World's Best (and easiest!) Banana Nut Muffins
What You Need To Know Before You Start
There really are secrets to baking incredible muffins.
Read on. You're about to learn how to make the best (and easiest) homemade banana nut muffins you've ever tasted.
Alongside the directions, I explain the trick -- and there really is one -- that will help you to make the moistest muffins ever.
Freshly Baked Banana Nut Muffins
Ingredients and Equipment
You'll need two bowls -- one large, and one medium-sized. For the medium-sized one, I use my one-quart measuring cup. One large spoon. Your muffin tin. That's it!
The ingredients are divided into "wet" and "dry" -- the wet goes into one bowl, the dry into the other bowl:
WET INGREDIENTS (2 cups total):
2 ripe bananas (no, they don't need to be dark though if they're over-ripe, that's okay, too)
one egg
1/3 cup butter or margarine, melted
1 1/2 tsp. vanilla
2 tbsp. strong coffee (if you don't have leftover coffee, you can use water)
milk or buttermilk -- enough to make 2 cups TOTAL of wet ingredients (I think buttermilk is best)
DRY INGREDIENTS:
1 1/2 cup of all-purpose flour
3/4 cup sugar
1 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. cinnamon
1/8 tsp. ground nutmeg
1 cup chopped pecans (or walnuts if you prefer -- I think pecans are the best)
DIRECTIONS are below the muffin tin information below!
Are You Still Using That Same Old Muffin Tin?
Uh, yeah, I am.
I bought the Farberware Muffin Tin more than 20 years ago, and it still works like a charm. The muffins come out easily and it washes up quickly.
Best part? It's inexpensive.
Now that's what I like!
Buy the Farberware here
How To Make Incredible Muffins
The trick (and there really is a trick) to making incredible muffins has to do with the mixing part. Read all of these directions through first, before you start doing anything.
First, preheat the oven to 350. Preheating is important.
In the SMALLER bowl, put all of your wet ingredients -- make sure you mash your bananas thoroughly with a fork. Then use that same fork to completely stir in the egg and other wet ingredients.
In the LARGER bowl, put all of your dry ingredients and mix them with your large spoon. Make sure your ingredients are fully incorporated -- that is, you want the baking powder/soda to be completely distributed through the flour.
Now here's the part nobody seems to point out: add your wet ingredients to your dry ones -- and fold them carefully with a few swift strokes. This is incredibly important. DON'T OVERMIX! There will even be places where the flour is still dry. I fold about 12 - 14 times -- carefully -- but the mixture will look lumpy and "not quite" fully mixed together. This is the way they're supposed to look.
If you mix it till it is the consistency of cake batter, you've gone too far and you'll end up with simply average muffins. Yeah, they'll still be good... but this recipe is for making *incredible* muffins.
:-)
Final Steps
Spray your muffin tin with cooking oil spray. If you don't have any, you can grease them lightly with softened butter or shortening.
Spoon the (lumpy) batter into the muffin tin -- it's okay if you end up filling the holes all the way to the top. Don't pack the batter -- just spoon it into the muffin tin.
Sprinkle sugar on the tops -- don't be shy! This sugar will make a glaze as they bake that is really fantastic.
Spray the sugar with cooking spray (this step isn't completely necessary -- but I think it makes the tops of the muffins look even better.)
Put them into your already preheated oven and set the timer for 20 minutes.
After 20 minutes, check the muffins with a toothpick -- does the toothpick come out clean? If so, they're ready to come out of the oven.
You may need to bake them for another 5 minutes. Ovens differ -- you'll know when they're done. They'll look fantastic!
Let them cool for about 5 minutes, then use a fork to carefully lift them out of the muffin tin. You can keep the muffins in the tin for 10 minutes so they'll stay warm (they really are best fresh out of the oven) -- but don't let them become cool while still in the tin -- they become difficult to get out.
That's all there is to it. Your loved ones will rave about these moist, perfect muffins!
Fresh muffins, still in the tin
What Could Be Better Than Freshly Baked Banana Nut Muffins?
What To Do With Leftover Muffins
Leftover muffins? (It's rare... but it happens.)
