Banana Nut Muffins Recipe

The three over-ripe bananas on the counter needed to be tossed into the freezer for future use or turned into banana bread or banana muffins.

This morning I opted for banana nut muffins since they bake in about a third of the time of banana bread.

This is one of the best basic banana nut muffin recipes I’ve tried. It’s a classic, enhanced with a little healthy whole-wheat flour for its texture and nutty flavor. If you don’t like nuts in your banana muffins skip them. I’ve included a couple of our favorite variations for your consideration at the end of the recipe too.

Banana Nut Muffin Recipe

Preheat the oven to 375F. Coat a 12-cup muffin pan with cooking spray or line with paper cupcake liners. In a medium bowl, whisk together:

• 1 1/2 cups all purpose flour
• 1/2 cup whole wheat pastry flour
• 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 cup coarsely chopped walnuts (optional)

In a large bowl, stir with a whisk or beat with an electric mixer until well combined:

• 3/4 cup firmly packed light brown sugar
• 1/3 cup canola oil or melted butter
• 2 eggs
• 1 1/3 cups mashed very ripe bananas (2 to 3)
• 1teaspoon vanilla extract

Stir the flour mixture into the banana mixture until just combined. Do not over mix; the batter shouldn’t be smooth. Divide the batter equally among the muffin cups. I like to use an ice cream scoop for this.

Bake until the muffins are lightly browned and a toothpick comes out clean when inserted into the center, usually about 18 to 20 minutes.

Cool the muffins in the pan for a few minutes and serve warm or remove them to a wire rack to cool completely. Store in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 2 days.

Makes 12 banana nut muffins.

Note:This banana nut muffin recipe can be made into banana nut bread. Just pour the batter into a greased and floured 8 1/2×4 1/2-inch loaf pan and bake at 350F for about 55 to 60 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center of the loaf comes out clean. If you are using a glass loaf pan, lower the temperature to 325F and bake about ten minutes less since glass is a better heat conductor than metal and the bread will bake faster.

Favorite Banana Nut Muffins/Banana Nut Bread Variations

Variation #1:Add 1/2 semi-sweet chocolate chips and/or 1/2 cup coconut instead of the nuts.

Variation #2:Add 1/2 cup well drained crushed pineapple into the banana mixture and replace the walnuts with pecans or macadamia nuts.

This classic banana nut muffin recipe is adapted fromThe Weekend Baker: Irresistible Recipes, Simple Techniques, And Stress Free Strategies For Busy Peopleby Abigail Johnson Dodge