Banana Streusel Muffins

If you've checked out my blog before, you might notice that I really like muffins. They appear quite frequently, and for good reason, I think they are delicious. A perfect, pre-portioned breakfast treat, easy to make, easy to freeze, and very, very easy to eat. So saying that these muffins are probably one of the best muffins I've ever made is really saying something. They might not look like anything extra special, but don't let appearances deceive you. They are soft and moist thanks to the sour cream, the slices of banana, which at first seemed kind of odd to me, are sweet and tender, and the streusel is the perfect finish, like sprinkling a sugar cookie on top. These just might be my favorite muffins to date!

Don't let the name Banana Streusel Muffins fool you. These aren't your traditional banana bread. There is no mashing of super ripe bananas and stirring them into the batter. Instead, you fold in pieces of perfectly ripe banana, just as you would fold in blueberries, or chocolate chips. At first I was not sure how I would like this. Chunks of cooked banana spread throughout the muffins sounded kind of weird to me, but don't be afraid. It turns out so perfectly. You really hardly notice the pieces of banana, they almost melt into the bread and form pockets of sweetness scattered throughout the soft and tender muffin. It is so good, trust me!

Banana Streusel Muffins

Slightly adapted from: Sarabeth's Bakery: From My Hands to Yours by Sarabeth Levine

Ingredients

Streusel:

• 6 tablespoons unbleached all purpose flour
• 1 tablespoon superfine sugar
• 1 tablespoon light brown sugar
• 1/8 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 2 1/2 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
• 1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract

Muffins:

• softened butter for the pan
• 3 cups unbleached all purpose flour
• 1 tablespoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 stick, (8 tablespoons) unsalted butter, chilled and cut into 1/2 inch cubes
• 1 cup granulated sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 2 large eggs at room temperature, beaten
• 1/2 whole milk
• 1 cup sour cream (both full fat, or low fat work well)
• 4 small ripe bananas, peeled and cut into 1/4 inch thick slices

Directions

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Line muffin tins with liners, grease with baking spray or butter.

To make the streusel, mix the flour, sugar, brown sugar, cinnamon, butter, and vanilla with your fingers in a small bowl until combined and crumbly. Set aside.

Sift the flour, baking powder, and salt together into a medium bowl. Beat the butter in the bowl of stand mixer with the paddle attachment on high speed until smooth, about 1 minute.  Gradually add the sugar and continue beating, scraping the sides of the bowl often with a spatula, until the mixture is very light in color and texture, about 5 minutes. Beat in the vanilla. Gradually beat in the eggs, then the milk. Reduce the mixer speed to low. In thirds, add the flour, alternating with two additions of the sour cream, scraping the sides of the bowl and briefly after each addition. Do not overbeat. Fold in banana slices.

Using a ice cream scoop, portion the batter, rounded side up, into the prepared muffin cups. Generously sprinkle the tops with streusel.

Bake for 10 minutes. Reduce the oven temperature to 375 degrees and bake until the muffin tops are golden brown, about 15 minutes more. Or until a a wire cake tester or toothpick inserted into the center of the muffin comes out clean.

Cool in pan for 10 minutes. Remove the muffins from pan and cool completely.