Browned Butter Banana Nut Muffins

It has been three weeks since I last posted a recipe. Long story short, I’ve been sick and distracted since winter break started. But now I’m back on track and ready to roll! Yay!

Here is a short back story to this recipe. During the 2011-2012 school year, I decided to go on a diet where I only ate hard-boiled eggs and a banana every day for lunch. I stuck to it pretty religiously and only strayed on staff potluck days and other various food-related events that I didn’t want to miss out on. Anyhow, a year’s worth of bananas later and I haven’t touched one since. Nope. Not one banana. I don’t seem to want to eat them anymore. I stare at them with good intentions, but that’s about it. So when I received a nice bunch of bananas during my recent illness, I accidentally on purpose forgot about them on the kitchen counter. When I realized they were starting to turn brown, I overcame the guilt I felt for ignoring them by deciding to make banana nut muffins. I was able to delay dealing with them since banana baked goods always require overly ripened fruits. So when I knew I couldn’t wait any longer, I buckled down and peeled my first banana since June 2012. For old time’s sake. 🙂

This muffin recipe is one of the best I’ve ever made. It’s my adaptation from Love + Cupcakes and the secret is the process of whipping the eggs and bananas–it does wonders for the texture of the muffin. Also, I use browned butter any time a recipe calls for melted butter. The depth of flavor is unbeatable. Please try it and I promise you’ll love it as much as I do! You’ll never want to use regular melted butter again.

Ingredients:

For the muffins:

• 2 cups flour
• 1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 4 overripe bananas
• 1 cup brown sugar, lightly packed
• 3/4 cup unsalted butter, browned over medium heat and cooled
• 2 eggs, room temp
• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• 1/2 cup chopped pecans

For the topping:

• 1/2 stick butter, browned over medium heat and cooled
• 1/4 cup chopped pecans
• 1/3 cup brown sugar
• 1/4 cup flour
• pinch of salt

Directions:

Preheat oven to 375°. Place cupcake liners in two muffin pans and set aside.

In a large bowl, sift together the flour, baking soda, and salt. In a small bowl, mash 2 of the bananas with a fork until slightly chunky. With an electric mixer fitted with a wire whisk, whip the remaining bananas and sugar together for at least 3 minutes. Add the browned butter, eggs, and vanilla. Beat well, scraping down the sides of the bowl once or twice. Fold in the dry ingredients by hand until just incorporated. Fold in the nuts and the mashed bananas. Spoon the batter into the muffin tins to fill them about halfway.

Combine the topping ingredients in a small bowl and stir to create pea size crumbles. Divide among muffins.

Bake until a toothpick stuck in the muffins comes out clean, 18 to 20 minutes. Let cool for a few minutes before turning the muffins out. Serve warm or at room temperature.

I’m not a huge fan of single-purpose kitchen gadgets, but I absolutely love my nut grinder. It makes life SO much easier.

It even has a built in measuring cup!

Mashing bananas.

Gently folding the dry ingredients into the wet is where you’ll make or break a muffin recipe. Keep a gentle hand, folks.

Mmm…texture…

Ready to go into the oven.

These muffin liners are cute, but not very easy to remove after baking.

But that’s okay because I bought them for only a few dollars at Home Goods.

The slightly sweet and crunchy topping adds a delicious touch.

Bailey says Happy New Year! 🙂