Banana muffins
- Prepare
- less than 30 mins
- Cook
- 10 to 30 mins
- Serve
- Makes 10
- Dietary
- Pregnancy-friendlyVegetarian
Try these moreish banana muffins for a breakfast or teatime treat – perfect for using up overripe bananas. The secret to a light and fluffy muffin is not to overmix. You need to stir just enough to combine the ingredients.
Each serving provides 314 kcal, 6g protein, 43g carbohydrates (of which 23g sugars), 13g fat (of which 6g saturates), 2g fibre and 0.8g salt.
By Jill Dupleix
From Saturday Kitchen
Ingredients
- 75g/3oz melted butter
- 2 large, ripe bananas
- 250g/9oz self-raising flour
- 1 tsp baking powder
- ½ tsp bicarbonate of soda
- pinch of salt
- ½ tsp ground cinnamon
- ½ tsp ground nutmeg
- 115g/4oz caster sugar
- 2 medium free-range eggs
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 125ml/4fl oz milk
- 10 walnut kernels (optional)
To serve (optional)
- 2 bananas, sliced
- 50g/2oz walnut kernels
- 2 tbsp crème fraîche or yoghurt
- 2 tbsp runny honey
Method
Preheat the oven to 190C/170C Fan/Gas 5. Place paper cases in the moulds of a muffin tin, or grease the moulds well with a little extra oil or butter.
Melt the butter and allow to cool slightly. Mash the bananas well.
Sift the flour, baking powder, bicarbonate of soda, salt, cinnamon and nutmeg together in a large bowl. Stir in the caster sugar.
In a second bowl, use a fork to beat together the eggs, vanilla extract, milk and melted butter. Add the mashed banana and stir through.
Make a well in the centre of the dry ingredients and add the egg mixture, stirring roughly with a fork (don't over mix) until it is a lumpy paste.
Spoon in the mixture into the holes of the muffin tin until almost full. Top each one with a walnut kernel, if using.
Bake for 20–25 minutes, or until the muffins come away from the side of the tin when touched. Rest the muffin tray on a wire rack for 5 minutes, then remove the muffins and leave on the rack for another 5 minutes before serving.
Serve the muffins warm or cold. To make an indulgent breakfast, add sliced banana, a dollop of crème fraîche (or yoghurt), walnuts and a drizzle of honey.
Recipe tips
Choose overripe bananas for baking as they are naturally sweeter and will mash more easily. The best way to mash a banana is to use a fork. It doesn’t matter if it isn’t completely smooth.
You can either melt the butter in a small saucepan over a low heat or in the microwave, loosely covered, for a few seconds.
Instead of using both cinnamon and nutmeg, try a teaspoon of ground mixed spice.
You can swap walnuts for pecan nuts or leave out nuts altogether if you prefer. Instead, you could sprinkle each muffin with a pinch of mixed seeds or top with a few porridge oat flakes. For extra special muffins, top each one with a couple of dried banana chips, pressing lightly into the batter.
Try adding a small handful of dried fruit, such as sultanas or raisins to your batter. A few blueberries would also add a juicy burst. For a more indulgent treat, try a small handful of chocolate drops.
You will need a 12-hole muffin tin for this recipe and 10 paper muffin cases. If you aren’t using paper cases, make sure you grease the tin really well. You can also sift a little flour into each hole, once greased, to help prevent the muffins sticking.
How to freeze
If you bake more than you need, keep the leftover muffins in a lidded container and eat within 2 days. Alternatively, you can freeze the muffins in a large, sealed freezer bag for up to two weeks. If you are keeping them in the freezer for any longer, wrap each one in foil before placing in the bag and they will last an extra 2–4 weeks without deteriorating. Best served warm, thaw at room temperature for a couple of hours and heat gently in a low oven for a few minutes before serving. You can also warm thawed muffins in a microwave oven for 20–30 seconds, but make sure you serve quickly as they will toughen on cooling.
How to make ahead
Muffins always taste better when they are freshly made. You can prepare this recipe up to 12 hours ahead – perfect if you are doing a school run in the afternoon, or want to get prepped for breakfast the night before. You’ll need to sift all the dry ingredients and stir in the sugar, then cover the bowl and put aside. Beat the wet ingredients, such as eggs and bananas, together, cover and put into the fridge. Get the muffin tin lined or greased. When you are ready to cook, preheat the oven and mix both sets of ingredients together, fill the cases and bake as above.
