All-Time Best Banana Nut Muffins (Gluten-Free Too)
Over the last week, I’ve been on a mission, cranking out six distinct batches, in pursuit of the perfect banana nut muffin recipe. I first tried a healthy version, made with whole-wheat flour, flaxseed meal, and steel-cut oats; however, it lacked flavor. So, the next time around, I elected to not skimp on the butter, swapping out all-purpose flour for whole-wheat flour. I was convinced this would do the trick, but the muffins were ultra-dry. After giving it some thought, I suspected that the flour was the culprit, so I substituted cake flour, then gluten-free flour. I had high hopes for the cake flour, but it introduced a texture that was rubbery into my recipe. Surprisingly, the gluten-free flour got me closer to my goal, but the muffins were still dry. So, I fixed a batch with sour cream and one with Greek yogurt. My bet was on the sour cream, but it masked the banana flavor, while the yogurt batch hit the spot! As soon as I took a bite, my taste buds were rewarded by an explosion of sweet bananas, which was complemented by the textural, nutty crunch of the walnuts. After six trials, I finally struck on my coveted recipe!
Ingredients
- 7 T. unsalted butter, I prefer Kerrygold
- ½ cup and 2 T. white granulated sugar
- 2 eggs, I prefer pasture-raised
- 1 t. vanilla extract (not imitation)
- 1 ¼ cup very ripe bananas
- ½ cup walnuts, toasted
- 1 ½ cup Gluten-Free 1-to-1 Baking Flour, I prefer Bob’s Red Mill
- ¼ cup Greek yogurt 5%, I prefer FAGE
- ½ t. ground cinnamon
- 1 t. baking powder
- 1 t. baking soda
- ¼ t. sea salt
Directions
- Step 1 Preheat the oven to 350° F.
- Step 2 In a large mixing bowl, beat the butter and sugar until fluffy—either by hand or with an electric mixer—if you have the luxury of one. Then, add the eggs and vanilla and beat until creamy. Next, coarsely mash the bananas, but keeping them chunky for flavor, tossing them into the mixing bowl, too. At this time, I toast my walnuts to enhance their texture and bring out their crunchiness, having stored them in the freezer. Add both the walnuts and the yogurt.
- Step 3 In a separate mixing bowl, measure out the flour, baking soda, baking powder, cinnamon, and salt and mix well.
- Step 4 Next, fold the ingredients from step 1 (the butter, sugar, eggs, vanilla, banana, walnuts, and yogurt) into the ingredients from step 2 (the flour, baking soda, baking powder, cinnamon and salt) a few steps at a time. Take care to not overmix or your muffins will be dry.
- Step 5 Finally, grease your muffin pan and spoon out the dough into the tins, filling them ¾ to the rim. Bake the muffins for 18-22 minutes (I bake mine for 21 minutes). Cooking time depends on your oven’s temperature, but as a rule of thumb, don’t overcook. The edges of the muffins should be golden brown, and a toothpick should come out clean (see photo above).
After six batches of poor banana nut muffins, I almost hung up my apron when my persistence paid off. With a burst of sweet bananas and crunchy walnuts in each bite, I now have a go to recipe to make use of the overripe bananas in my pantry. I hope you find a delightful use for it, too!
Nutritional Information: serving size: 1 muffin, calories: 217, total fat: 9.9 g., saturated fat: 4.8 g., cholesterol: 45 g., sodium: 99.3 mg., total carbohydrate: 29.6 g., dietary fiber: 1.3 g., total sugars: 13.5 g., protein: 3.5 g., calcium: 33.9 mg., iron: 0.6 mg., potassium: 180.2 mg., magnesium: 17.2 mg., vitamin D: 11 IU, vitamin C: 2.1 mg.