Recipe: Banana Chocolate Chip Crumb Muffins
Makes12 muffins
It’s hard to dispute the fact that banana muffins are irresistible all on their own. They hardly need a helping hand, but you should give them one anyway. When you stir a handful of chocolate chips into the batter and top each muffin with lots of buttery, cinnamon-spiced crumb topping, you’ll pull a pan of banana crumb muffins from the oven that rival anything you’d buy at the bakery.
The Best Crumb Topping for Your Banana Muffins
I’m pretty sure it’s a fact that the best version of banana muffins involve a really good crumb topping. Not to be confused with a more fine-grained streusel, the best crumb topping goes bigger. A mixture of flour, white and brown sugar, melted butter, and cinnamon, it first resembles a thick dough rather than a bowl of crumbles. It dries somewhat as you prep the muffins, and then after it’s spooned over and pressed into the batter it bakes up into the most irresistible crumb topping with a crisp outside, soft center, and buttery sweetness.
Banana Chocolate Chip Crumb Muffins
Makes 12 muffins
Nutritional Info
Ingredients
For the crumb topping:
- 1/2
granulated sugar
- 1/2
packed light brown sugar
- 1 teaspoon
ground cinnamon
- 1/4 teaspoon
salt
- 10 tablespoons
unsalted butter, melted and cooled
- 1 3/4 cups
cake flour
For the muffins:
- 2 1/2 cups
cake flour
- 3/4 cup
granulated sugar
- 1 teaspoon
baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon
baking soda
- 1/4 teaspoon
salt
- 12 tablespoons
unsalted butter, melted and cooled
- 1/3 cup
whole or 2% milk
- 2
large eggs
- 1 teaspoon
vanilla extract
- 2 cups
mashed banana (from about 3 very ripe bananas)
- 1/2 cup
semisweet chocolate chips
Instructions
Arrange a rack in the middle of the oven and heat to 350°F. Line a standard 12-well muffin pan with papers liners, or coat the wells with butter or cooking spray.
Make the crumb topping: Whisk the granulated sugar, brown sugar, cinnamon, and salt together in a medium bowl. Whisk in the butter until well-combined. Stir in the flour until the mixture resembles a thick dough; set aside.
Make the muffins: Whisk the flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt together in a large bowl; set aside. Whisk the butter, milk, eggs, and vanilla together in a medium bowl until combined. Pour butter mixture into the flour mixture and mix with a wooden spoon or rubber spatula until just combined; some lumps are fine. Fold in the banana and chocolate chips.
Divide the batter among the prepared muffin wells, filling each one about 3/4 full. Divide the crumb topping over the muffins, and gently press them into the batter.
Bake until the muffins are golden-brown and a toothpick inserted into the center of a muffin comes out clean, 20 to 24 minutes. Cool the muffins in the pan for about 5 minutes, then transfer to a cooling rack to cool completely.
Recipe Notes
Storage: Muffins will keep at in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 5 days. They can also be frozen for up to 3 months, then thawed at room temperature.