These cranberry banana nut muffins are derivatives of their very classic cousin banana bread. Though it is said to be popularized in the 1930s with the rise of baking powder and baking soda, some accounts push its creation back into the 18th century. Either way, banana bread and therefore banana nut bread and all of its variations have been around for quite some time. And, while I love bread and bananas and nuts, I just felt like this latest batch of muffins needed a little something extra. Enter: Dried cranberries. The bursts of tart fruitiness combined with the sweetness of the banana and the saltiness from the walnuts make these cranberry banana nut muffins perfect for breakfast, as a snack, or for dessert.
What ingredients you’ll need
- Unsalted butter
- Vanilla Greek yogurt
- Granulated sugar
- Salt
- Over-ripe bananas
- Large eggs
- Vanilla extract
- All-purpose flour
- Baking powder
- Baking soda
- Ground cinnamon
- Ground cloves
- Chopped walnuts
- Dried cranberries
What equipment you’ll need
- Muffin or cupcake tin (with 12 regular-sized wells)
- Sift (for evenly incorporating the dry ingredients, but it’s optional. You can also use a whisk or fork to thoroughly de-clump the dry ingredients in a bowl before adding them to the wet ingredients)
- Measuring spoons and/or cups
- Paper liners and/or nonstick baking spray
- Toothpicks for testing doneness (optional)
How cranberry banana nut muffins are made
When people are just starting out on their journey as a budding baker, I always suggest banana bread or muffins as a test. There are a few reasons for this.
1) The measurements are simple
Most of the ingredients are measured in whole or half-cups, whole or half-teaspoons. This makes it a breeze to prep this recipe or scale it for more muffins!
2) There’s some wiggle room for errors/changes
Maybe you don’t have time to wait for the butter to soften. Melt it completely.
Don’t have butter at all? Well, use vegetable, canola, or coconut oil.
Not enough granulated sugar? Supplement with brown sugar.
Everything will be okay. As long as the ingredients are adding in the correct proportion and mixed in evenly, your banana nut muffins will come out just fine. Don’t stress it!
3) You don’t need a bunch of fancy equipment to make
All you really need is a mixing bowl, measuring utensils, a whisk or fork, paper liners or nonstick spray, and a cupcake or muffin tin (or a loaf pan, for a loaf of banana bread). That’s it. Nothing fancy involved.
4) It’s easy to get creative and add things that you love to really make it your own
Whether you just love the plain banana flavor or want your banana bread/muffins loaded with ingredients, the recipe is very versatile. The recipe below includes walnuts and dried cranberries, but there are SO MANY things you can add to make it your own. Chocolate chips. Raisins. Pecans. Different spices and extracts like ground nutmeg or almond extract. Pretty much any of your favorite flavors could be delicious in this recipe.
Making the batter
Just throw it in the bowl! This is a play on lyrics, but this is also pretty much how making this batter works. Add Greek yogurt, butter, sugar, mashed bananas, eggs, vanilla extract, and salt and mix to combine. The order doesn’t really matter, but make sure they’re all well mixed.
Same for the dry ingredients: Add flour, baking soda, baking powder, cinnamon, and cloves. Whisk these together and add them into the dry ingredients.
Finally, add in your nuts and dried cranberries. I like to add some in the batter and mix, and then add more to the top of each muffin in the next steps.
Baking and cooling
Once your batter is made and oven is preheated, it’s time to bake! Prepare your muffin tin by adding paper liners to each of the 12 wells or spray thoroughly with nonstick baking spray.
Scoop enough batter into each well to fill them 2/3 of the way. Any more and the muffins may overflow and bake unevenly. If you’d like, add even more nuts and cranberries to the top of each muffin.
Bake for 14-16 minutes in a 350º F oven or until the tops are golden brown and a toothpick comes out of the center mostly clean.
Remove the muffins from the oven and line onto a cooling rack for at least 10 minutes.
Storage: Store in an airtight container, at room temperature, for 3 to 5 days. You can also store them in the fridge for up to a week. To freeze: cool and wrap individually in plastic wrap or parchment paper then seal in a freezer bag for up to 2 months.
Other add-ins to consider
- Chocolate chips
- Chopped nuts: pecans, peanuts, or slivered almonds
- Dried fruits: oranges, apricots, apples, raisins (dried grapes)
- Flavor extracts: almond, lavender, rose
- Preserves or jams (carefully pour and swirl these into the batter after it’s been poured into the muffin tin or loaf pan)
Make banana bread instead
Yes! You can absolutely use this same recipe for making a loaf of delicious, tender, flavorful, moist banana bread. Just prepare the batter as directed in the recipe, place the batter into a greased loaf pan, and bake at 350º F for 45-50 minutes until the center is cooked through.
Cranberry Banana Nut Muffins
Equipment
- Muffin or cupcake tin (with 12 regular-sized wells)
- Sift or whisk
- Measuring spoons and/or cups
- Paper liners and/or nonstick baking spray
- Toothpicks for testing doneness (optional)
Ingredients
- 4 Tablespoon unsalted butter, softened to room temp
- 1/3 cup vanilla Greek yogurt
- 1 cup sugar
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1 heaping cup over-ripe bananas, (peeled and mashed will be 3 small OR 2 large bananas)
- 2 eggs
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
- 1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
- 1 cup chopped walnuts, (more for the tops of the muffin)
- 1/2 – 1 cup dried cranberries
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350º F and line a cupcake or muffin tin with paper liners (or make sure to spray really well with nonstick spray). Peel the overripe bananas. Using the back of a fork mash the bananas until they are smooth and no large chunks are remaining. Set aside.
- In a mixing bowl stir together the Greek yogurt, butter, and sugar until it is creamed together. Add the bananas, salt, eggs, and vanilla extract. Stir to combine. Place a fine mesh colander over the banana mixture bowl. Sift the flour, baking soda, baking powder, cinnamon, and cloves into the mixture. Stir it into the batter just until all the flour is mixed in. Add walnuts and dried cranberries to the batter.
- Scoop the batter into the lined muffin tin, filling each cup about ⅔ full. Add more walnuts or cranberries to the top of each muffin before baking. Place in the pre-heated oven for 14-16 minutes until the banana muffins are cooked through and golden brown on top. A toothpick inserted should come out mostly clean.
- Let cool about 10 minutes before eating. Store in an airtight container, at room temperature, for 3 to 5 days. You can also store them in the fridge for up to a week. To freeze: cool and wrap individually in plastic wrap or parchment paper then seal in a freezer bag for up to 2 months.
Notes
Don’t have vanilla Greek yogurt? That’s fine! Use plain or try out some others like pumpkin-, apple-, cinnamon-, or coffee-flavored Greek yogurt.
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