When Life Hands You Bananas Part 2

A couple of years ago I wrote about a banana cake in my first blog titled, "When Life Hands You Bananas." Well, once again, with some bananas that had gone way past where they were really edible, I created a recipe for Banana Nut Bran Muffins. These turned out absolutely amazing; light and fluffy, moist and tender. 

Banana Nut Bran Muffins

Banana nut muffins are nothing new, for sure. Every grocery store deli has them. Recipes abound. Still, I didn't go looking for recipes online, as is my wont. Instead, I wanted to create something that was midway between banana cake and banana bread. Not too heavy but not too light and not too sweet. As it happens, they were sweeter than I intended, but that was no deterrent for my husband - or for me, for that matter. They were delicious. I looked at my Banana Cake recipe, and at an old recipe for a "Banana Coffee Bread," from my (very) old "Better Homes and Gardens" binder cookbook. I opted in most cases to go in between amounts called for. The Banana Coffee Bread had very few ingredients. I also went with a streusel on top of the muffins, though this can be left out if preferred, for a less sweet version. In the end, this is what I came up with, and I am very pleased.

Banana Nut Bran Muffins

Makes 12 muffins

Banana Nut Bran Muffins

¾ cup mashed over-ripe bananas
2 teaspoons lime or lemon juice
-----
6 tablespoons unsalted butter, room temperature
¼ cup granulated sugar
½ cup brown sugar
2 large eggs
-----
1 cup all-purpose flour
¾ cup wheat bran
1 teaspoon baking powder
¾ teaspoon baking soda
½ teaspoon salt
½ cup chopped pecans (or walnuts)
-----
¾ cup sour cream

STREUSEL:
¼ cup brown sugar
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon cinnamon
2 tablespoons unsalted butter, at room temperature

Line a 12 well muffin tin with muffin papers or simple spray the wells with cooking spray (I sprayed the wells - no papers). Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

Make the streusel by combining all the ingredients and cutting them together - or work the ingredients with fingers. Set the bowl into the fridge while making the muffins. 

In a medium bowl, stir together the 1 cup flour and the following 5 ingredients and set aside.

Mix the bananas and lime juice together and set aside. Beat together the 6 tablespoons butter with the ¼ cup granulated sugar and the ½ cup brown sugar until creamy. Add the eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Beat in the banana mixture. Once well blended, add in the bowl of dry ingredients and mix on low speed for a minute, then add int he sour cream all at once and continue to beat until the mixture has no white streaks left.

Spoon the mixture evenly into the muffin tins and rap the tin sharply on the counter to settle the batter. Remove the streusel from the fridge and cut through it with a fork to loosen. Divide the mixture evenly on tops of all the muffins. 

Place the tin in the oven, then immediately lower the oven temperature to 350 and time them for 20 minutes. Once done, allow the muffins to set for about 10 minutes before turning out of tins, at which time, if you have only greased the tin and not lined with papers, the muffins should easily release. 


My passion is teaching people how to create a harmony of flavors with their cooking, and passing along my love and joy of food, both simple or exotic, plain or fancy. I continue my journey in ethnic and domestic cuisines, continuing my journey to explore diverse culinary experiences and hopefully to start you on a journey of your own. Join me also at A Harmony of Flavors on Facebook, and Pinterest.