Wrap them in a paper towel and pop them in the microwave for about 20 seconds. They taste as if they were just pulled from the oven.
Enjoy!
Comments
I have this recipe bookmarked. I make these muffins just about every time I have overripe bananas. They're fantastic. My family loves them and my friends do too. I add a cup of coconut flakes and they're amazing. I just made them for some friends in Park City Utah. I adjusted the recipe for the high altitude (over 6,000 feet) by using 1/4 teaspoons of baking powder and baking soda and they came out perfect. I signed up with this website just so that I could post a comment because this recipe is easy and delicious and I wanted to say thanks :)
I made the muffins and they were SOOOO good. The only thing I didn't use was the coffee and sugar on top but I will try that next time I make them.. Thanks for posting ;-)
Thank you so much for sharing this recipe. Quite interesting and simple. Just tried the first muffin and ...i'm in heaven...light, coffee/cinnamon aftertaste. Great tip not to mix it too much!
Light/fluffy + pecans crunch ...yummy!!!
This is the best banana nut recipe! Thanks for sharing it.
Hi Buster! I came here to find a recipe of yours that I misplaced (Coconut Shortbread Cookie), and found this recipe. Your muffins looks awesome, and I look forward to trying these too! You always give such detailed instructions, and have a great sense of humor. Thanks!
I am finishing a banana in the raw even as I read, and now feel a certain amount of "muffin envy". It looks to be a delicious and well designed recipe! :)
Have you ever made banana bread in a loaf pan out of this recipe?
Hi, can I use salted butter? Do I need to reduce the salt if I use salted butter? I don't want the muffin to become too salty when they are done. I've had this experience before with other recipes.
-
-
These are the best muffins!! I have to make double batches just to keep them around more than a day!
This is the first time that I have reviewed a recipe....and I made these
wonderful muffins today. They were out of this world good. I will
definitely make these again. Kudo's....Buster....you were right when
you said not to mix together too much. I think that has been one of
my problems in the past. These were the best.....Thank
You for sharing.
What luck I have two rather ripe bananas at hand...guess what's going to happen to them now! :)
Oh man, these are soooo good! Thanks for all the baking tips also, they really helped!
I added chocolate chips because I was feeling decadent. These were absolutely the best muffins ever! Ever!
These ARE the absolute best banana nut muffins ever! After making them one time, my husband doesn’t touch the bananas now, hoping they will go so ripe I have to use them to make the muffins! Thanks for the recipe and instructions!!
My favorite muffins ever! You really can't find a better recipe. This is my third time making them, and after starting to mix all my dry ingredients I realized I didn't have any nutmeg - I had to use ginger instead, and I think I might even like them better! Thanks for the recipe :)
omg SOOOO delicious!! on 6 of them i added crumb topping,oh and mini chocolate chips :) i'm gonna try this exact recipe using pumpkin...hope they come out as good! thx for the recipe, mine are all packed somewhere lol
-
-
how many muffins does this make
TOTALLY just bookmarked this recipe and they're in the oven NOW!!! Thank you ; )
hey there! we were just looking online to find a banana nut muffin recipe & we stumbled across your recipe but-- we didn't have vanilla, so we added brown sugar with the white sugar... two eggs instead of one because we didn't have baking powder... & hazelnut creamer with the milk...GREAT recipe thank you so much we worked with what we had layin around in the kitchen haha... woodle
Yumm Yumm Yumm! The only change I made was to toast the nuts first, and I used big Texas muffin tins, so I doubled this recipe! Thanks so much for posting this!
I've been baking a very long time, and these are the best banana muffins I've tasted, also the easiest to make. Kudos to the person who developed the recipe, and thank you for being so generous as to post it on-line.
One questions before I trying making them...Can I leave out the nuts? My son is allergic.
Ok... I have tried numerous banana muffin recipes and I have to admit this one wins hands down. It is light, fluffy, just the right amount of sweet and buttery. And it is not so rich as to be beyond the bounds of my 1500 calorie diet. Thank You!
