Banana Nut Muffins

I sometimes brown the butter for this recipe, however thats in no case necessary. Browned butter works deliciously with the flavor of the bananas and walnuts. So feel free to try it out if you have the extra time to brown butter and wait for it to cool.

Baking the bananas means no having to wait for them to ripen! You can make banana nut muffins whenever you want or is convenient. They look really funny when they come out of the oven. Just be sure to let them cool before handling - they get super hot and juicy. Roasting the walnuts alongside the bananas is a timesaver and i love how caramelized the roasted nuts get, especially the ones we put on the top before baking.

I like to make my own muffin cups by cutting 5” x 5” squares of parchment. Then using a spice bottle to press down into the muffin tin and create a the shape of a muffin cup. You can also simply oil your baking tin or use store bought muffin cups. Go with whatever works best for you!

Ingredients

• 4 bananas with peels
• 3/4 cup chopped raw walnuts
• 1 tbsp brown sugar
• 1/2 cup unsalted butter, melted
• 1 cup brown sugar
• 2 eggs, room temperature
• 1 1/4 tsp vanilla extract
• 2 cups flour
• 1 1/2 tsp baking soda
• 1/2 tsp salt

Instructions

1. Place all 4 bananas with peels on, onto a parchment lined baking sheet and bake at 350 F for 15 minutes. This will simulate ripening them, so this can be done with bananas at any stage. In another baking pan place the walnuts and sprinkle them with brown sugar. Bake them with the bananas for 15 minutes as well.
2. Once everything is done, remove from the oven and allow to cool. Peel and mash the bananas once they are easy to handle.
3. In a mixing bowl combine melted butter, brown sugar, eggs, mashed bananas and vanilla extract.
4. In a separate bowl combine flour, baking soda and salt. Mix well.
5. Add dry mixture to wet, slowly mixing. Batter should be uniform but still lumpy, be careful not to over-mix. Add about 3/4 of the walnuts we roasted to the batter, folding them in.
6. Place batter in oiled muffin tin or muffin cups, top with the remaining walnuts.
7. Bake at 375 F for 20 minutes.