Banana muffins
Banana muffins are a wonderful way to use up overripe bananas, turning them into soft, moist muffins full of banana aroma with a hint of warm cinnamon. A sprinkle of brown sugar on top bakes into a lightly crunchy crust, and optional walnuts add a nutty bite. The batter comes together quickly in two bowls, which makes this a perfect recipe for beginners.
- Difficulty
- Very easy
- Prep
- 15 min
- Cook
- 22 min
- Rising or chilling
- 10 min
- Total time
- 47 min
- Method
- Oven-baked
Ingredients
Batter
Topping
Instructions
Step 1
Preheat the oven to 190 degrees Celsius and line a twelve-cup muffin tin with paper liners. A properly hot oven helps the muffins rise into rounded domes in the first few minutes. The oven is ready when the preheat light turns off.
Step 2
Peel 360 g ripe bananas into a large bowl and mash them with a fork, leaving a few small pieces if you like finding bits of banana. The riper the bananas, the sweeter and more fragrant they are, and the moister your muffins will be. The bananas are ready when they form a thick mash with just a few small lumps.
Step 3
Add 120 g brown sugar, 100 g eggs, 90 g melted and slightly cooled unsalted butter, 50 g whole milk and 5 g vanilla extract to the bananas and whisk well. Melted butter adds a rich, buttery flavor and keeps the crumb soft and tender. The mixture is ready when it is smooth and the brown sugar has mostly dissolved.
Step 4
Sift 250 g all-purpose flour with 4 g baking soda, 4 g baking powder, a pinch of salt and 2 g ground cinnamon into a separate bowl and stir gently. Sifting them together spreads the leavening evenly, so the muffins don't end up with large holes or a bitter taste. The dry mixture is ready when it is light and fine with an even, pale brown tint from the cinnamon.
Step 5
Tip the dry ingredients into the banana mixture and fold with a spatula about fifteen to twenty times, adding 60 g chopped walnuts during the last few folds if you are using them. Mixing as little as possible keeps the gluten from developing, so the muffins stay tender instead of tough. The batter is ready when the last streaks of dry flour have just disappeared and it still looks a little lumpy.
Step 6
Spoon the batter into the liners until each is about three quarters full, then sprinkle 15 g brown sugar over the tops. Just the right amount of batter lets the muffins rise into pretty domes without spilling over the tin. The cups are ready when they are evenly filled and the tops are speckled with sugar.
Step 7
Bake at 190 degrees Celsius for 20 to 24 minutes, rotating the tin halfway through if your oven has hot spots. These muffins contain a lot of banana, so they need to bake long enough for the centers not to stay wet. They are done when the tops are golden brown, spring back when pressed lightly and a skewer inserted in the center comes out with only a few dry crumbs.
Step 8
Leave the muffins in the tin for about ten minutes, then lift them onto a rack to cool completely. A short rest lets them firm up so they don't dent when you take them out. They are ready when the bottoms are no longer steaming and the paper liners peel away easily.
Equipment
- Oven
- Muffin tin
- Whisk
- Spatula
- Sieve
- Mixing bowl
- Kitchen scale
- Wire cooling rack
Tips
- Bananas with plenty of black speckles on the peel are the best choice; you can freeze ripe bananas for later, then thaw them and use all the liquid they release.
- Swap the walnuts for chocolate chips or pecans for a different flavor without changing anything else in the recipe.
- Don't overmix the batter; any small lumps of flour left behind will disappear in the oven.
Storage
Keep the cooled muffins in an airtight container at room temperature for up to three days, with a paper towel on the bottom to absorb moisture. You can also freeze them for up to two months and warm them in the microwave for about twenty seconds.
Common problems and how to fix them
- The muffins are dense with long tunnels inside.
- The batter was overmixed, which made the gluten tough. Fold only until the dry flour disappears, then stop right away.
- The centers are wet and sink.
- The bananas were too watery or the muffins were underbaked. Weigh the bananas carefully and bake for a few more minutes until a skewer comes out dry.
This recipe is based on the common ratios for this bake and is written entirely in our own words.
