Banana Crumb Muffins

 

by Amber King

Wedding and Event Specialist

 

I’ve always loved making birthdays and holidays special for my family and friends, often by preparing one of their favorite treats.

One year, in high school, I thought I would surprise my best friend and make her some Banana Crumb Muffins for her birthday. I got up early and followed the recipe that I had made many times before. The dough started to look a little odd—I didn’t remember it looking this chunky before—but it had always turned out fine, so I figured it was probably okay. When I took the muffins out of the oven, they still looked a little funny. Before I packed them up and took them to my friend, I decided to test one, and thank goodness I did!

As any experienced (or, honestly, inexperienced) baker will tell you, there is a big difference between “¾ cup of sugar” versus “¾ cup of salt”! The muffins tasted TERRIBLE! I was so disappointed that my birthday surprise was ruined. But my friend seemed okay with skipping out on a little school to go celebrate with a McDonald’s Egg McMuffin.

Lesson Learned

To this day, I double check myself whenever I’m about to add salt or sugar to a recipe. It’s a mistake you only have to make once.

This is still one of my go-to recipes that I have perfected. When made properly, these muffins are MUCH better than any egg McMuffin. The one tip I would add is to make sure the butter for your topping (not for your muffins) is at room temperature instead of melted. You want the topping to crumble rather than spread.

 

Banana Crumb Muffins

 

(makes 10-12)

Ingredients for Muffins

• 1 ½ cup flour
• 3 bananas, mashed
• 1 tsp baking soda
• ¾ cup white sugar
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 1 egg, lightly beaten
• ½ tsp salt
• ⅓ cup butter, melted

Ingredients for Topping

• ⅓ cup packed brown sugar
• ⅛ tsp ground cinnamon
• 2 Tbsp flour
• 1 Tbsp butter, softened to room temp

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 375° F. Lightly grease 10-12 muffin cups, or line with muffin papers.
2. In a large bowl, mix together flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt.
3. In another bowl, beat together bananas, white sugar, egg, and melted butter.
4. Stir the banana mixture into the flour mixture just until moistened.
5. Spoon batter into prepared muffin cups.
6. In a small bowl, mix together brown sugar, 2 tablespoons flour, and cinnamon. Cut in 1 tablespoon softened butter until mixture resembles coarse cornmeal. Sprinkle topping over muffins.
7. Bake for 18 to 20 minutes or until centers are cooked through.
8. Enjoy!