Banana Walnut Oat Muffins

So, I found myself left with the dilemma that many people have. You go to the store and are lured into buying bananas thinking that you will use them. But, we all know what happens....you never finish them all. So, the once soft yellow color is soon taken over by dark brown spots, the banana turns to mush, and the dreadful fruit flys arrive. Well, do you throw them away or use them for something? I personally hate wasting food. I cannot stand to just throw stuff away (ok, unless it is completely rotten, moldy, etc.). I must have got this from my mother, whose pantry and refrigerator is overflowing with containers of barely filled bottles and bags of crumbs. And, yes, I can admit that I am honestly like my mother in some ways :) There are some great things that you can do with the bottom of the jar contents and the crumbs, but we will get to more of that later...

Now, back to the bananas. I decided to contrive a banana nut muffin recipe that I actually liked. I am not a fan of muffins and especially not banana muffins so I knew I had a daunting task ahead of me. However, after sending them with my husband to work and his boss flipping out that they were the best muffins he had ever tasted, I think I may have succeeded in creating a banana muffin that is worth making again...which is why I now purposely try and scout out the old bruised mushy bananas every time I go to the grocery store.

This recipe is very easy to make and offers wiggle room to make them your own. You can switch up the nuts that you use or you can eliminate them completely if you prefer. I find though that it adds to the element of taste and provides a good contrasting texture in the muffin. I am telling you people that these muffins are big...they overflow and create a very cute look to a muffin. You could very well make smaller muffins and get more, but then people would feel guilty for having to eat two :)

Oatmeal Crumb Topped Banana Walnut Muffins

Ingredients for muffin:

1 1/2 cups AP flour

1 tsp baking soda

1 tsp baking powder

2 tsp pure vanilla

1/2 tsp kosher salt-using iodized salt can impart a slight mineral taste in your baked goods

4 very ripe bananas (mashed)

3/4 cup sugar

1 large egg (lightly beaten)

1/3 cup unsalted butter (melted)...do not use margarine because you will alter the moistness and richness of the flavor butter provides

1/2 cup crushed walnut pieces

1/4 to 1/2 cup oats

Ingredients for topping:

2/3 cup packed light brown sugar

2 Tbsp flour

1/4 tsp cinnamon

2 Tbsp cold unsalted butter

1/2 cup chopped walnut pieces

dash of kosher salt
1/2 cup of oats

Preheat the over to 375 degrees. To make the muffin part, you combine the flour, baking soda, baking powder, vanilla, and salt in a large bowl mixing to make sure they are incorporated. In a separate bowl, mash the bananas. You can keep some lumps if you like, but make sure the majority of the bananas are smashed up good. Then, add the sugar, beaten egg, and melted butter to the mashed bananas. Next, add the banana mixture to the dry ingredients and stir by hand (don't be lazy people!) until moistened. The mixture can then be divided into 12 muffins, and they are around 3/4 of the way full. This is where if you wanted to make smaller muffins you could make 15-16 filling them less full.

To make the topping, combine the brown sugar, cold butter, cinnamon, oats, and dash of salt in a small bowl. Mix this with your hands (yes, it is much easier to do this with your fingers as opposed to a utensil). Plus, this way it is more fun. Once this is a crumbly consistency, add the walnuts and mix again. Put plenty of topping onto the muffins-you will thank me later.

Bake for 20-25 minutes or until a cake tester comes out clean. If you are making smaller muffins, you will obviously bake them much less. When they are done, cool in the pan before removing.

Update* I made these with pecans and they are just as good. You can add more nuts or oats to the muffin batter or topping to match your preference.

Enjoy.