Whether or not you’ve ever baked with them, we’ve all found ourselves with bananas that are past their prime, but their sweet taste and mushy texture are perfect for sweetening and moistening a cake, bread, or muffins. They also freeze well, so if you have the bananas and no time to bake, just peel and slip them into a ziplock bag or freezer safe container to save for later.
We made this recipe for Banana Crumb Muffins in our teen cooking class. One of our students, Leah, declared this as her favorite recipe because she found the level of sweetness to be just right. The following week Leah came to class exclaiming that they were so good, she made them again with her friends. Next time you find yourself with overripe bananas in your kitchen, try making these muffins!
Banana Crumb Muffins
Makes 12 Muffins
Adapted from the NYT Cooking
Ingredients:
For Topping
1⁄2 cup whole wheat flour
1⁄4 cup sugar
1 teaspoon cinnamon
4 tablespoons (1/2 stick) butter, room temperature
For Muffins
¾ cup all-purpose flour
¾ cup whole wheat flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon baking powder
1⁄2 teaspoon salt
3 large, ripe bananas, mashed
3⁄4 cup sugar
1 egg, lightly beaten
1⁄3 cup butter, melted
Preparation:
- Grease a muffin tin and preheat oven to 375.
- For the topping, in a medium bowl, mix flour, sugar and cinnamon. Add butter or margarine and mix with a fork or pastry cutter until crumbly. Put aside while preparing muffin batter.
- For the muffins, in large bowl, combine dry ingredients. Set aside.
- In another bowl, combine mashed bananas, sugar, slightly beaten egg and melted butter or margarine. Mix well. Stir into dry ingredients just until moistened.
- Fill greased muffin cups two-thirds full. Using hands, arrange coarse, pea-sized crumbs over muffin batter.
- Bake at 375 degrees for 18 to 20 minutes or until muffins test done with a cake tester. Cool in pan 10 minutes before removing to a wire rack.
