Browned Butter Pecan Banana Muffins #MuffinMonday

If you have never browned butter to use in a recipe, you are in for a real treat! These browned butter pecan banana muffins are made with browned butter soaked pecans which I've swirled into rich banana muffins. They are a great breakfast or snack. Or, in fact, anytime!

I fear I may have a problem, friends.  In fact, an intervention may be necessary already.  Our muffin ingredient for today is banana.  But somehow, all I could think to add was browned butter.  Oh, sure, you say, lots of things go with banana.  Peanut butter and bacon.  Chocolate.  Caramelized sugar and rum.  Walnuts.  Apples and carrots.  Even honey. 

All of which I’ve done.  Because those are all awesome combinations.  So I added my new love, browned butter and a healthy helping of pecans.  The result was a rich, delicious muffin.  Because it’s impossible to make a bad banana muffin and that’s the truth.

Ingredients
2 1/4 cups or 280g flour
1 cup or 225g sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon baking soda or bicarbonate of soda
2 1/2 teaspoons double-acting baking powder
2 well-ripened bananas
1/2 cup or 120ml milk
1/2 cup or 115g butter
1 cup or 130g whole pecans
2 eggs, preferably room temperature
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Method
Preheat your oven to 350°F or 180°C and prepare your large 12-cup muffin pan by greasing lightly or lining with muffin papers.  This batter will fill more than your standard muffin pan.  Either use a larger one or tall muffin cups that will hold their shape, like the ones pictured.

Brown your butter, following these instructions, right here, from The Cooking Actress:  How to brown butter.   When the butter is browned,  pour your pecans into the hot pot and stir like crazy and then turn it off.  Leave the pecans in the browned butter as it cools.

Once it has cooled, take out 12 pecan halves for decorating the muffins before baking.  

Yes, I took out 13.  I like to have a spare.

In a large mixing bowl, whisk together your flour, sugar, salt, baking soda and baking powder.

Mash your ripe bananas with a fork.

Add in the eggs, vanilla extract and milk and whisk with the fork.

Pour in the cooled browned butter and pecans and whisk again.  I kept using the fork for this because a normal whisk didn’t work so well with the pecans.

Pour your wet ingredients into your dry ones and stir a couple of times.

Divide the batter between the muffin cups.

Top with the reserved buttery pecan halves.

Bake in your preheated oven for about 25-30 minutes or until the muffins are golden and a toothpick inserted comes out clean.

Allow the muffins to cool for a few minutes in the pan then remove them to a wire rack to cool completely.

Enjoy!

Pin these Browned Butter Pecan Banana Muffins! 

.