2020 was the year everyone obsessed over sourdough starters and banana bread. With everyone at home, we all needed the extra distraction and comfort. And although it’s no longer the cool thing to bake banana bread, these banana nut muffins are too good not to. I oddly didn’t eat a ton of banana bread last year. But, I’m making up for it this year with these pillowy banana nut muffins.
These muffins are seriously so soft. The texture is so pillowy they almost melt in your mouth. The bananas, oil, and buttermilk create this perfect balance of moisture that bakes up beautifully. Below are a few tips to help create the perfect banana nut muffin.
Make sure you’re using ripened to almost overly ripened bananas. When bananas are slightly overly ripened, they’re at their sweetest. The sugar develops as the banana ripens. This gives the muffins that traditionally sweet banana flavor you expect in a banana muffin. I like to have a few frozen ripened bananas in the freezer at all times in case I don’t have fresh bananas on hand for this particular reason.
Before you start making the batter, measure out your buttermilk and set it aside on the counter. Do the same with the eggs. This allows them to come to room temperature, which creates a smoother more evenly mixed batter. If you forget to bring your eggs to room temperature, put them in a mug with warm water for ten minutes. The water will speed up the process.
To help prevent the walnuts from sinking during baking, add the walnuts to the flour mixture before adding it to the wet mixture. The flour coating helps prevent them from sinking.
Baking the muffins at two different temperatures helps in a couple of ways. The higher temperature gives the muffins their height. Reducing the temperature without opening the oven allows the muffins to continue to bake evenly without losing their moisture. Nobody wants a dried-out muffin.
Store these muffins for a few days or freeze them for up to a month. You’ll just want to defrost and then warm them slightly to get the perfect warm banana nut muffin.
Ingredients
- 2 cups flour
- 1 tsp baking powder
- 1/2 tsp baking soda
- 1/2 tp salt
- 1 cup chopped walnuts
- 3 ripe bananas
- 1/4 cup canola oil
- 1/2 cup unsalted butter, melted and cooled
- 1/2 cup sugar
- 1/2 cup dark brown sugar
- 2 eggs, room temperature
- 1/2 tbsp vanilla
- 1/2 cup buttermilk, room temperature
- 1/4 cup flour - for the crumble
- 1/4 cup oats - for the crumble
- 1/4 cup dark brown sugar - for the crumble
- 1/2 cup chopped walnuts - for the crumble
- 1/4 tsp cinnamon - for the crumble
- 1/4 cup unsalted butter, softened - for the crumble
Instructions
Preheat oven to 425F.
Whisk the dry ingredients (flour, salt, baking powder, and baking soda) together. Add the walnuts, mix them into the flour mixture until they're fully coated. Set aside.
Using a fork, mash the ripe bananas well. Add them to a bowl, along with the oil and butter. Using a wooden spoon, mix well. Add the sugars and do the same. Then add the eggs, vanilla, and buttermilk and mix them together. Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and mix until just combined.
Using a large scooper, scoop banana bread batter into a paper-lined cupcake pan. Fill the batter roughly 3/4 full since they will rise.
In a bowl, mix together the crumble toppings using a hand mixer. Sprinkle the crumble topping over each to-be banana muffin.
Bake the muffins for 10 minutes. Without opening the oven door, reduce the heat to 350F and bake for an additional 15-17 minutes, or until a cake tester comes out clean.
Remove from the oven and allow them to cool on a cooling rack for an additional 5 minutes before eating.
Enjoy!
