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Banana Muffins with Cinnamon Streusel

These easy banana muffins are made from scratch, they have a great banana flavor and they are ready from start to finish in under 30 minutes.

They can be modified for different dietary restrictions, if needed, and they are perfect for a grab and go breakfast for busy mornings! Whether you are feeding yourself or your toddler, these muffins are a hit with the whole family.

banana muffins in brown tulip paper liners on cooling rack

Banana Muffins

This post has been recently updated from its original publication date of 9/24/12

Banana Muffins with Cinnamon Almond Streusel

Many muffin recipes call for all-purpose flour and the traditional creaming method. I opted to switch out the flour with a lower gluten cake flour and changed the method.

banana muffin cut in half on brown paper liner

Banana Muffin

Making these two small changes yielded super tender muffins with no tunnels! Want to learn how you can make gorgeous muffins without tunnels or big holes in them? Keep reading!

close up of banana muffins

Cinnamon Almond Streusel Topping

What is the creaming method?

Normally, muffin recipes use the creaming method. What does this mean? Basically, the very short answer is this: it means that you are beating (cool) room temperature butter, thereby incorporating air into it, making it fluffy.

Then you add sugar and continue beating, then eggs… sound familiar? If you’ve ever baked cookies or a cake from scratch, odds are, you’ve used this method.

I decided not to do that and go another route. Instead of creaming the butter and sugar together, I melted the butter instead and added it with my liquid ingredients. Another change from most muffin recipes was the temperature.

The go-to temperature for most baking is 350°F, but I cranked it up to 400°F. We always baked muffins at 400 in the restaurant kitchen, so I stuck with what worked for us.

overhead photo on banana muffins in tin

How does baking soda work?

Baking soda acts as a leavener in your baked goods. Remember those baking soda and vinegar science experiments? Same idea, less explosive. When you combine baking soda with something acidic, in this case – yogurt, and then introduce it to heat, it creates little gas bubbles that lift your baked goods to fluffy perfection.

The one thing about baking soda to remember is that it starts to react as soon as you mix it with your acid (yogurt), so don’t let it sit around, because you’ll lose the leavening power.

Banana Muffins for baby

Banana muffins for kids are a great idea because they are naturally sweet. I’ve made these for little hands lots of times, with just a few tweaks.

If you are making muffins for a toddler, omit the streusel topping, especially if you don’t know about nut allergies. Instead of baking them in a regular muffin tin, bake mini muffins and reduce the baking time down to 10 – 15 minutes.

muffins in brown tulip liners on cooling rack

Banana Muffins with Streusel Topping

Banana Muffins with yogurt

I have found that using yogurt instead of milk gives me the kind of muffin I like. The texture is more like a bakery muffin. It is sturdy, yet still super tender inside. These are muffin goals!

Banana muffins with chocolate chips are also a delicious combination, just like banana bread with chocolate, but in portable portions. 

I’ve said it before, baking is cheaper than therapy. And that is exactly what it baking is for me…  therapeutic.

The quiet moments puttering around the kitchen, the sound of the back of a knife scraping across a measuring cup to level off flour, the clinking of the measuring spoons as they delve into baking powder, these sounds are truly soothing to me.

The warmth and aromas that emanate from the oven… here’s where it really starts to get good.

Don’t forget to pin it to your muffin board!

Make it a brunch! Here are a few easy brunch recipes:

Used to make banana muffins:


Yield: 12 muffins

Banana Muffins

banana muffins in brown tulip paper liners on cooling rack

Moist, buttery banana muffins with cinnamon almond streusel

Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 18 minutes
Additional Time 5 minutes
Total Time 33 minutes

Ingredients

Muffins

  • 2 cups cake flour
  • 1 tsp baking soda
  • 1 tsp salt
  • 1 cup sugar
  • 1/4 cup unsalted butter, melted and cooled
  • 2 large eggs, room temp
  • 1 1/2 cups mashed banana, 3 - 4 medium bananas
  • 1/3 cup Greek yogurt, plain
  • 1 1/2 tsp vanilla

Streusel Topping

  • 1/2 cup flour
  • 1/2 cup packed brown sugar
  • 1/4 cup butter, room temp
  • 1/4 cup oats
  • 1/4 cup sliced almonds, toasted
  • 1 tsp cinnamon

Instructions

  1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

Make streusel topping

  1. Combine all ingredients for streusel in medium bowl. Mix with fork until it is coarse crumbs. (It will look like wet sand) 

Make muffin batter

  1. Combine cake flour, baking soda, salt & sugar in a large bowl.
  2. Whisk to thoroughly combine and set aside.
  3. In a medium bowl, whisk eggs, butter, banana, yogurt and vanilla together.
  4. Pour on top of dry ingredients and fold gently until just combined. Do not overmix! Your laziness will be rewarded, I promise.
  5. Top generously with streusel topping (about 2 tbsps each) and bake for 18 - 20 minutes.
  6. Cool in pan for 5 minutes, then remove carefully to a rack to cool completely.

Nutrition Information:

Yield:

12

Amount Per Serving: Calories: 322Saturated Fat: 5gCholesterol: 47mgSodium: 349mgCarbohydrates: 53gFiber: 1gSugar: 29gProtein: 5g

Did you make this recipe?

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8 Comments

  1. You are Ever So Wise to follow my advice! 😉 Seriously though, I don’t understand why anyone would make a muffin using the creaming method anyway. At that point, it’s just a cupcake. Weird.

    They turned out great w/Loverly peaks:)

  2. You acted on good advice, and these lovely muffins are proof! I love the measure of Greek yogurt as well. I too, find comfort in baking. You’re my people, Cheryl. 🙂

    1. Brooks, You are so kind… those of us that find puttering in the kitchen a comfort are a unique breed 😉
      Speaking of which: I was setting out my mise for scones about an hour ago. LOL

  3. These muffins were amazing! I don’t even really like banana muffins and I looked down and I’d eaten the whole thing! YUM!!!!!! Thank you!! 🙂

  4. This is the second recipe I have tried from Cheryl. The first was so good that I immediately checked her site first to see if she had a recipe for banana bread. I am so glad I did because this recipe was another winner. Once you try this recipe I guarantee you will not need another.

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