When I want E to wake up early on a Saturday morning there usually has to be some food incentive. Whether that’s a meat lover’s omelet or visit to the donut shop he wants some reason to roll out of bed. But I recently discovered this make-ahead recipe to save us those negotiations. Although they don’t look terrifically special, these banana nut crunch muffins are out-of-this-world delicious. They combine great texture with bursting flavor. Plus, sneaking protein granola into the mix pumps up the health factor ever so slightly. So for sunrise snacking they’ve become a favorite. See full recipe details below.
INGREDIENTS
- 1 ½ cups all-purpose flour
- 1 cup sugar
- 1 tsp. baking powder
- ½ tsp. baking soda
- ¼ tsp. salt
- 4 oz. (1 stick) unsalted butter, melted and cooled
- 1 egg
- ¼ cup + 2 tbsp. milk
- 1 tsp. vanilla extract
- ½ cup mashed ripe bananas (1 medium banana)
- ½ cup diced ripe bananas
- ½ cup diced walnuts
- ½ cup granola
- ½ cup sweetened shredded coconut + extra for topping (I used extra granola instead of coconut because E doesn’t like the texture)
DIRECTIONS
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line a 12-cup muffin tin with paper liners.
- In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, combine flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.
- Add the melted butter and blend.
- Add the egg, milk, vanilla and mashed bananas to the flour-and-butter mixture and mix well.
- Fold the diced bananas, walnuts, granola and coconut into the batter.
- Spoon the batter into the muffin cups, filling each ¾ full. Top with extra coconut, if desired.
- Bake 24-26 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center of muffin comes out clean.
- Allow to cool in the pan for 10 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.
