Before you start
Banana muffins are a rescue operation for the fruit bowl, and the rescue works best with bananas gone properly black. This is a one bowl, melted butter batter with toasted walnuts inside and on top. Brown sugar and a spoon of yogurt keep the crumb damp in the way banana bread is damp, but in a fifth of the baking time.
Everything you need
- 1⅓ cups (300 g) very ripe bananas, mashed
- ½ cup (113 g) unsalted butter, melted
- ¾ cup (165 g) light brown sugar, packed
- 2 eggs
- ¼ cup (61 g) plain yogurt or sour cream
- 2 tsp vanilla extract
- 2 cups (250 g) all-purpose flour
- 1 tsp baking soda
- 1 tsp ground cinnamon
- ½ tsp fine salt
- 1 cup (117 g) walnuts, toasted and chopped
Weigh, don't scoop. Measuring flour by cups can overpack it and dry out your bake. Tap any ingredient to open its converter.
Method
-
Heat the oven to 220°C / 425°F. Line a 12 hole tin. Toast the walnuts in a dry pan for 3 minutes and chop.
For this step
- 1 cup (117 g) walnuts
-
Mash the bananas in a big bowl, then whisk in the melted butter, brown sugar, eggs, yogurt and vanilla.
For this step
- 1⅓ cups (300 g) very ripe bananas
- ½ cup (113 g) unsalted butter
- ¾ cup (165 g) light brown sugar
- 2 eggs
- ¼ cup (61 g) plain yogurt or sour cream
- 2 tsp vanilla extract
-
Fold in the flour, baking soda, cinnamon and salt until barely combined.
For this step
- 2 cups (250 g) all-purpose flour
- 1 tsp baking soda
- 1 tsp ground cinnamon
- ½ tsp fine salt
-
Fold in two thirds of the walnuts with the last strokes.
For this step
- 1 cup (117 g) walnuts
-
Fill the cases full and press the remaining walnuts onto the tops. Bake 5 minutes at 220°C, then drop to 180°C / 350°F for 14 to 16 more, until a skewer comes out with moist crumbs.
For this step
- 1 cup (117 g) walnuts
-
Cool in the tin 10 minutes. Banana muffins are structurally emotional while hot.
Baker's tips
- Black-skinned bananas or wait. Yellow bananas have half the sugar and a fraction of the flavour, and no recipe can compensate.
- Weigh or measure the mash. Banana sizes vary so much that eyeballing three bananas can swing the batter from dry to soggy.
Make it your own
- A handful of chocolate chips alongside the walnuts is never wrong.
- Swap walnuts for pecans, and add a streusel from the coffee cake recipe for bakery-counter muffins.
Storing & freezing
Airtight for 3 days, or frozen for 2 months. A frozen one microwaved for 25 seconds is almost better than fresh.
Frequently asked
How ripe should bananas be for muffins?
Heavily speckled to fully black. Starch has converted to sugar by then, which is where the flavour and moisture come from. Underripe bananas make starchy, bland muffins.
Can I freeze ripe bananas for baking?
Yes, whole in their skins. Thaw, snip the end, and squeeze the purée straight into the bowl. Frozen-thawed bananas are actually easier to mash and measure.
Baking in a different unit? Use the cups ↔ grams converter or the recipe scaler to halve or double this recipe.
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A note on cooking safely. Recipes are provided for informational purposes only and are not medical or nutritional advice. Cooking times, temperatures and quantities are suggestions: use your own judgement, and check that meat, poultry, fish and eggs are properly cooked before serving.
Consult a qualified healthcare professional before making dietary changes, particularly if you have allergies, a medical condition or specific nutritional requirements.