I also call these accidental banana muffins. Here’s why:

I had good intentions on baking a recipe out of one of my 50+ cookbooks that I rarely use. I usually like to develop my own recipes, but it was too late in the evening for calculations and measurements. Laziness prevailed, so I grabbed Thomas Keller’s Bouchon Bakery off my shelf and thumbed through it until I found a recipe that required half rotten bananas.

I refuse to eat  half dead bananas. I find them gross and unappealing. So, in a mixing bowl they went.

As usual, I start off with the intention of using the recipe I just selected from the shiny book I just grabbed off off the shelf mere moments before turning on the oven, but after looking over the recipe, I realized I didn’t have all of the ingredients listed. Organized, I am not.

My butter was frozen and not at the recommended room-temperature. Creme fraiche? Who keeps that stocked in the fridge? I already mashed my bananas, so I had to do something with them.

I started throwing one ingredient after another into the bowl and mixed it all up. I recklessly scooped the batter into my greased muffin tins, threw the pan in the oven, and prayed that they would turn out.

The result was banana muffin perfection. The muffin tops were perfectly rounded, the streusel was perfectly browned, and the muffins were baked to perfection.

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With my fingers crossed, I unwrapped the muffin and took a bite. You guys… Talk about a banana muffin. This banana muffin beats every other banana muffin recipe I’ve ever made–no comparison.

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These muffins aren’t your average banana muffin. They’re light and fluffy and not at all dense. The texture is unbelievably soft and moist. They melt in your mouth at first bite. Oh so buttery and perfectly sweet.

Best banana muffin ever!

Afte I made these, I told Squirrel that I should probably write the recipe down before I forgot it. His response was, “Yeah, you should should probably write this recipe down.” I suppose he liked the muffins.

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I may not have followed Keller’s recipe, but I did learn a very useful trick that yielded perfectly domed muffins. No flat muffins here! Preheat your oven to 425 degrees F. Place your muffin tin in the oven. Close the door and turn your oven down to 325 degrees F. The high heat of the oven helps the muffin batter rise quickly so they don’t sink. Cool, huh?

I proceeded to eat my weight in banana muffins.

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We loved these muffins so much that I’ve been baking them every chance I get.

Banana Muffins with Walnut Streusel
Recipe Type: Muffins, Quick Breads
Author: Jennie
Prep time:
Cook time:
Total time:
Serves: 12 Muffins
Ingredients
  • Wet:
  • 2 bananas
  • 3/4 cup brown sugar
  • 2 tablespoons plain Greek yogurt
  • 1 large egg
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla paste (or vanilla extract)
  • 1 stick unsalted butter, melted and cooled
  • Dry:
  • 1 1/2 cups cake flour
  • 3/4 teaspoon baking powder
  • 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
  • Walnut Streusel
  • 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
  • 2 tablespoons cold butter, cut into cubes
  • 1/4 cup brown sugar
  • 1/2 cup walnuts, finely chopped
Instructions
Muffins:
  1. Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F. Grease or line a 12-cup muffin tin.
  2. In a small bowl, whisk together dry ingredients; set aside.
  3. In a large bowl, add the bananas and brown sugar. Using a potato masher or fork, mash until the mixture is smooth (there will be some small chunks). Whisk in Greek yogurt, egg, and vanilla paste or extract. Slowly whisk in the melted butter until the mixture is smooth.
  4. Fold in the the dry ingredients until just combined. Scoop the mixture into your prepared muffin tin, filling them 3/4 of the way full (do not over fill). Top with 2 teaspoons of the walnut streusel topping.
  5. Place the muffins in the oven. Turn down the heat to 325 degrees F. Bake for 20-22 minutes or until a tooth pick inserted in the center comes out clean and the tops are slightly golden in color.
  6. Cool in the pan for 5 minutes before transferring the muffins to a wire rack to cool completely.
Walnut Streusel:
  1. In a medium-sized bowl, add the flour and butter. Using a fork, cut the butter into the flour until it resembles a coarse crumb. Mix in the brown sugar and chopped walnuts.