BANANA CRUMB MUFFINS

Once again, sitting and staring at me on my kitchen counter, I have brown-spotted bananas.

I think of making banana bread, but I already have four loaves in my freezer. So that’s a no-go. 

Pancakes, cookies and ice cream come to mind. So do muffins. 

Muffins are the clear winner to me. 

Any quick grab-and-go bite that helps the morning hustle, I’m all about. And, while quick and easy, these moist little muffins are far from basic. 

They’re topped with a crisp, sweet crumble that’ll make you believe all muffins should be topped with it. Loaded with banana flavor and a hint of cinnamon, they go perfectly with your morning coffee or a glass of milk.

Chocolate chips, walnuts, pecans or coconut – or any mix-ins of your liking – can also be added into the batter as well as topping. But, when combining the dry and wet ingredients, be sure not to over-mix. Over-mixing develops the gluten in the flour and will make your muffins dense and rubbery. Stay away from a mixer and use a spatula to gently fold the batter together until just combined. The batter will be thick and slightly lumpy.

Wanna make muffins but don’t have ripe bananas? Roast them! Roasting caramelizes their natural sugars and also softens them for easier mixing. Just place unpeeled bananas on a lined baking sheet and bake at 300 degrees for 15-20 minutes, or until peel is shiny and black. Let cool and they’re muffin ready.

BANANA CRUMB MUFFINS

INGREDIENTS:

Muffins:

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon baking soda

1 teaspoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon nutmeg

3/4 teaspoon cinnamon 

3 overripe bananas, mashed

1/2 cup white sugar

1/4 cup brown sugar 

1 egg, lightly beaten

1/3 cup oil

1 teaspoon vanilla 

Topping:

1/3 cup packed brown sugar 

2 tablespoons all-purpose flour 

1/4 plus 1/8 teaspoon cinnamon 

Pinch of salt

1 tablespoon unsalted butter

 

DIRECTIONS:

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Grease 15 muffin cups, or line with paper liners.

In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt, nutmeg and cinnamon. In a medium bowl, mix together bananas, sugars, egg, oil and vanilla. With a spatula, fold the the banana mixture into the flour mixture, just until moistened. Do not overmix or muffins will be dense. Divide batter evenly into prepared muffin cups.

For the topping, combine brown sugar, flour, cinnamon and salt in a small bowl. Cut in butter until coarse crumbs form. Sprinkle topping evenly over muffins. 

Bake for 17-19 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out clean. Let stand for 5 minutes then remove muffins from pan to cooling rack. Serve warm with butter. 

Adapted from mybakingaddiction.com