Thank you so much for this... The biggest joke in my family is I cant cook. My husband tasted these and just looked at me and said they were awesome... I only have a few left and the family is asking for more... Thanks so much the details were easy to follow for a non seasoned baker.. LOL My husband told me not to loose this receipe. Ha Thanks again...
I have made these twice now...little boys who don't enjoy bananas but lovvvve your banana nut muffins! The only thing that I add is white chocolate. BTW my little boys are full grown. Thanks so much these ARE the best.
i used eggnog in place of the coffee and whole wheat flour..delicious!..i bet these would be fantastic with macadamia nuts and coconut
Just made these and omg they are delicious. So moist and flavorful. When they came out the oven I claimed mine by cracking open the top and sliding a little pat of butter in there to melt from the steam. So good!
I was a little skeptical, but this is as easy as it sounded, and as good as stated! Keeper recipe, thanks!
Great recipe, the muffins are so tasty. I added in some Muscavado sugar in place of the coffee and added a little peanut butter to the melted butter to make it a little more nutty ^-^
These are amazing! I read some of the comments first to make sure it was a good recipe- and I just wanted to add to the list. Other recipes I've tried are too dry and bland. These have great flavor (even though I used the water instead of coffee), the right amount of sweetness, and are perfectly moist. I was just going to have 1 to taste them...but I've already had 2!
Thanks for the recipe!
Made it today. My hubby said it was the best banana nut muffin he has ever had. :-) I didn't have coffee prepared so i used little bit of cocoa powder instead. Thanks for the detailed recipe
Mine are in the oven --I didn't realize that it's only for 12-- I assumed it's for 24---dah me..that's why I didn't have enough to make it thru, anyhoooo, thank you in advance for your details..while let you know
I have never been so happy with a recipe that I've commented on it! Let me just say the search is over! I've finally found a banana nut muffin recipe that isn't kinda blah! The coffee I used was a lightly flavored coffee that had a kinda sweet nutty flavor that went well with the other ingredients. Also, I used oversized muffin tins and increased baking time to 35 minutes. Thank you, thank you, thank you.
Thanks for sharing all of those most important details! You're tops!
Could you make printable versions of recipes? ... that can be printed out without all the ads and headers?
My family LOVES this recipe. I plan to share it. I have to really chop the nuts because my daughter says she does not like them but I do. :)
I've been making Banana Nut muffins for years, and I gave this recipe a shot just to try something different. It is, in fact, the best Banana Nut muffin recipe I have ever used - the result is so flavorful and moist - I will never go back to my old recipe. Thank you for sharing - it is much appreciated.
I love this recipe!!! Thanks so much! Even my 9 yr old picky eater enjoyed! :)
Thanks so much for taking the time to explain the recipe. The bananas getting mashed by my 94 year-old grandma as I write. Can you explain the use of the coffee? That ingredient surprised me! :) Kelly
this looks grrrrrrreat!!! I think I'll sprinkle "sugar in the raw" for extra crunch!
P.S. how many muffins dose this make????
Thanks you so much for the wonderful recipe! I will give this a go this weekend and let you know how it goes.
This recipe sounded great so I am making them now to serve at my little coffee shop tomorrow morning. Just got them into the oven!
I LOVE blueberries and blueberry muffins! I use my late mother's recipe which is very old. Butter and buttermilk in it, a very good recipe if you want to try it. Lynn
Hi Buster,
And now that I checked out your Hubpages and see I am calling you by your dog's name, I feel a little funny!But if you love your dog as much as I love mine and all my animals, then that's probably ok. As a matter of fact, she just got a bite of the banana nut muffins I just made and we both agree they are STUPENDOUS! No trouble getting them out of my pan, I think I'll just bring mine to school tomorrow to bake them in. I'm glad I came across your page, have to check out the rest.
