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These Moist Banana Muffins are bakery level delicious. This Banana Muffin Recipe combines the sweet flavor of banana with a gooey caramel center to create a Banana and Caramel Muffin hybrid.
The Best Banana Muffin Recipe
There are thousands of versions of banana muffins floating around. We all have our favorite variations on this classic baked treat. But what if I told you this recipe has gooey melted caramel in the center?
What if I told you that the combination of nutty browned butter, melted caramel and sweet ripe bananas will create a flavor explosion you won’t soon forget?
I got the idea for these banana and caramel muffins when I was recently faced with ripe bananas and leftover salted caramel sauce. What’s a girl to do?
Of course, I decided I should combine these delicious ingredients and wow… I think you’ll be glad I did! The combination created a hybrid of moist banana muffin and caramel muffin that is truly memorable.
Love everything banana? Don’t miss my incredible Banana Bread and Bananas Foster.
How To Bake Moist Banana Muffins
These muffins are the ultimate combination of nutty browned butter, creamy caramel and sweet, ripened bananas. I can’t get enough! In fact, my mouth is watering as I type this.
You know my love for carbs, and I am happy to share this love with the world! As it turns out, the easiest trick for moist banana muffins is infusing them with caramel sauce.
Here’s the steps to create these little breakfast (snack? dessert?) treasures:
- Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Line or grease muffin tin.
- Melt butter over medium heat without stirring until it becomes brown and nutty in aroma. Allow to cool. (Watch the video here if you’re unsure about how to brown your butter.)
- In a large bowl, combine flour, baking soda, baking powder, cinnamon and salt.
- In a mixing bowl/mixer, combine mashed bananas, vanilla, sugar, egg and cooled butter.
- Gradually incorporate dry mixture into wet until just moist.
- Spoon mixture into muffin tin- fill it to just 1/4 full.
- Add a spoonful of caramel.
- Top with more muffin mixture- filling to 1/2 of the way to the top in total (no more than 2/3 full is ideal).
- Sprinkle with a pinch of sugar on the top for a little added crunch and sparkle.
Quick Tip: Use foil muffin liners or spray liberally! The paper liners won’t work well with the sticky caramel.
Oil Vs Butter, Which Is Better For Muffins?
My preference will always lean towards butter, although I frequently use both. I love the flavor it adds to my baking, even though the butter has slightly less oil overall. Using oil instead of butter might create more moisture, but these muffins are incredibly moist and flavorful with butter! Here’s an authoritative voice with more detail to answer the question of oil vs. butter in your muffins!
What’s your preference? Are you a fan of butter or oil in your baking? I’d love to hear!
Tips To Create These Delicious Caramel Muffins with Banana
The caramel center in these muffins creates an extremely moist muffin. Gooey caramel= good, right? However, if your bananas aren’t ripe, these won’t be nearly as yummy! You need that higher sugar content to create a sweet muffin.
This is one of life’s simplest truths. Ripe bananas are a key ingredient to a moist and delicious banana muffin. (Read my favorite trick for where to find ripe bananas at the last minute- there’s no shame to my game!)
Instead of panicking about the state of your too-green bananas, I have a few ways to speed up the process of browning.
How to Ripen Bananas
- Place them in a brown paper bag and wait 12 hours.
- Microwave for 1 minute, check every 15 seconds after that.
- Bake at 300 degrees for 15 minutes on a cookie sheet, add more time if needed.
Banana Recipe Collection
If you love bananas, don’t miss this guide! We’ve gathered all our best banana recipes – you’ll never let those brown bananas go to waste again.
How to Store
- Room Temperature – Fresh fruit muffins will only last 2-3 days at room temperature. Don’t worry, they’ll go quickly if your family is like ours!
- To Refrigerate – Allow them to cool in the tin for a few minutes and transfer to a wire rack. Store in an airtight container or ziplock bag for up to a week on a paper towel to absorb any excess moisture.
- To Freeze – wrap muffins in plastic wrap and place them in a freezer bag. Store up to three months.
- To thaw, bring to room temperature (about 3-4 hours)
- To warm, preheat oven to 350 degrees and bake 3 minutes
Moist Banana Caramel Muffins
These Moist Banana Muffins are bakery level delicious. This Banana Muffin Recipe combines the sweet flavor of banana with a gooey caramel center to create a Banana and Caramel Muffin hybrid.
Yield
Ingredients
- 1/3 cup butter browned
- 1 1/2 cup all purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 3 bananas smashed
- 1 tablespoon vanilla
- 3/4 cup white sugar
- 1 egg
- 1/2 cup caramel
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Line or grease muffin tin.
- Melt butter over medium heat without stirring until it becomes brown and nutty in aroma. Allow to cool.
- In a large bowl, combine flour, baking soda, baking powder, cinnamon and salt.
- In a mixing bowl/mixer, combine mashed bananas, vanilla, sugar, egg and cooled butter. Gradually incorporate dry mixture into wet until just moist.
- Spoon mixture into muffin tin – fill it to just 1/4 full. Add a spoonful of caramel.
- Top with more muffin mixture – filling to 1/2 of the way to the top in total (no more than 2/3 full is ideal).
- Sprinkle with a pinch of sugar on the top for a little added crunch and sparkle.
- Bake 16 minutes or until a toothpick poked into the center comes out clean.
Tips
- Use foil muffin liners or spray the pan well.
- Gas stations usually carry ripe bananas if you’re in a pinch.
- Drizzle with extra caramel sauce if you have some leftover!
Nutrition Information
Serving: 1muffin, Calories: 171kcal (9%), Carbohydrates: 25g (8%), Protein: 2g (4%), Fat: 6g (9%), Saturated Fat: 4g (20%), Cholesterol: 16mg (5%), Sodium: 289mg (12%), Potassium: 194mg (6%), Fiber: 1g (4%), Sugar: 6g (7%), Vitamin A: 210IU (4%), Vitamin C: 3.1mg (4%), Calcium: 29mg (3%), Iron: 1mg (6%)
Estimated nutrition information is provided as a courtesy and is not guaranteed.
Amanda says
Hi. What is the storage rec/shelf life for this recipe?