Perfectly tender and moist banana walnut muffins are easy to make, and they turn wonderfully spiced and delicious. They're loaded with banana flavor and crunchy walnuts and finished with a buttery sugar topping.
Prep Time20 minutesmins
Cook Time25 minutesmins
Cooling Time20 minutesmins
Total Time1 hourhr10 minutesmins
Course: Breakfast
Cuisine: American
Keyword: banana and walnut muffins, banana walnut muffins
Prep. Preheat your oven to 350°F and liberally grease a 12-cup muffin tin with butter.
Combine the dry ingredients. In a medium mixing bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, salt, and cinnamon. Set aside.
Cream. In a separate large mixing bowl, using an electric mixer at medium speed, cream together the brown sugar and butter until fluffy and significantly lighter in color.
Combine the wet ingredients. Beat the eggs into the creamed butter, one egg at a time, scraping down the batter as needed. Then, mix in the vanilla and sour cream. Set aside.
Mash the bananas. In a small bowl, mash the bananas with a fork until they are pretty smooth but not completely. You still want some chunks in there.
Put it all together. Beat the mashed bananas into the creamed butter and sugar mixture. Then, with the mixer on low, gradually add the flour mixture to the creamed mixture and mix until just combined; don't overmix. Finally, using a rubber spatula, fold in the walnuts. The batter will be thick.
Prepare to bake. Spoon the batter into the prepared muffin tin, filling each cup almost to the brim. Brush the tops of the muffins with melted butter and sprinkle a liberal pinch of raw cane sugar over each.
Bake. Bake for 22-26 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center of a muffin comes out clean.
Cool. Remove from the oven and let the muffins cool in the tin for a few minutes before transferring them to a wire rack to cool completely.
Notes
Flour Swap: If you're looking to add a bit of whole grain, you can replace half of the all-purpose flour with whole wheat flour.
Nuts: I like the walnuts here because they add a crunchy texture and a subtle sweetness.
Sugar Topping: Skipping the raw cane sugar on top is an option, but I’d suggest you try it. It not only sweetens the muffins but also gives them a delightful crunch.
Sour Cream Alternatives: Use your preferred sour cream, or switch it up with yogurt.
Storing for Later: You can freeze the muffins for up to 3 months. Thaw them overnight in the fridge. If you like them warm, you can heat them up in the microwave.