Banana + Brown Sugar Muffins

Tender banana muffins with a crunchy brown sugar streusel

During this quarantine, I feel more encouraged than ever to make use of things I normally tend to throw away, such as those over ripe bananas browning on my kitchen counter! I decided to finally do something with them (besides freezing them for breakfast shakes). The great thing about this recipe is, the browner the banana, the better! As a mom of two little ones, I tend to gravitate toward anything easy for the little ones to consume in the mornings. No sticky syrups or giant messes trying to make an extravagant breakfast. These muffins fit the bill! My family devoured them and the ingredients are things typically found in everyone’s kitchen. The brown sugar and cinnamon crunch on top pairs perfectly with the banana muffin– don’t leave it out! This is a simple recipe to throw together in the morning, yet flavorful, moist, and delicious. Enjoy!

Notes before we begin: If you do not have butter, you can substitute additional oil (preferably canola or grapeseed; however, vegetable oil is fine, too). I am having a tough time getting butter during this quarantine, so I used oil. I also baked with (AP) all-purpose flour since that is what I have available; however, you can substitute whole wheat flour. I ALWAYS recommend weighing your ingredients! If you do not have a kitchen scale, scoop your dry ingredient into your measuring cup and level off with a butterknife. DO NOT scoop your flour directly with your measuring cup, your measurements will not be accurate and can result in a more dense result. While I do give baking times, I encourage you to rather keep a close eye on your muffins for completeness. Every oven is different– mine tends to bake a little on the hotter side. Last, we want to strive for room temperature ingredients that come from the fridge anytime we bake. Fortunately, we get a pass with this recipe. I will be honest, I used cold ingredients for this and it turned out fine!

Banana + Brown Sugar Muffins

INGREDIENTS

Banana Muffins

• 2 cups AP flour (250g)
• ¼ unsalted butter (or use additional oil)
• ½ cup brown sugar (100g) packed*
• ½ cup granulated sugar (100g)
• ½ tsp salt
• ½ tsp baking soda
• 1½ tsp baking powder
• 2-3 mashed ripe bananas
• ¼ cup canola oil (60mL)
• ¼ cup buttermilk shaken* (room temp)
• 2 eggs (room temp)
• 1 tbsp vanilla

Brown Sugar Streusel

• ½ cup brown sugar (100g)
• ¼ granulated sugar (50g)
• ½ tsp cinnamon (1.3g)
• ½ cup AP flour (65g)
• ¼ cup canola oil (60mL) (sub grapeseed or vegetable oil)
• ½ tsp vanilla
• ½ tsp salt

INSTRUCTIONS

(banana muffins)

• Preheat oven to 425°F
• In separate bowl, sift dry ingredients together (flour, baking powder, baking soda & salt). Set aside.
• In stand mixer, mash bananas with a fork or potato masher until well mashed.
• Add oils/butter to bananas in stand mixer, mix until incorporated with paddle attachment.
• Add sugars to banana mixture and mix until it becomes a lighter, fluffy consistency.
• In a separate bowl, combine eggs, buttermilk and vanilla. Break the yolks with a fork mixing lightly. Add this mixture to your banana mixture and mix until incorporated.
• Add dry ingredients into banana mixture in one-third increments until fully combined– be careful not to overmix.
• Scoop batter into prepared muffin liners about three-quarters full.

(streusel)

• In small bowl, combine flour, sugars, salt, cinnamon.
• Add oil, vanilla and mix until fully incorporated and resembles a wet crumb.
• Sprinkle mixture on top of prepared batter.

• Bake muffins on 425 ° F for about 6-7 minutes. Domes will be starting to form, then reduce to 350 ° for an additional 6-7 minutes. Do not open your oven too soon, or your domes can collapse.
• Insert toothpick into the center of a muffin. You are looking for a few moist crumbs– not a clean toothpick! You can also carefully touch the center of a muffin, you’re looking for it to spring back softly from the center.