BAKER'S 30-MINUTE 'SOFT AND BUTTERY' BANANA MUFFINS RECIPE FOR OVERRIPE BANANAS

If your bananas are starting to turn spotty with brown bruising, you don't need to throw them away; they could be great ingredients for banana muffins.

Baker Sally McKenney said: "These banana muffins are soft, buttery, and spiced with cinnamon.

"They're wonderful plain, with chopped walnuts, or even chocolate chips."

Quick to make, banana muffins are a more convenient option than banana bread, as they only take half an hour to bake.

Recipe

Makes: 10-12 muffins

Prep: 10 minutes

Bake: 20 minutes

Ingredients:

  • 188g of all-purpose flour (spooned & levelled)
  • One tsp of baking powder
  • One tsp of baking soda
  • Half a tsp of salt
  • One tsp ground cinnamon
  • A quarter tsp of ground nutmeg
  • 345g mashed bananas (about four medium or three large ripe bananas)
  • 85g unsalted butter, melted
  • 135g packed light or dark brown sugar
  • One large egg, at room temperature
  • One tsp pure vanilla extract
  • 30ml milk
  • Optional: one cup of chopped walnuts, pecans, or chocolate chips.

Method:

  1. Preheat oven to 218°C. Spray a 12-count muffin pan with nonstick spray or use cupcake liners.
  2. Whisk the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, and nutmeg together in a medium bowl. Set aside. In a large bowl or in the bowl of your stand mixer, mash the bananas. On medium speed, beat or whisk in the melted butter, brown sugar, egg, vanilla extract, and milk. Pour the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients, then beat or whisk until combined. If adding nuts or chocolate chips, fold them in now. The batter will be thick.
  3. Spoon the batter into liners, filling them all the way to the top. Bake for five minutes at 218°C, then, keeping the muffins in the oven, reduce the oven temperature to 177°C. Bake for an additional 16 to 18 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the centre comes out clean. The total time these muffins take in the oven is about 21-23 minutes, give or take.

Muffins stay fresh, covered at room temperature for a few days or in the refrigerator for up to one week.

Sally McKenney described the banana muffins as having a "lighter, softer, and more buttery texture" compared to banana bread.

Can bananas be too overripe for baking?

According to TastingTable, there is such a thing as too ripe of banana to bake.

While black bananas may still be okay to use, if there is any sign of mould, you shouldn't use them.

Another telling sign that the bananas are too far gone is if they give off an off-putting odour.

Bananas that have any kind of liquid seeping out of the skin should also go in the bin.

If you spot overripe bananas, but you don't feel up for baking on the day, one food storage hack is to freeze the bananas.

Baker Sally Mckenney confirmed: "I do this often. Thaw the frozen bananas at room temperature.

"Drain off any excess liquid, mash, then use as instructed in the recipe."

2023-11-20T09:24:05Z dg43tfdfdgfd