The Perfect Banana Muffins
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The Perfect Banana Muffins – learn the secret to making these bakery style jumbo muffins, dairy free and low fat with the perfect muffin dome.
The Perfect Banana Muffins Recipe
Back when I was in university, I used to love to go to the student centre early in the morning with my sister and have breakfast there, simply because we used to love their muffins. They used to sell these jumbo size muffins of all sorts, banana muffins, blueberry muffins, you name it they had them there.
I used to love my jumbo muffin with my cup of coffee in the morning. Believe it or not that’s really when I started drinking coffee. What can I say? I needed all the caffeine so I could get to get through all the studies.
But those muffins stuck with me. Beautiful gorgeous jumbo muffins, each with the perfect dome. It has been my mission in life since then to learn to make those muffins myself. At least since I started being interested in cooking and baking. I was always envious of the perfect jumbo muffins coming out of all the bakeries. While mini muffins are cute and great as well, there’s just something so satisfying about a perfect jumbo muffin.
What is the secret to the perfect muffin dome
A few years ago I mastered the secret to making muffins with the perfect dome. I just don’t like flat muffins. The muffin top is my favorite part of the muffin. Do you all remember that Seinfeld episode about muffin tops? Anyway, today I will share my secret with you!
The secret really is for the batter to be lumpy and to fill the muffin cups all the way to the top if not higher, just as you can see in the pictures.
There’s one more secret. Preheat your oven to a higher temperature then to turn down the heat when you put the muffins in. This will help them rise nicely. You will still want to bake these at 400 F degrees which will help the outside of the muffins set, while the inside is still liquid.
How to make banana muffins
As mentioned before, preheat the oven to a higher temperature, in this case 425 F degrees. Spray a muffin baking pan with cooking spray, or line it with muffin liners.
Mix all the dry ingredients together in a bowl. In another bowl, whisk the mashed bananas with the other wet ingredients. Add this banana mixture to the flour mixture and using a spatula mix everything together until the flour is moistened. Do not over-mix. Keep your batter lumpy!
Using an ice cream scoop, scoop batter into the prepared muffin pan. Make sure to fill it all the way to the top.
Turn down the heat to 400 F degrees and place the muffins in the oven. Bake for 25 to 30 minutes or until golden brown.
How do I know if my muffins are done baking
There are a couple ways to check if the muffins are done.
- Touch the muffin top lightly and if it springs back, they are done.
- Insert a toothpick in the center of the muffin and when you pull it out, the toothpick should be free of the batter when baked through.
Some tips
Besides my secret to making muffins with the perfect dome, I have some other tips to share with you.
- As with any banana bread, ripe bananas are key. The more ripe your bananas are, the better and more delicious your muffins will be. You know that point when they turn ugly and brown and nobody wants to eat them? Those are the bananas you want.
- Mash your bananas with a fork or a potato masher, we want them lumpy. Remember the lumpy batter is the secret to a high dome.
- Do not over-mix the batter! Over-mixing muffin batter can lead to muffins that are tough and dense. That’s a no-no. We want muffins that are light and fluffy!
Leftovers
As with any quick breads or other muffins, place them in a plastic bag, seal, and store at room temperature for up to 3 days. You can also individually wrap them in plastic wrap.
Freezing
To freeze, wrap each muffin in plastic wrap individually, heavy foil or place them in freezer bags. Freeze for up to 3 months. To reheat them, I usually place them frozen in the microwave for a minute until heated through.
More delicious muffins to try:
- Peanut Butter and Chocolate Chip Muffins
- Blueberry Muffins
- Banana Nut Muffins
- Apple Coffee Cake Muffins
- Carrot Cake Muffins
- Morning Glory Muffins
- Double Chocolate Muffins
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The Perfect Banana Muffins
Ingredients
- 2½ cups all-purpose flour
- ¾ cup sugar (granulated)
- 1 tablespoon baking powder
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 4 ripe bananas (roughly mashed with a fork)
- 2 eggs
- ½ cup applesauce
- ⅓ cup milk (I used lactose free)
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Before You Begin! If you make this, please leave a review and rating letting us know how you liked this recipe! This helps our business thrive & continue providing free recipes.
Instructions
- Prepare oven and muffin pan: Preheat the oven to 425°F. Spray a 6 or 12 muffin baking pan with cooking spray, or line it with muffin liners.
- Combine dry ingredients: In a large bowl combine the flour, granulated sugar, baking powder and salt. Set aside.
- Combine wet ingredients: In another bowl whisk the mashed bananas with the eggs, applesauce, milk and vanilla extract.
- Make batter: Add the banana mixture to the flour mixture and using a spatula mix everything until the flour is moistened, don't over mix, and keep in mind the batter will be a bit lumpy.
- Spoon into muffin tin: Spoon the muffin batter (I used an ice cream scoop) into the prepared muffin pan. The batter should be enough for 12 small muffins or 6 jumbo muffins.
- Bake: Turn down the oven to 400°F and place the muffins in the oven. Bake them for about 25 to 30 minutes, or until golden brown.
Notes
- I used 4 medium bananas for this recipe, about 1⅓ cup of mashed banana.
- For a dairy free version, just use a plant-based milk.
- You can substitute the apple sauce with ½ cup cold butter. Add the butter to the flour mixture and using a pastry blender cut in the butter until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Add the wet mixture to this and stir.
- Nutritional information is for based on 6 jumbo muffins, if making 12 muffins, divide everything by 2 to get nutritional information for a smaller muffin.
Nutrition Information
Notice: Nutrition is auto-calculated for your convenience. Where relevant, we recommend using your own nutrition calculations.
