For as long as bananas are sold by the bunch and keep its price relatively on the lower side, banana muffins will always be a regular in our household. I don’t really know why I always buy bananas. Is it for a quick bite whenever I realize I haven’t had lunch and it’s almost 3pm ( which happens most of the time ), to fill my son’s and husband’s lunch bags, or the ongoing thought of turning whatever is “past its prime” into banana muffins.
![_Banana Muffins 1](http://pinoybites.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/09/Banana-Muffins-1-768x1024.jpg)
Back when I was in culinary school (a super long time ago), I started to understand how some recipes worked. And since bananas were always available and very inexpensive, I used to try a bunch of recipes (in books and some online) for banana breads. There was a time when I was in the “banana bread zone” that I baked almost everyday for a week! Talk about obsessed. Haha! After some time and a lot of recipe tweakings and experiments, I came up with this one which is a very versatile recipe that can handle a few substitutions and add-ins but still staying true to its original taste and texture.
![_Banana Muffins 5](http://pinoybites.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/09/Banana-Muffins-5-768x1024.jpg)
Whenever I see bananas ripening faster than usual on the counter, I couldn’t help but think of what I can turn them into. Most of the time, I make muffins. It’s easy and versatile enough that I can substitute and add some healthy ingredients and lessen the sugar without sacrificing the taste and texture.
Give it a try and hope you like it as much as my family does.
![_Banana Muffins 4](http://pinoybites.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/09/Banana-Muffins-4-1024x1024.jpg)
![_Banana Muffins 6](https://pinoybites.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/09/Banana-Muffins-6-scaled-500x500.jpg)
Banana Muffins (Master recipe with 5 Variations)
Ingredients
Dry Ingredients:
- 1 1/2 cups all purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 3/4 cup sugar
Wet ingredients:
- 2 large eggs beaten
- 1/4 cup oil canola, melted coconut, melted butter
- 3-4 bananas* mashed
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 400F. Line a 12-hole muffin pan with cupcake liners or a loaf pan with parchment paper.
- Combine dry ingredients in a large bowl. Whisk well to combine.
- In another bowl, combine the wet ingredients and mix well.
- Add the wet ingredients to the dry (ingredients) and gently fold with a spatula/wooden spoon just until combined. Stir in preferred add-ins (see below). DO NOT OVERMIX BATTER. Fill the muffin pan equally with the batter.
- Bake for 5 minutes then WITHOUT OPENING THE OVEN DOOR, reduce heat to 350F and bake for another 15 minutes for muffins or 45-50 minutes for a loaf. Cake tester should come out clean when done.
Flavor Variations and Add-ins:
- Chocolate Banana Muffins: Replace 2 tablespoons of flour with cocoa powder and add 1 cup chocolate chips plus ¼ cup more to sprinkle on top of each muffin before baking (for a more chocolaty look)
- Whole Wheat or Oat Muffins: Replace ½ cup flour with either whole wheat or quick oats
- Nutty Muffins: Add up to 1 cup walnuts or pumpkin/sunflower seeds
- Banana Chia Muffins: Add 1 heaping tablespoon of chia seeds
- Healthy Hearty Muffins: Replace ½ cup flour with either whole wheat or quick oats, add 1 tablespoon chia seeds, 1 cup of walnuts or pumpkin/sunflower seeds, and use coconut oil. Also, you can substitute ½ cup of sugar with brown sugar for a more moist muffins