Description
These Christmas Banana Bread Muffins combine ripe bananas with warm spices and festive mix-ins like dried cranberries and walnuts, making them the perfect holiday treat. Moist, flavorful, and easy to bake, they bring a cozy touch to your holiday breakfasts or snack times.
Ingredients
Scale
Wet Ingredients
- 3 ripe bananas
- 1/3 cup melted butter
- 1 large egg
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Dry Ingredients
- 1 cup all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- Pinch of salt
- 3/4 cup sugar
- 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
Mix-ins
- 1/4 cup chopped walnuts
- 1/4 cup dried cranberries
Instructions
- Preheat the oven: Set your oven to 350°F (175°C) to warm up while you prepare the batter.
- Mash bananas: In a mixing bowl, use a fork to thoroughly mash the ripe bananas until smooth.
- Add melted butter: Stir the melted butter into the mashed bananas to combine well.
- Add baking soda and salt: Sprinkle in the baking soda and a pinch of salt, mixing them evenly into the wet ingredients.
- Mix in sugar, egg, and vanilla: Stir in the sugar, then beat in the egg and vanilla extract until the mixture is smooth.
- Add flour and cinnamon: Gently fold the all-purpose flour and ground cinnamon into the mixture until just combined, being careful not to overmix.
- Fold in walnuts and cranberries: Add the chopped walnuts and dried cranberries, folding them evenly into the batter.
- Fill muffin tins: Pour the batter into muffin tins, filling each about 3/4 full for even baking.
- Bake: Place the muffin tins in the preheated oven and bake for 18-20 minutes or until the tops are golden brown and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
- Cool before serving: Let the muffins cool in the tin for a few minutes before transferring them to a wire rack to cool completely, then serve.
Notes
- For extra moisture, you can substitute half of the melted butter with applesauce.
- Walnuts can be replaced with pecans or omitted for nut-free muffins.
- Dried cranberries can be swapped for raisins or chopped dried cherries for different flavors.
- Ensure bananas are very ripe for the best natural sweetness.
- Storage: These muffins keep well in an airtight container at room temperature for 3 days or can be frozen for up to 2 months.
