A couple weeks ago I scored a deal on bananas—14 overripe bananas in a bag for $1—and bought a bag with plans to make muffins, smoothies, and freeze a few, only none of them made it to the freezer because we used them up. I had wanted to try this banana muffins recipe from The Sweeter Side of Amy's Bread, and this was the perfect opportunity. The texture is hearty and fills you up easily. Pair it with your favorite eggs or other breakfast protein, and you have a great meal to get your morning off to a good start.
The recipe made a large amount of batter and I had to abandon the usual instructions about filling a muffin cup ⅔ full because the cups overflowed with batter. The baked muffins were large and hearty with a lot of texture, and one was more than enough for my breakfast or a snack, though my hungry crowd seemed to disagree. I even made a pan of mini muffins for my boys, and they gobbled them up.
[Disclosure: I received a copy of the book for review.]
Banana, Bran, and Toasted Walnut Muffins
Equipment
- 1 standard muffin tin, lightly coated with cooking spray
- stand mixer with paddle attachment, or hand mixer and large bowl
- large mixing bowl
Ingredients
- 2⅛ cups unbleached all-purpose flour
- 2¼ cups wheat bran
- 2 teaspoons baking soda
- 1¾ teaspoons kosher salt
- 2½ cups mashed ripe banana
- 18 tablespoons unsalted butter (room temperature)
- 2 large eggs
- 1 cup brown sugar (packed)
- 1⅓ cups walnut pieces (toasted)
- 1 cup sliced ripe banana
Preparation
- Position rack in the middle of the oven and preheat to 350° F/175° C.
- In the large mixing bowl, whisk together the flour, wheat bran, baking soda, and kosher salt.
- In the bowl of the stand mixer, beat the mashed banana and the softened butter until mixed. It may look lumpy, but that's ok. Add the eggs and brown sugar and mix until thoroughly combined.
- Gently fold the flour mixture into the banana mixture, just until combined. Don't overmix. Then fold in the toasted walnut pieces and the sliced banana.
- Scoop the batter into the muffin cups. Take care not to overwork the batter. The batter will be mounded over the top.
- Bake in the preheated oven for 23 to 25 minutes until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. The muffin tops should be medium brown.
- Cool in the pan for 5 minutes, then remove and cool on a wire rack. Serve within 8 hours for best texture, and wrap the remainder in plastic to keep fresh.
this comes in very handy - due to a mixup i got two organic fruit boxes this week, instead of one fruit, one veg... so i have a big banana surplus and we're leaving on vacation on friday! now i can make some muffins, i bet they freeze well, too, and i'll have something to ease the post-holidays blues!
Congrats on scoring such a great opportunity in the grocery store. Isn't it amusing how for a mushy banana has almost no value to a store (so they'll sell a huge bag of them for $1), but it still has value to somebody who wants to make banana muffins or banana bread and NEEDS their bananas mushy.
It's just so obvious that cooking at home is so worth it with opportunities like this around.
Dan
Casual Kitchen
I love the look of these muffins. So full of health! And the bananas must keep the little things deliciously moist. Yum!
I think I'm one of the few people that actually really LIKES bran muffins. I can't imagine a tastier way to eat one though, than with the addition of bananas and walnuts. They all sound like they'd work perfectly together.
Wow, they look so good! N loves anything to do with bananas. This is a must-do.