Description
These easy banana muffins are a perfect blend of ripe bananas, warm spices, and a tender crumb. Enhanced with optional toasted nuts or chocolate chips and topped with a crunchy sugar sprinkle, these muffins are an ideal quick breakfast or snack treat. The recipe yields 12 moist, flavorful muffins with a comforting cinnamon and nutmeg aroma.
Ingredients
Scale
Dry Ingredients
- 1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
- 1/4 cup cornstarch
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- 3/4 teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon fine sea salt
- 3/4 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
Wet Ingredients
- 1 1/2 cups finely mashed very ripe bananas
- 1/3 cup granulated sugar
- 1/3 cup light brown sugar (packed)
- 3 tablespoons unsalted butter (browned & slightly cooled)
- 1/4 cup vegetable or canola oil
- 2 large eggs (at room temperature)
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Optional Add-ins & Toppings
- 3/4 cup toasted chopped walnuts or pecans OR 1 cup chocolate chips
- Coarse sugar (for sprinkling if desired)
Instructions
- Prep: Preheat the oven to 425°F. Position an oven rack in the middle of the oven. Line a 12-cup muffin pan with paper liners and spray lightly with cooking spray to prevent sticking.
- Combine dry and wet ingredients separately: In a large mixing bowl, whisk together all dry ingredients including flour, cornstarch, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, and nutmeg. In another bowl or a large measuring jug, whisk the wet ingredients — mashed bananas, granulated sugar, brown sugar, browned butter, vegetable oil, eggs, and vanilla extract — until smooth and well combined.
- Make batter: If using nuts or chocolate chips, stir them into the dry ingredients now. Then pour the wet mixture into the bowl with the dry ingredients. Gently fold everything together until just combined; some small lumps in the batter are normal and help achieve a tender texture.
- Fill muffin cups: Divide the batter evenly among the 12 muffin cups, filling each one very full to get larger muffins. If desired, sprinkle the tops with coarse sugar for a crunchy topping.
- Bake: Immediately reduce the oven temperature to 400°F and bake the muffins for 5 minutes. Without opening the oven door, lower the temperature to 350°F and continue baking for an additional 12-15 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center of a muffin comes out clean.
- Cool: Remove the muffins from the oven and let them cool in the pan for 5-10 minutes. Then transfer the muffins to a wire rack to cool completely or serve warm.
Notes
- Be sure to use very ripe bananas for maximum sweetness and moisture.
- Do not overmix the batter; it should be slightly lumpy to ensure tender muffins.
- The initial high oven temperature helps muffins rise quickly, then lowering it prevents over-browning.
- To toast nuts, spread them on a baking sheet and bake at 350°F for about 5-7 minutes, stirring once.
- You can substitute chopped nuts with chocolate chips or omit both for a nut-free version.
- Store leftover muffins in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days or freeze for longer storage.
