BANANA MUFFINS WITH NO REFINED SUGAR FOR EVERYDAY

My husband once found an article about how our brains crave sugar in the morning to help us jump-start our day with clarity. I’m pretty sure you can find any article to support any bad habit. Personally, I prefer a little natural sugar in the morning along with some protein. But on those days we’re running out of the house and need a quick bite, these muffins are the best!

Banana bread is wonderful, but muffins are quicker, more convenient, easily portable, and taste just as good. I’ve been searching for the perfect EASY banana muffin recipe since my daughter, Noelle, began eating solids. We always have bananas in the house which means we eventually have spotty bananas ready for baking!

These quick and easy banana muffins bake in 30 minutes, so if you need to be in and out of the kitchen FAST (um, don’t we all?), this recipe is your savior.

To take these banana muffins to the next level, add a streusel like the one on these Everyday Pumpkin Muffins with no refined sugar. Or if you need the extra sweetness, add some chocolate chips. But my most favorite way to top these off is with a slice of fresh banana on top. These really are the perfect blank canvas muffins, and are always a crowd pleaser.

Banana Muffin Ingredients – each is important!
This banana muffin recipe requires a handful of basics like flour, sugar, and milk. That’s what I love about baking– it’s the same ingredients for basically everything.

Flour: I tested the recipe with both all-purpose flour and whole wheat flour and LOVED both variations. Use whichever you prefer.
Melted Butter: We’ll use melted butter as the fat, though melted coconut oil works too. I love using melted butter in baked goods and though I was afraid these banana muffins would taste too dense without creaming softened butter (which incorporates air), that’s not the case at all.
Bananas, vanilla, salt, cinnamon, and nutmeg: These guys lend most of the flavor.
Egg: 1 egg gives the muffins structure.
Milk: Provides necessary moisture. Dry muffins… the worst.
Sugar: Sweetens. When I make these for my daughter, I use half brown sugar and half coconut sugar. You can use all brown sugar, all coconut sugar, or a mixture of the two. Keep in mind that coconut sugar isn’t quite as sweet as brown sugar, so the flavor will change. See my recipe note. 🙂
Do these banana muffins taste like banana bread? Yes, totally! But they have a lighter, softer, and more buttery texture. You’ll love it.

Ingredients

• 3 ripe bananas
• ¼ cup canola oil (may substitute vegetable oil) (60ml)
• ¼ cup unsalted butter melted and cooled at least 5 minutes (60g)
• ½ cup sugar (100g)
• ½ cup light brown sugar tightly packed (100g)
• 2 large eggs room temperature preferred
• 1 Tablespoon vanilla extract
• 2 cups all-purpose flour (250g)
• 1 ½ teaspoons baking powder
• ½ teaspoon baking soda
• ½ teaspoon salt
• ¼ cup buttermilk (60ml) room temperature preferred

Streusel (optional)

• 1/2 cup all-purpose flour (65g)
• 1/2 cup brown sugar (100g)
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 cup unsalted butter, cold (60g)

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 425F (220C) and line a muffin tin with paper liners*
2. Place peeled bananas in a large bowl and use a fork or a potato masher to mash them - bananas should be well-mashed.
3. Add canola oil and melted butter and stir well.  
4. Stir in sugars until well-combined.
5. Add eggs and vanilla extract and butermilk and stir well.  Set aside.
6. In a separate bowl, whisk together your dry ingredients -- flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.
7. Add dry ingredients to your wet batter and gently fold in until ingredients are just combined (don't over-mix the batter!).
8. Portion batter into prepared muffin tin, filling each liner 3/4 of the way full.  Set aside and prepare your Streusel topping.
9. Streusel Topping (optional)
10. Combine flour, brown sugar, and salt in a medium-sized bowl and use a fork to stir the ingredients together.
11. Using a pastry cutter, cut in your cold butter until the butter is well-worked in and your mixture resembles coarse crumbs.
12. Sprinkle streusel topping evenly over each muffin.
13. Bake muffins on 425F (218C) for 8 minutes and then reduce the oven temperature to 350 (175C) (do not open the oven door or remove the muffins, just leave them in and reduce the temperature) and bake another 7-8 minutes on 350F (177C).  A toothpick inserted in the center of the largest muffin should come out clean or with few moist crumbs (no wet batter) to test for doneness.
14. Allow muffins to cool before enjoying.