“Wowzers!” “Incredibly moist.” “”An absolute knockout!” “Just the right amount of banana flavor.” “A crowd-pleaser!” “Fabulous.” “Perfect.” That’s what folks are saying about this banana bread muffins recipe that makes a small batch of muffins or mini muffins dolloped with a simple yet oh so satisfying spiced chai cream. Just enough to satiate a craving—no more, no less. –Renee Schettler

CAN I FREEZE THESE MUFFINS?

If you decide to squirrel a few of these away, you’ll be pleased to know that it’s possible to keep a little stash on stand-by. Once the muffins have cooled, line them up in a single layer (unfrosted) on a cookie sheet and pop them into the freezer. Once frozen, you can put them into a freezer bag, squeezing out all the air. They can be microwaved for a few seconds whenever you’re ready for a little snack.

Three banana bread muffins stacked on top of each other with chai whipped cream on top and more muffins on a plate in the background.

Banana Bread Muffins

5 / 10 votes
These banana bread muffins are made with very ripe bananas, butter, flour, and a mini muffin pan. Top them with chai whipped cream and serve. Perfect for breakfast and snacks.
David Leite
CourseBreakfast
CuisineAmerican
Servings6 muffins
Calories160 kcal
Prep Time15 minutes
Cook Time15 minutes
Total Time30 minutes

Equipment

  • Muffin tin or mini muffin tin

Ingredients 

  • 1 small overripe banana, (6 to 7 inches long)
  • 3 tablespoons (1 1/2 oz) unsalted butter, melted, plus more for the muffin tin
  • 3 tablespoons granulated sugar
  • 2 tablespoons honey
  • 1 large egg yolk
  • 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
  • 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
  • Pinch salt
  • Chai Whipped Cream

Instructions 

  • Preheat the oven to 350°F (177°C) and lightly butter a muffin tin containing 6 muffin cups or a mini-muffin tin containing 12 mini muffin cups.
  • In a medium bowl, mash the banana very well with a fork. Stir in the melted butter, granulated sugar, honey, and egg yolk and mix until completely combined. Sprinkle the flour, baking soda, and salt over the wet ingredients and stir to combine.
  • Divvy the batter among the prepared muffin cups and bake until the tops are puffed and golden brown and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean, 13 to 15 minutes. (If you’re using mini muffin tins, the banana bread muffins will need less time in the oven than if you’re using regular muffing tins.) The tops of the muffins will be sticky to the touch but that’s okay.
  • Let the muffins cool for a few minutes in the muffin tin. (You can cool the muffins completely and transfer them to a resealable plastic bag and freeze them for up to 3 months.)
  • Remove the cooled banana bread muffins from the pan and top each with a dollop of the chai spiced whipped cream.
Comfort and Joy Cooking for Two Cookbook

Adapted From

Comfort and Joy

Buy On Amazon

Nutrition

Serving: 1 muffinCalories: 160 kcalCarbohydrates: 24 gProtein: 2 gFat: 7 gSaturated Fat: 4 gTrans Fat: 1 gCholesterol: 47 mgSodium: 48 mgFiber: 1 gSugar: 14 g

Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.

Tried this recipe?Mention @leitesculinaria or tag #leitesculinaria!
Recipe © 2015 Christina Lane. Photo © 2015 Christina Lane. All rights reserved.

Recipe Testers’ Reviews

An absolute knockout! I felt it necessary to immediately share with neighbors. I literally walked next door and insisted they stop what they were doing and put these little gems in their mouths! (Conveniently, they are good friends and complied with the demand.) These are too good not to share the flavor and will certainly be a crowd-pleaser. The muffins are super moist with a buttery mouthfeel and a light crunch from the granulated sugar. And the chai whipped cream…wowzers!

As delicious as the muffins are, this spiced cream is the star and contains loads of potential for future applications.

The muffins are ready in under 30 minutes, which means you will repeat this treat again and again and again. After reading through the recipe, I initially made a double batch (so few mini muffins seemed like such a tease!) and they were honestly devoured in a day. And a double batch was baked the following day. (Don’t judge, we had to finish the whipped cream.) I have a freezer full of overly ripe bananas. I followed the recipe exactly. The muffins were ready in 13 minutes, with golden edges and puffed shapes. After 5 minutes or so, they were cool enough to top and eat.

If you can swing it, make the muffins a day ahead. Yes, instant gratification is always a good thing, but your patience will pay off with a deepened banana flavor in the muffins and a smoother whipped cream topping. Usually I prefer a bit of nutmeg in my banana muffins, but the whipped cream took care of that. Both muffin and chai whipped cream are fabulous on their own, and this cream would be just as fabulous slathered on spice cake, pumpkin pie, or just a spoon.

But if instant gratification is your thing, you’re in luck—one bowl and a few minutes are all it takes for a dozen mini muffins that are perfect for a quick breakfast. I used a heaping tablespoon to fill each mini muffin cup and baked them for the full 15 minutes. Because I made these in the height of a hot and humid midwestern summer, I refrigerated the baked muffins and whipped cream in separate containers. When I needed a fix, I swooped a muffin through the whipped cream. Perfect.

If you’re looking for tiny morsels of goodness, you’ve found it in these tasty banana bread muffins. These are not any ordinary muffins. These muffins are incredibly moist and have just the right amount of banana flavor. And the spiced whipped cream transforms a breakfast bite into a dessert treat by adding just the right amount of sweetness.

