Cinnamon Crunch Banana Muffins
The secret ingredients to these cinnamon crunch banana muffins are brown butter and Biscoff. The cinnamon crunch on the outside gives freshly baked cinnamon donut, then you get a rich caramelly spiced banana flavour as you bite into the light, cakey centre. A perfect easy baking recipe that tastes incredible.
Cinnamon Crunch Banana Muffins
Cinnamon Crunch Banana Muffins
Cinnamon Crunch Banana Muffins
These are no ordinary banana muffins. They are, as the name suggests, covered in cinnamon sugar giving an indulgent donut-like crunch, but they also have two secret ingredients: Biscoff and brown butter adding a rich, carmelly nutiness and ‘Biscoffiness’, that I just can’t put into words. It’s light, it's fluffy, it’s moist, and it’s so incredibly delicious and easy. This recipe is flavour on flavour.
My ‘one thing’ with baking is that the recipe has to be somewhat ‘lazy girl’ suitable. I only have so much energy in the day to dedicate to cooking, so the steps need to be pretty straightforward for me to make it regularly, and this recipe ticks all the boxes.
The best part is you no longer have the burden of looking at the overripe, uneaten bananas in your fruitbowl, signing with internal regret that you didn’t make those protein smoothies you were planning to, you’ve turned them into the world's greatest banana muffins. Even better.
Other banana muffin variations to try
- Add chocolate chips
- Add chopped pecans
How to make brown butter
Browning butter is easy, and you have to do it twice in the recipe! You just have to be attentive and learn the stages of browning. The butter will first melt, then bubble in larger clear bubbles, so you can still see the butter in the pan, then it will change to a foam, underneath the foam the butter will have begun to caramelise, you’ll see little brown flecks appear in the centre. It’s important at this stage to stay with it, swirling it around in the pan, watching the amber colour deepen. When you’ve taken it as far as you want to (how dark to you want it), quickly pour it out into a bowl. It can go from browned to burnt pretty quickly, and if you leave it in the pan, it will burn and turn black from the residual heat.
Tips for muffin baking success
- Don’t over mix the batter. Over mixing develops gluten, making muffins tough and dense.
- Don’t overfill the muffin cups. I like to fill almost to the top. Too much filling causes muffins to overflow and flatten out. Trust me.
- Cool properly. Let muffins cool in the pan for 5 minutes allowing them to set, then transfer to a rack. Leaving them in the pan for too long will cause them to steam steam and go a bit soggy.
- Use very ripe bananas if you can. Riper bananas means more natural sugar, stronger flavour, and softer texture.
Storage
These muffins will stay fresh in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 2 days, but for longer storage they freeze well. Once cooled, wrap them well and freeze for up to 3 months. To eat them, simply thaw at room temperature or warm in the oven at 160 C / 325 F for about 10 minutes until soft and fresh again. For a speedy option, pop a frozen muffin in the microwave for 30 seconds bursts, turning the muffins upside down every second burst until warmed through.
For more tasty treats, these are a must make:
Store muffins in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 2 days, or freeze for up to 3 months. Reheat in the oven (160°C/325°F, 10 mins) or microwave (in 30 second bursts until warmed through, turning upside down every second burst).
Ingredients and substitutions
How to make it - step by step!
Preheat the oven to 175 C / 350 F. Mash the bananas in a bowl.
Brown the butter in a pan over medium heat, it will go foamy and darken slightly in colour. Read above for detailed instructions.
Add the brown butter to the banana, along with the vanilla, yoghurt, Biscoff and beaten egg. Mix to combine.
Add the baking powder, bicarb (baking soda), salt, flour, sugar, cinnamon and nutmeg. Stir to combine.
Line a muffin tray or using a silicone mould, add the mixture to the mould/tin, fill almost to the top. Bake for 18-20 minutes for normal muffins, bake for 28-33 mins for jumbo muffins.
Meanwhile get the topping ingredients ready. Brown the butter in a pan then transfer to a bowl. Combine the granulated sugar and ground cinnamon in a separate bowl.
Allow the muffins to cool for about 5 minutes in the tray before transferring to a wire rack.
Remove baking paper, then brush the brown butter over the top of the muffin.
Dip into the cinnamon sugar and roll around to coat the whole thing. Repeat with the remaining muffins.
Preheat the oven to 175 C / 350 F. Mash the bananas in a bowl.
Brown the butter in a pan over medium heat, it will go foamy and darken slightly in colour. Read above for detailed instructions.
Add the brown butter to the banana, along with the vanilla, yoghurt, Biscoff and beaten egg. Mix to combine.
Add the baking powder, bicarb (baking soda), salt, flour, sugar, cinnamon and nutmeg. Stir to combine.
Line a muffin tray or using a silicone mould, add the mixture to the mould/tin, fill almost to the top. Bake for 18-20 minutes for normal muffins, bake for 28-33 mins for jumbo muffins.
Meanwhile get the topping ingredients ready. Brown the butter in a pan then transfer to a bowl. Combine the granulated sugar and ground cinnamon in a separate bowl.
Allow the muffins to cool for about 5 minutes in the tray before transferring to a wire rack.
Remove baking paper, then brush the brown butter over the top of the muffin.
Dip into the cinnamon sugar and roll around to coat the whole thing. Repeat with the remaining muffins.
Watch the how to video
Watch the how to video
Cinnamon Crunch Banana Muffins
- 4 bananas
- 95g salted butter
- 1/2 tbsp vanilla extract or paste
- 2/3cup Greek yoghurt
- 1/2 cup biscoff spread
- 1 large egg + 1 extra yolk
- 1 1/4 tsp baking powder
- 1/2 tsp bicarb / baking soda
- 1/4 tsp salt (a good pinch)
- 1 1/3cups plain / all-purpose flour
- 2/3 cup brown sugar
- 1 1/4 tsp ground cinnamon
- 1/2 tsp ground nutmeg
- 60g butter
- 2 tsp ground cinnamon
- 2/3 cup castor sugar
- Preheat the oven to 175 C / 350 F. Mash the bananas in a bowl.
- Brown the butter in a pan over medium heat, it will go foamy and darken slightly in colour.
- Add the brown butter to the banana, along with the vanilla, yoghurt, biscoff and beaten egg. Mix to combine.
- Add the baking powder, bicarb (baking soda), salt, flour, sugar, cinnamon and nutmeg. Stir to combine.
- Line a muffin tray or using a silicone mould, add the mixture to the mould/tin, fill almost to the top. Bake for 18-20 minutes for normal muffins, bake for 28-33 mins for jumbo muffins.
- Meanwhile get the topping ingredients ready. Brown the butter in a pan then transfer to a bowl. Combine the granulated sugar and ground cinnamon in a separate bowl.
- Allow the muffins to cool for about 5 minutes in the tray before transferring to a wire rack.
- Remove baking paper, then brush the brown butter over the top of the muffin.
- Dip into the cinnamon sugar and roll around to coat the whole thing. Repeat with the remaining muffins.