Banana Nut Muffins

Bakery-style banana nut muffins are soft and moist on the inside, crisp and chewy on the outside, and piled with chopped walnuts. The batter is so quick to make and they bake up perfectly every time. 

Banana nut muffins are the perfect way to put those overly-ripe bananas to good use. These are so easy to make, the batter comes together in just a few minutes and your house will smell amazing while they're are baking! 

INGREDIENTS FOR BANANA NUT MUFFINS: 

• All-purpose flour: You could also make these using whole wheat flour if you want them slightly healthier. 
• Butter: Melted and slightly cooled. 
• Sugar: Both white and brown sugar. The molasses in the brown sugar is key for the amazingly chewy texture. 
• Eggs: Room temperature. Room temperature eggs mix more evenly. To quickly bring eggs to room temperature, place them in a bowl of lukewarm water for several minutes.  
• Sour cream: Sour cream is my favorite moisture insurance policy. If you don't want to use sour cream you can substitute with plain Greek yogurt instead.
• Very ripe bananas: They should have lots of brown spots all over. I've also included instructions on how to quickly ripen bananas.
• Walnuts: Coarsely chopped walnuts go into the batter and are also sprinkled on top before baking. 

HOW TO MAKE BANANA NUT MUFFINS: 

1. Preheat your oven to 350° and generously spray a 12-count muffin pan with non-stick cooking spray, or line with muffin liners. 
2. Whisk together the dry ingredients in a medium bowl.
3. Melt the butter in a large bowl and allow to cool slightly before whisking in the white and brown sugar. Whisk in the eggs, one at a time and whisk until just combined after each. Whisk in vanilla extract and sour cream. In a separate bowl, mash the very ripe bananas until mostly smooth and not too lumpy. Stir the mashed bananas into the wet ingredients. 
4. Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients in 3 additions and mix until just coming together after each. After all of the dry ingredients have been added mix until smooth and no more flour pockets remain. Fold half of the coarsely chopped walnuts into the batter. 
5. Add the batter to the muffin pan filling each up to the top. Sprinkle more coarsely chopped walnuts on top. 

Bake the muffins for 22-24 minutes, a toothpick inserted into the center should come out clean. 

HOW TO QUICK-RIPEN BANANAS: 

If you ever want to make any banana recipe but don't want to wait for your bananas to ripen on their own, use this EASY method to take ripening into your own hands. It only takes 30 minutes and makes the bananas perfectly ripe every time:

Place ripe, unpeeled bananas on a baking sheet and bake in a 300° oven for 20-30 minutes until the skin is very brown. Flip the bananas half-way through baking so they ripen evenly. 

HOW TO FREEZE AND REHEAT MUFFINS:

Muffins and muffin batter can easily be frozen, perfect for a quick and easy breakfast that you can prepare in advance.

To freeze baked muffins:

• Allow to cool completely to room temperature, then place in the freezer for one hour until mostly hard. Then transfer them to a large plastic bag and keep in the freezer for up to 2 months. 

To reheat, microwave frozen muffins for 30 seconds to 1 minute. Or bake in an oven or toaster oven at 325° for 5-10 minutes. 

To freeze muffin batter: 

• Insert muffin liners into the pan and add the batter. Set the pan flat in the freezer and freeze for at least 4 hours. Once completely frozen, remove the batter-filled liners and place them in a large plastic bag. Keep frozen for up to 2 months. 

To reheat, place the frozen muffin batter cups in the muffin pan and bake as directed. Add 3-5 minutes to the baking time. 

More Breakfast Recipes: 

• Homemade Bagels
• Pancakes
• Blueberry Muffins
• French Toast
• Belgian Waffle Recipe