Banana muffins

Simple morsels of banana, cinnamon, & mix-ins

I'm crazy-picky about bananas. If they're an hour past slightly-green, I won't eat them. So having leftover overripe bananas is a pretty common occurrence at my house. If I feel like being healthy, I'll whip up banana, oat, and nut butter cookies (so good!). If I have Biscoff cookies in the pantry, this banana bread is to die for. Or if I've stocked up on bran, banana bran muffins are a good option, too. But I'd yet to find a plain ol' go-to banana muffin. Until today! 

These muffins came by way of Allrecipes. I doctored up the original recipe based on some of the comments (adding vanilla, cinnamon, nutmeg, and some mix-ins). I also topped each muffin with a sprinkling of turbino sugar — a trick I learned from making blueberry muffins a few weeks back. The sugar crystals caramelize beautifully in the oven for a muffin top with a sweet crunch. 

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BANANA MUFFINS

WHAT YOU'LL NEED
1 and 1/2 cups flour
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp nutmeg
3 bananas, mashed (or sub 1/2 cup applesauce for one banana)
3/4 cup sugar
1 egg, at room temperature and lightly beaten
1/3 cup butter, melted
1 tsp vanilla
mix-ins like chopped walnuts, pecans, or chocolate chips (optional)
turbino sugar, for the topping (optional)

WHAT YOU'LL DO
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray a 12-cup muffin pan with nonstick spray, or place muffin liners in each cup. 

2. In a medium bowl, sift together flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, and nutmeg. Set aside.

3. In a larger bowl, use a fork to mix together mashed bananas/applesauce, sugar, egg, melted butter, and vanilla. 

4. Add the dry ingredients to the wet, using a rubber spatula or large spoon to gently fold together, scraping the bottom and sides of the bowl. Mix until the flour is just combined, adding any desired mix-ins at the very end. 

5. Divide batter evenly between the 12 muffin cups (I used a 1/4 cup measure to scoop the batter into the cups). Top each with a sprinkling of turbino sugar. Bake for 23 to 30 minutes, or until golden on top and a tester inserted in the center of a muffin comes out clean. Let rest in the pan for 5 to 10 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely. 

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Notice I mentioned applesauce, and here's why: I only had two ripe bananas on hand, but the recipe called for three. When that happens, you can sub 1/2 cup applesauce (I'd use plain or cinnamon — we had plain in the pantry this time) for one banana. Of course the flavor won't be as banana-y, but it's better than no muffins at all! 

Also notice that you want to mix the batter until the flour is just combined with the wet ingredients, and don't use an electric mixer. That's because muffin batter doesn't have as much liquid, compared to other cake-y sweets. Using a mixer would form too much gluten and make the muffins tough. Folding gently is the way to go for a soft, tender morsel. And isn't that all we want in life?