I don’t have them at hand. I learned something new with this recipe, and it is baking it at 400 in the 1st 8 minutes to give it a dome like shape (which I always liked-wonder why mine always comes out flat). Thanks for that! Awesome recipe.
I love how you’ve taken this basic banana muffin recipe and made it your own! I’m with your son…chocolate chips + banana muffins would be awesome. 🙂 Thank you for letting me know that the baking tip worked for you. 🙂