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Friday, April 12, 2013

Banana Crumble Muffins


I’m going to talk about the weather again. I think I’m turning into my grandma. Bear with me.

So, yeah. We’re buried in snow. My husband took several measurements in various spots in our yard. You’re not surprised at me telling you he’s a scientist, are you? He lives for data collecting. The verdict: 13 inches. Over a foot of snow. Ewwww.

But when life gives you snow, you play in it. And that’s what we did.


Or you stay inside, watch Dinosaur Train and snack with Mom.


And boy did we do a lot of snacking. Let me tell you about these amazing Banana Crumble Muffins. They’re the perfect snack, breakfast, anything.


I’m pretty particular when it comes to the ripeness of bananas. I like them best when they are brightly yellow, slightly green at the top, and free of brown spots. There’s a small window I can eat them like this. As soon as the green is gone, I wish I could just snap my fingers and make them super-duper ripe. Waiting out banana ripening requires patience, and well, that’s not one of my strong suits.


Nathan, my husband, doesn’t have much of a sweet tooth, and he’s very particular about dessert-type foods. Who is this guy? To his credit, he does love brownies and muffins. I’m always looking for ways to turn ordinary brownies and muffins into extraordinary brownies and muffins. It’s fun for me, and I have to say, I think he likes my experiments.


I really like sour cream in muffins. I think it provides great flavor, and the end result is always a moist muffin. These muffins are so moist you don’t even need to butter them. I’m totally serious. And oh goodness. The crumble topping on the muffins is amazing. I really feel that all muffins need a crumble topping. That would be a perfect world.


I can’t get enough of these muffins and neither can Nathan. We’re waiting (me, rather impatiently) for the bunch of bananas sitting on our counter to ripen, so I can make them again. I hope you love them as much as we do.

 



Banana Crumble Muffins
Adapted from: Chefdruck

For the muffins:
4 Tbsp. unsalted butter, room temperature
1/4 cup sugar
1/4 cup light (or dark) brown sugar
1 egg
1 tsp. pure vanilla extract
3/4 cup all-purpose flour
3/4 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. salt
2 large, very ripe bananas, mashed
1/4 cup sour cream

For the crumble topping:
3 Tbsp. unsalted butter, cold
3 Tbsp. light (or dark) brown sugar
3 Tbsp. all-purpose flour
3 Tbsp. old fashioned oats
3 Tbsp. sliced almonds (optional)

Preheat the oven to 350F degrees. Grease and flour a 12-cup muffin tin.

To make the muffin batter, cream together the butter, sugar, and brown sugar with a hand mixer in a large bowl. Add the egg and vanilla, beating well. In a separate bowl, combine flour, baking soda, and salt until well incorporated. Pour the flour mixture into the large bowl and mix with hand mixer until the flour mixture is well incorporated. Add the mashed bananas and sour cream to the batter and mix with a spatula until all the ingredients are mixed well.

Fill the muffin wells with the batter, evenly distributing the batter among the 12 cups. Set aside.

To make the crumble topping, cut the butter into small, pea-size pieces, using a knife, fork or pastry blender. Add the sugar, flour, and oats, and mash the mixture with a fork or pastry blender until the ingredients are incorporated yet crumbly. Sprinkle the crumble mixture evenly on top of each muffin. Sprinkle the almonds onto each muffin.

Bake for 28-30 minutes or until an inserted toothpick comes out clean. Serve warm or cooled. Store in an airtight container. Storing may cause the crumble to lose its crumbly-ness, but it is still tasty. Makes one dozen muffins.

6 comments:

  1. I love the sound of banana crumble muffins, they look so delicious too!

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    Replies
    1. Thanks, Rosie! They are so delicious. I couldn't stop at one. :)

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  2. Banana muffins are one of my favorite kinds. :) And I love the crumble on top! The crumbles are always the best part. I'm craving bananas now!

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  3. I love chunky muffins like this, especially when topped with a crumble. DELICIOUS Ashley!!

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