Lynn
Thanks Buster! Actually, we are making them for a staff lunch Tuesday and since we're off Monday, I was going to make them at home and bring them in. Then I found your recipe. I think I'll make some later today for us at home and then make the ones for the staff lunch Tuesday as you suggest. Can't wait to try them. One more question: last time we made cupcakes for a staff lunch, we sprayed with Pam and they were still hard to get out. It's possible it was the old pans, but I'm wondering if it would be better to grease with shortening or butter or stick to Pam? Thanks. Lynn
I just found this recipe and need to ask a question. I am going to make them for work and normally I would make them the day before because I have found with my cake and muffin recipes, they get moister and taste better the next day. This recipe says they are best right out of the oven. So which way should I do it??
hello,
i was always trying to find homemade muffin recipes, i dont think the box one are good, but i have always gotten recipes that turn out gross looking and average. Yours was by far the best homemade recipie for muffins i have ever made. i am a young cook, 13 years old, trying become a great cook by just practicing off of others peoples recipes from what they found where good. Thanks again for the recipie.
-christian
Just made these and shared them with my neighbor. Fantastic recipe - thanks!
just popped these into the oven and have to admit I can't wait to taste! i doubled the recipe because i had 4 overripe bananas and had already made banana biscotti which was good but my family wanted muffins this time. I didn't want to make typical banana muffins and the strong coffee ingredient sounded good. I didn't have 2 cups of nuts so i added 1 cup of nuts and 1 cup of chocolate chips. Coffee, cinnamon, chocolate and banana...I think it's a winner even before tasting! Thanks for being detailed of how to mix ingredients, etc.
Thank you so much for the detailed instruction. I have tried many recipes but nobody ever makes an attempt to point the finer points in baking and you DID IT!!! every art is all about mastering these subtle things and because of you I dint have to go to a baking class to learn :-) HATS OFF !
I wonder if I can replace Ener G egg replacer as a substitute for eggs and reduce the sugar quantity to make it more healthy.
This time around I did replace it with oil and added flax seed. The finicky eater - my hubby came for seconds, thirds...... need I say anything else :-)
I just saw your recipe yesterday.. & tried it today..
OMG they really are the best!!!
& the step by step you gave was soo helpful.
Very easy to follow..
Thank You!
Hi There,
I posted a couple of months and I wanted you to know that this has become my "go-to" banana muffin recipe. Everybody loves them! I've made them just as listed here and with chocolate chips and each time they're perfect. Just wondering, would you suggest following the same procedure above for strawberry muffins? I've never tried making them, and wanted to try something different for Easter. Any suggestions (or do you have a recipe)? Thanks!
Thank you for sharing.... they are fantastic!
I am making these as i type... just tasted the batter... YUMMM!!
Thank you so much for the awesome recipe. I made this twice this week. I used 2 bananas on the first batch, and only 1 on the second (because I'm out of bananas). I prefer the 1st batch...but either way, you're right! No leftover! Again, thanks!
Well, I made quite a few substitutions: 1 tablespoon of vanilla, 4 bananas, 1/2 c brown sugar, a little orange zest, 1 1/2 c walnuts, added another 1/2 c of flour, left out the nutmeg, and a bit of applesauce.
They turned out alright- I think I need to wait until my bananas are over-ripe and try again, although the texture, etc. is right on spot.
thanks sooo much they turned out DELICIOUS!!!! My picky 5 year old sister LOVED them!! :)
Love your hubs...even though they are making my stomach growl:) Guess that I will have your fluffy pancakes tonight and make your awesome Banana Muffins in the morning:)
You have got to be kidding!!! INSANE, yumtastic and -dare I say- MAN CATHING level of scrumptious!!!! THANK YOU TIMES A TRILLION! Can you tell I liked them???
tee hee hee
I consider myself an averagely talented baker. Single guy,so nuff said. I thought what the hell, this recipe seems pretty standard. The spraying of the pam was what MADE it, nice finish. Used toasted Grenoble walnuts, it rocked. Has some friends over for coffee, and guess what? not a single muffin left. Thanks!!
Buster,
I was so excited to make your muffins. I followed your instructions to a tee. I added the wet ingredients to the dry and realized I had not mixed the dry! Ugh! So I had to fold a few more times. However, you are right, they are scrumptious. My college kids came home and loved them. I am going to make another batch and remember to mix the dry! Thanks for great recipe!
178