I kept the muffins in the oven for 20 minutes instead of 15. The extra 5 minutes saw the muffins go from pale, soft tops to rich, golden brown domes. The chai whipped cream had just the right amount of spice, and the cream still shined through.

I could see this cream on all the Thanksgiving desserts! And boy oh boy, can’t wait to have it on top of hot chocolate!

I love a recipe for a baked good that doesn’t require a boatload of dishes. This is a one-bowl recipe you can mix up with a wooden spoon. It takes about 10 minutes to mash and mix all the ingredients together. My mini muffins were not small but baked up light and good-sized. They were a lovely golden brown around the edges.

During the 13 minutes it took to bake the muffins, I whipped up the chai whipped cream. I used the whisk on my immersion blender, which made this a low-maintenance whipped cream. I tasted the whipped cream right away, and it was delicious—slightly sweet and not grainy or gritty from the spices. This chai whipped cream would be wonderful on chocolate cream pie or just right off the spoon! After the muffins cooled for 10 minutes in the muffin tin, I ran a plastic knife in between each muffin and the muffin cup. This loosened the muffins, so they came right out of the pan. I immediately topped one with a whopping spoonful of the chai whipped cream and popped it in my mouth. It was delicious!

The muffins have a full banana flavor, but the whipped cream takes the muffin to a higher level. It’s a good thing I could only make 12 at a time.

These mini banana bread muffins are a quick and easy treat. The muffin batter came together quickly, especially since the only ingredient that needed prepping was melting some butter. I was concerned with the lack of any spice or vanilla in the batter, but with the sweetness and flavor of the overripe banana, it didn’t need anything additional.

I used paper liners for the muffin cups instead of buttering a muffin tin. I used a 1-tablespoon scoop to measure out the batter. I baked the muffins for 14 minutes, at which point the muffins were puffed and lightly golden brown and a toothpick came out clean.

The chai whipped cream came together quickly. I refrigerated the cream for about 20 minutes while the muffins baked and cooled. I used 1 tablespoon granulated sugar instead of confectioners’ sugar since my daughter had used it all the day before while making frosting. But even with the granulated sugar, the cream was smooth and creamy and delicious!

The combination of the muffin and chai cream was delicious. The cream gave the muffins just enough extra flavor to transform a basic banana muffin into something extra special. My family loved the chai whipped cream when they tasted it and loved it with the muffin but thought it may be too overpowering for a pumpkin pie. They commented it would taste yummy on a plain latte or hot chocolate.

The chai whipped cream is what makes this recipe! It’s a fairly simple banana bread muffin recipe that comes together very easily with no mixer. But the chai whipped cream takes it to the next level!

The batter came together very quickly with minimal mess and dishes, which was nice, though it did seem to be a lot wetter than a typical muffin batter. The muffins baked for 15 minutes, at which time they were a nice golden brown; however, they were quite sticky to touch. Not such a big deal when you eat them in 2 bites, but if you were to make full-size muffins, it might get a bit messy.

The cream was fantastic. I felt that without the cream, the muffins tasted too much like bananas, but were perfect with the cream. On a side note, I made more of these banana bread muffins and froze them for my kids’ snacks. They freeze great, and my daughter actually thought they tasted better after being frozen.

What I like about these banana bread muffins is that the batter really did make a small batch of muffins. My yield was 16 mini muffins. I thought these were on the sweet side. I bet you could use the chai spiced whipped cream with pumpkin pie. I also think you could use pumpkin pie spice as a sub for all the individual spices.

This recipe was easy to make, and all the ingredients were easily available. The banana bread muffins tasted just like banana bread—no surprise there. It was the chai whipped cream that put this recipe over the top. I used a regular muffin pan, and the muffins were done after 17 minutes. My yield was 6 moist muffins.




About David Leite

I count myself lucky to have received three James Beard Awards for my writing as well as for Leite’s Culinaria. My work has also appeared in The New York Times, Martha Stewart Living, Saveur, Bon Appรฉtit, Gourmet, Food & Wine, Yankee, Los Angeles Times, Chicago Tribune, The Washington Post, and more.


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10 Comments

  1. 5 stars
    Made a double batch of these minis because thatโ€™s the size of my pan. Turned out 24 plus a single full size in a silicone muffin cup. Started time at 11 minutes but ended up at 14, what with opening the oven to test. Iโ€™ll start at 13 next time. The large one probably took 16-17 minutes. So easy and tasty!

    1. Thanks, Tina. Those look great! Appreciate you taking the time to share your experience.

  2. 5 stars
    I made a double recipe of these muffins this morning; these have got to be the best banana muffins I’ve ever had in my mouth! Every bite was bursting with flavour and tender buttery deliciousness with no trace of gummy, tasteless batter & they had golden-brown tops with crispy edges OH be still my heart! I’ve baked many a muffin but none ever came out with crisp edges reminiscent of the corner pieces of brownies or butter mochi! I did however add 1/2 tsp Ceylon cinnamon & 1/4 tsp nutmeg to the flour mixture for my taste. The only thing that bothered me was that my muffins came out relatively flat, there was just a little bit of rise; but it was like an even rise not a nice mounded one like most muffin recipes.

    1. Thanks, monica! I’m so pleased that these were such a hit. Because these muffins use baking soda without an acidic ingredient to fully activate it, you will see limited rise with these muffins.