Usually I will revert to a classic banana bread, but last time I attempted my Buttermilk Banana Bread it baked a bit bitter (Ah, tongue twisters). I'm still not sure if this was due to bad buttermilk, bad bananas, not refrigerating a fruit concoction, or something else entirely, but I didn't want to risk it. I wanted something quick and actually tasty--which meant muffins were in order.
Rather than looking at past failures (Banana Muffies anyone?), I just went straight to the Internet for a 5-star reviewed recipe. My quick Google search brought me first to Tyler Florence's simple Banana Nut Muffins. It had five stars out of 368 reviews. That was all I needed. And hey, I like Tyler Florence. He's a cutie.
Though I was a little skeptical that his recipe didn't call for any buttermilk, milk, sour cream, yogurt, or any other dairy (besides butter), I felt it best to experiment as always and see how his suggestions turned out. Since I had less time and fewer muffin tins, I opted to halve the recipe and only make them fill one muffin tin instead of two (though the recipe misleadingly says it yields 12 muffins--two cups of flour for 12 muffins? Those suckers are going to be huge!). My only other change was that I skipped the electric mixer step (I find electric mixers unnecessary for quickbreads, and why dirty an extra dish/machine when all you need is a little elbow grease?) and I also used a full 1/2 cup of chopped pecans instead of halving that amount (the more nuts the better in this case--I wanted full flavor!).
The result was not a failed experiment, but rather a delicious, moist, and crunchy muffin that I enjoyed for breakfast and eagerly shared with my friends.
Ingredients:
1 cup whole wheat pastry flour
1/2 + 1/4 teaspoons baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 overripe bananas
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/2 + 1/4 stick of butter (six Tablespoons), melted (I put mine in the microwave for just under a minute)
1 egg
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 cup of pecans, chopped
Sugar crystals/white sugar for sprinkling
Directions:
1.) Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. In a bowl, combine the flour, baking soda, and salt. In a separate bowl (glass makes it easier), mash the bananas with a fork. Add in the brown sugar, egg, and vanilla, then the melted butter (once it's had a couple of minutes to cool) until everything is well combined.
2.) Gently fold the banana mixture into the flour mixture, then fold in almost all the 1/2 cup of pecans, leaving a small handful for sprinkling.
3.) Spoon the batter into a 12-cup muffin tin sprayed with nonstick cooking spray OR lined with paper muffin/cupcake liners (I chose the paper liners this time for an easier cleanup). Fill each cup about 1/2 to 3/4 full. Top with the remaining pecan pieces and a sprinkling of sugar crystals (I ran out of sugar crystals so I just used regular white sugar this time).
4.) Bake approximately 17-18 minutes (probably not the full 20 minutes that Tyler suggests), but test with a toothpick for doneness when the muffins start to smell good and look risen (if the toothpick inserted into the center of one of the most central muffins comes out clean then they're ready!). I removed mine from the oven about 10 seconds before the 18-minute timer buzzed and they were perfect--cooked through but still moist.
4.) Bake approximately 17-18 minutes (probably not the full 20 minutes that Tyler suggests), but test with a toothpick for doneness when the muffins start to smell good and look risen (if the toothpick inserted into the center of one of the most central muffins comes out clean then they're ready!). I removed mine from the oven about 10 seconds before the 18-minute timer buzzed and they were perfect--cooked through but still moist.
Of course you can try this without the pecans, or with walnuts or chocolate chips instead, but I felt like the sweetness of a pecan would match perfectly with the banana, and it did. One friend was pleased that her muffin was still moist even after having been refrigerated (I didn't want to take any chances this time with bananas going bad) and another complimented the taste of his at breakfast. The rest I will be taking with me to a family brunch this afternoon, but the recipe I will keep with me for whenever I'm craving banana muffins again!
Bonus: One of my favorite tributes to the banana can be found here....
Bonus: One of my favorite tributes to the banana can be found here....
