Banana walnut muffins recipe
Easy Banana Walnut Muffins with a touch of coffee
Overripe bananas make the best banana walnut muffins or cupcakes. We usually keep a bunch of bananas in the kitchen for our daily dose of potassium and Vitamin C. However, there are days where there are no takers and the nice golden yellow skin begin to develop brown spots looking bruised and unappetizing. Instead of tossing these out and wasting food, I turn these into easy and nutritious breakfast food or snacks of banana walnut muffins.
Follow this one-bowl recipe and you will go bananas over how easy it is to make.
This is a one bowl recipe and all you need is a wooden spatula for hand mixing. Even a non-baker or novice can make this easy banana walnut muffin recipe.
Cook Time
Prep Time: 15
Total Time: 45
Serves: 12
Ingredients
- 4 overripe bananas (brown spots on skins)
- 1 egg beaten
- 1/3 cup melted butter
- 3/4 cup sugar
- 1 tsp. pure vanilla extract
- 1 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
- 1 tsp. baking soda
- 1/8 tsp. salt
- 1 cup chopped walnuts
- 1 Tbsp. coffee (brewed) optional
Instructions
- 1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees
- 2. In a large bowl, smash 4 bananas with a wooden spatula until small lumps are still remaining.
- 3. Add melted butter, sugar, beaten egg, coffee and vanilla into bowl until blended.
- 4. Add flour, baking soda and salt until just incorporated.
- 5. Fold in chopped walnuts into batter.
- 6. Fill muffin pans (for 12) to 2/3 full. Depending on the size of muffin pans, you may need a 6 cup muffin pan for the extra batter.
- 7. Bake for 25-30 minutes or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean.
- 8. Cool on rack and serve.
Four overripe bananas - starch turning into sugar - Just waiting to be smashed
As bananas ripen, the starch begin to turn into sugar. That is why overripe bananas taste sweeter, feels softer, but the calorie count remains the same. Warm temperatures also hasten the ripening of green bananas. So when you notice bananas starting to have brown spots, this means they are at the peak of their flavor, sweet, creamy and soft. Ripe bananas are also easier to digest as compared to green bananas are firmer and not as sweet.
Durable bamboo banana hanger - Bananas stay balanced
Follow the pictorial step-by-step instructions
Step 1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees - Line a 12-cup muffin pan
You may prefer to pour the batter directly to greased muffin pans. I have always opted to using muffin pan liners. This makes cleanup of the pan a cinch and also makes it easier to eat the muffin without messing up your hands --especially kids and grownup kids.
Muffin cup liners cut out cleanup - Muffins or cupcakes are easier to hold and eat
Step 2. Mash 4 overripe bananas with a wooden spoon - Smashed bananas should be lumpy
Bamboo spatulas - renewable and eco-friendly
I stand by bamboo utensils because these are durable, affordable and eco-friendly. Bamboo belongs to the grass family and can withstand being cleaned constantly and also dries quickly.These are also easy to clean and do not need much maintenance like other woods. I use bamboo spatulas for stir-frying, scooping rice, sauteing vegetables, and mixing cake batter.
Prepare 3/4 cup sugar, 1 beaten egg, 1/3 cup melted butter, 1 tsp. pure vanilla extract
Step 3. Add sugar, eggs, melted butter and vanilla into mashed bananas until blended - Add 1 Tbsp. brewed coffee (optional)
I added the brewed coffee from the coffeepot from breakfast. It was a Starbucks medium breakfast blend. You can add your own favorite coffee flavor.
Mixing bowls - a baker's indispensable kitchen helpers - Nesting bowls are great for whisking eggs, mixing batter and easy to store
Measure dry ingredients - 1 1/2 cup all-purpose flour, 1 tsp. baking soda, 1/8 tsp. salt
Step 4. Add flour, baking soda, salt - Mix until dry ingredients are incorporated into banana batter
Step 5. Add 1 cup chopped walnuts - Walnuts can be toasted or raw
Some people do not like walnuts which can be substituted with pecans. Other people do not like nuts at all. But the nuts in this recipe give the banana cupcake the extra crunch.
Step 6. Fill muffin pans 2/3 full
I could have filled these muffin cups with more batter but I did not want these to overflow during baking. Hence, I had to use an extra 6 cup muffin pan. Next time around, I will distribute the batter evenly in the 12 cup muffin pan and make them 3/4 full since the paper liners are slightly taller than each cup.
Step 7. Bake in preheated oven at 350 degrees for 25-30 minutes
Step 8. It is done when toothpick inserted in center comes out clean - That means no wet batter sticking to the toothpick
Step 9. Cool muffins on rack - Great when eaten warm too
Great with coffee, tea, as an afternoon snack or breakfast. If refrigerated, I usually zap each one for 25 seconds on the microwave to make it just warm and moist.
More interesting links to what you can do with overripe bananas
- Gluten-free banana walnut muffins
"I've been cooking gluten-free since 2003, when my husband was diagnosed with celiac disease. Over the years, I've managed to perfect some recipes so that when family and friends join us, they can't tell they're eating gluten-free. This is one of tho - Go Bananas! 20 Healthy Banana Recipes - Cooking Light
Twenty sweet desserts present bananas at their best. - What to Do With Over-Ripe Bananas | Kitchen Daily
Go bananas for bananas with these recipes! - Overripe Banana Recipes
Chiquita is committed to delivering healthy foods to consumers worldwide and help improve world nutrition. Go bananas & pin with #Chiquita! Chiquita Brands is using Pinterest, an online pinboard to collect and share what inspires you. - 5 Tasty Things to Do with an Overripe Banana | Shine Food - Yahoo! Shine
Includes vegan banan bread, banana smoothie, banana crumb muffins.
