Banana Nut Muffins that are better than anything you can buy at the bakery! Made with browned butter, these are truly gourmet.
Since my banana muffins have been so popular and have received so many 5 star ratings (thank you!) I thought I’d do an extra special version with nuts and browned butter. I really think you’re going to love these!
One day I’m sure I’ll run out of things to say about muffins. I’ve shared so many muffin recipes (remember my pumpkin muffins from earlier this month?) that it’s bound to happen.
Some of you might even be glad when that happens. When a muffin recipe pops in your inbox with just a thumbs-up emoji and the recipe and none of my rambling.
But today is not that day. Today, I want to talk to you about banana nut muffins. I need to let you know that these muffins are worth your time. They’re stop what you’re doing right now good. Soft, moist, oh-so-fluffy interiors topped off with crackly, crisp, well-sugared tops and punctuated with crunchy nuts. The. most. divine vanilla-accented buttery/banana flavor in every melt-in-your-mouth bite.
These banana nut muffins are muffin heaven, and it all starts with one key ingredient.
Brown Butter.
Why Use Browned Butter
Brown butter is baking gold. It’s simply butter that’s been heated long enough to cook out the water and turn the milk solids brown. This results in a kitchen with a buttery, cozy, and slightly nutty aroma that’s better than any scent Yankee Candle could ever lay claim too. But most importantly, it’s going to add a deep, rich flavor to your banana nut muffins.
With most of my muffin recipes, I prefer to use a blend of butter and oil. While the butter lends a great flavor to baked goods, the water content has the tendency to make your baked good come out drier (ironically)and denser than I like. To combat this, I often use a blend of butter (for flavor) and oil, which contains no water, for a moist, fluffy baked good.
But, since we’re cooking out that water, we can use all butter and no oil for a banana nut muffin with a truly incredible flavor. I mean, truly incredible. Oh, and it’s also more formally known by its French name, buerre noisette, and if that isn’t just the fanciest sounding ingredient I’ve ever cooked with then I don’t even know what is.
OK, I think I’m done nerding out about browned butter for the day, thanks for bearing with me. Let’s continue.
Tips for Making Banana Nut Muffins
- Don’t take your eyes off the butter while you’re browning it! Browned butter can become burnt butter really fast if you don’t pay attention, and if it becomes even a little burnt the taste changes from magical to awful. Burnt butter will ruin your banana nut muffins so you’ll have to toss it and start over. Don’t let this happen.
- Cook the banana nut muffins on 2 temperatures (as indicated in the recipe). I use this technique in my chocolate chip muffins and my blueberry muffins, among others. It helps the muffins to get a nice rise on them and gives them soft fluffy interiors without burnt or tough exteriors.
- My preferred nuts for Banana nut muffins are pecans, but walnuts or really any nut you like best will work just fine!
Enjoy!
Be sure to check out my VIDEO just below the recipe! If you enjoy these videos, please consider subscribing to my YouTube Channel so you can be the first to see all of my cooking videos!
Banana Nut Muffins
Ingredients
- 10 Tablespoons unsalted butter cut into 10 pieces (142g)
- 3 ripe bananas the riper/browner the better!, peels removed, well-mashed *
- ½ cup sugar 100g
- ½ cup light brown sugar tightly packed (100g)
- 2 large eggs room temperature preferred
- ¼ cup buttermilk room temperature preferred (60ml)
- 1 Tablespoon vanilla extract
- 2 cups all-purpose flour 250g
- 2 teaspoons cornstarch
- 1 ½ teaspoons baking powder
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1 1/4 cups chopped pecans or walnuts divided
- sugar for sprinkling optional
Instructions
- Begin by browning your butter. Place butter pieces in a medium-sized saucepan (preferably not a cast iron or dark-colored one as it will be hard to see when your butter begins to change color) over medium-low heat.
- Once butter has melted, increase heat to just above medium. Swirl butter frequently with a wooden spoon as the butter bubbles and pops. Once the bubbling/popping slows, the butter will begin to turn brown.
- Watch the butter very carefully. Once it begins to brown and you can smell the nutty aroma of browned butter, remove from heat immediately and pour into a large heatproof bowl.
- Allow browned butter to cool for at least 20 minutes before proceeding.
- Once butter has cooled, preheat oven to 425F (220C) and line a muffin tin with paper liners.
- Stir mashed bananas into butter and stir well. Add sugars and stir again.
- Add eggs, vanilla extract, and buttermilk and stir ingredients very well. Set aside.
- In a separate bowl, whisk together flour, cornstarch, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.
