Description

These Easy and Moist Banana Nut Bread Mini Muffins are perfect bite-sized treats packed with ripe bananas, crunchy toasted pecans or walnuts, and warm cinnamon. Soft, flavorful, and quick to prepare, these mini muffins bake up tender with a lovely crumb, ideal for breakfast, snacks, or lunchboxes. Featuring a balanced sweetness with brown and granulated sugars, plus a hint of vanilla and sour cream for extra moisture, these muffins are a delightful twist on classic banana bread in a fun, shareable mini form.

Ingredients

Dry Ingredients

240 grams all purpose flour (2 cups)
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt (I use Diamond)
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

Wet Ingredients

3 very ripe bananas (almost black)
115 grams unsalted butter, melted and slightly cooled (1/2 cup)
100 grams granulated sugar (1/2 cup)
105 grams dark brown sugar, packed (1/2 cup)
2 large eggs, room temperature
2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
120 grams full-fat sour cream (1/2 cup)

Nuts

115 grams pecans or walnuts, toasted and finely chopped (1 cup), plus more for topping (optional)

Cook Mode Prevent your screen from going dark

Instructions

Preheat and Prepare Pan: Preheat the oven to 350°F (177°C) and line a mini muffin pan with paper liners. Note that if using a 24-cup mini muffin pan, you may need to bake in batches.
Mash Bananas: Peel the bananas and place them in a shallow bowl. Use a fork or potato masher to smash them into a smooth purée yielding about 325-350 grams (1 1/2 to 1 3/4 cups).
Mix Wet Ingredients: In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the melted and cooled butter, granulated sugar, dark brown sugar, vanilla extract, and sour cream until smooth. Add the mashed bananas and mix; the mixture may look curdled initially but will smooth out.
Combine Dry and Wet: Whisk the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and cinnamon in a separate bowl. Pour this flour mixture into the wet ingredients and mix until about 75% combined.
Add Nuts: Fold the toasted and chopped pecans or walnuts into the batter gently until just combined with no flour streaks. Do not overmix; a few lumps are fine to prevent dense muffins.
Optional Rest: If time allows, cover the bowl and let the batter rest for 30 minutes at room temperature or refrigerate for 2-3 hours to help leavening and produce taller muffins.
Fill Muffin Liners: Using a scoop, divide the batter evenly among the mini muffin liners, filling nearly to the top. Sprinkle with extra chopped nuts if desired.
Bake: Bake in the preheated oven for 11-12 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out with a few moist crumbs.
Cool: Allow muffins to cool in the pan for 5 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely. If baking in batches, let the pan cool fully between batches.
Serve: Enjoy these moist mini muffins as a delicious snack or breakfast treat.

Notes

Use very ripe bananas for maximum sweetness and moisture.
To toast nuts, spread them on a baking sheet and bake at 350°F for about 5-7 minutes until fragrant; cool before chopping.
Letting the batter rest is optional but recommended for fluffier muffins.
Do not overmix the batter to avoid tough, dense muffins.
If you don’t have mini muffin liners, grease the pan well.
These muffins can be stored in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days, or frozen for up to 3 months.