- Add the dry ingredients to your wet batter and gently fold until ingredients are mostly combined and then stir in 1 cup of pecans (reserve 1/4 cup for top) until all ingredients are just combined -- do not over-mix this batter or your muffins could come out dense and dry.
- Portion batter into prepared muffin tin, filling each liner 3/4 of the way full.
- Sprinkle with remaining chopped pecans and coarse sugar, if using.
- Transfer muffins to oven and bake on 425F (220C) for 10 minutes and then, without opening the oven door, reduce the temperature to 350F (175C) and bake another 6-8 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean or with a few moist crumbs.
- Allow to cool and enjoy!
Video
Notes
Nutrition
Treat yourself to a FREE E-BOOK!
Robin says
Can I use regular whole milk? I don’t have lemon to add to milk to create buttermilk substitute.
Sam says
Do you have vinegar, by chance? If not the muffins will still turn out, they just won’t be as moist and the flavor won’t be as nice as with buttermilk.
Maria says
These were DE👏🏼LI👏🏼CIOS. Best wishes to you and your baby!
Sugar Spun Run says
Thank you so much, Maria! I am glad that you enjoyed the banana nut muffins and a special thank you for the good wishes, we appreciate it! 🙂
Kerry says
I make banana muffins regularly, but your recipe is different and I would like to try it. But you do not say if the oven temperature is conventional or fan forced.
Sam says
Hi Kerry! This is done in a conventional oven. 🙂
Vicki says
I want to say thank you for this recipe. It was easy to follow and the muffins were delicious. I made them this morning for breakfast and my son who doesn’t normally like muffins said, “Did you really make these? They are so good”. Well, we ended up skipping the rest of breakfast and just had muffins. I followed the recipe exactly other than I used walnuts instead of pecans because I had them on hand. The first batch came out a little dry and dark because I do not have an oven thermometer. I adjusted my oven temp slightly and the second batch came out beautifully. I can’t wait to try more of your recipes!
Sam says
Thank you so much, Vicki! I am so glad everyone enjoyed the muffins so much. It sounds like the perfect breakfast to me. 🙂
Rachael says
WOW these are good!! And your chocolate chip muffins? They’re CRAZY!! Your site is now the only one I use for muffins- can’t wait to try your other recipes!!
Sam says
Thank you so much, Rachael! I am so glad you are enjoying everything. 🙂
Charlotte M. Logan says
Made these as a Mother’s Day gift for my sister. They were moist, melt-in-your-mouth delicious, and the flavor was amazing.. I NEVER want store-bought muffins again! This banana nut recipe beats all others hands down. You can call me #spoiledforlife 👍🏼👍🏼
Sam says
I am so glad everyone enjoyed the muffins, Charlotte! 🙂
Sheena Nirghen says
I tried this recipe and absolutely love it! It’s soo moist, fluffy and soft.
The brown butter definitely pushes it up a few notches!
Can’t stop eating it!
Sam says
I am so glad you enjoyed them, Sheena! 🙂
Sheena says
This is awsum!…just made some now excluding the nuts cos of allergies . It’s so soft , fluffy and moist and the brown butter definitely pushes up a few notches!…
I can’t stop eating!…love love love!
Sam says
I am so glad you enjoyed them, Sheena! 🙂
Kathleen says
Hi Sam. Your website is the best. I go here first for something yummy to try. Your worst choc cookies are the awesome. I made these muffins today. They turned out good and the browned butter does make a big diff. My question on these is the flour. It says 2 cups or 250 g. I measured the 250 g and it was about 2 1/2 cups. I was concerned so I just spooned and leveled 2 cups. Which one should I go by? Otherwise the flavor was super. Love your videos. Have a super today.
Sam says
Thank you for the kind words about my site and videos, Kathleen! For me a cup of flour is always 125g (so 250g for 2 cups) and that’s always what I use. I would use the 250g in the future. So glad to hear you enjoyed, and I hope you’re having a wonderful weekend!! <3
Joanne says
These banana muffins look just as good, if not better, than a bakery muffin!
Sam says
I say better than a bakery muffin. 😉 It’s always better homemade right?
Shell says
I so enjoy the recipes you post!! I actually signed up for emails and I love how inspiring they are to make me want to get in the kitchen. Cooking and baking are my love language anyways, so it doesn’t take much but your website is so beautiful & recipes are amazing! I just wanted to leave a little love today and say thanks for the inspiration!
Sam says
Thank you very much! ☺️ It really means a lot to me that you would take the time to let me know.