Banana Mini Muffins

These teeny tiny banana muffins are perfect for those times when you want a quick and easy treat to enjoy on the go or when you need a mid-afternoon pick me up! Plus they're so cute, how can you resist popping one after another into your mouth?

These banana muffins have a secret ingredient which I think is a game changer - toasted oats! Toasting your oats beforehand is going to make your muffins slightly nutty, giving you warm, comforting notes alongside the spices. I saw Julia Turshen used toasted oats in her muffins in one of my favorite cookbooks, so when I was testing this recipe I knew I wanted to incorporate that!

Looking for more muffin recipes? If you're feeling fancy, try out my lemon curd muffins or pumpkin muffins with streusel! Or if you're looking to make these mini banana muffins for a brunch table, pair them with my sweet cream pancakes or sour cream coffee cake!

Why you'll love this recipe!

• No Mixer: no fancy equipment needed for these mini banana muffins, just bowls, whisk and a rubber spatula. I love when I don't have to haul out the big mixer for a recipe!
• Perfect for a Crowd: this recipe makes 30 mini muffins, so it's perfect if you're having people over for breakfast or a brunch.
• Use up Ripe Bananas: this simple recipe makes it easy to use up any overripe bananas you've got sitting on your kitchen counter.
• Banana Bread Lovers: these banana mini muffins are the ultimate recipe for banana bread lovers! If you want to make a classic banana bread, try my chocolate chunk banana bread recipe.
• The Cutest Size: there is nothing cuter than a bite sized muffin, it makes the perfect snack or you can pop them into a lunch box or serve them at a bake sale.

Ingredients

• Flour: I'm using all purpose flour in this recipe.
• Light Brown Sugar: I'll be using just light brown sugar in this recipe.
• Rolled Oats: the secret ingredient! I am no stranger to adding oats or oat flour to my muffin recipes, it gives it a much more wholesome taste! Here though I'm toasting the oats before adding them to the muffins. Make sure you use rolled or whole oats.
• Bananas: you want ripe bananas with all the spots and freckles! I recently went to my local grocery store where they actually sold bags of super ripe bananas at a lower cost! Using brown bananas will make the muffins sweeter and will help amp up the banana flavor.
• Spices: using warm spices like cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger, cloves is going to mingle with the sweetness of the bananas.
• Sour Cream: using sour cream in these banana bread muffins is going to make them extra moist and tender. No dry muffins here!

Substitutions & Variations

• Mix up the spices you use! Use cardamom, spice mixes, just cinnamon or leave out the spices all together if you want a stronger banana flavor.
• Add a small handful of mini chocolate chips to the muffin batter just before filling up the muffin pan.
• Want mini banana nut muffins? Add toasted chopped walnuts or pecans!
• Swap out sour cream for buttermilk.
• Top each mini banana muffin with streusel, extra rolled oats for that rustic look, or some sparkling sugar.
• Add the oats without toasting them if you're short on time.

Step by Step Instructions

Step 1: Preheat your oven to 350ºFahrenheit. Line a mini muffin pan (this is the one I used) with mini muffin liners or spray with non-stick cooking spray. In a large bowl, mash the bananas until you almost have a banana puree. I like to use a potato masher to do this! Add the egg, melted butter, sour cream, vanilla extract, and light brown sugar. Whisk until combined. Because of the mashed banana it won't be totally smooth, but that's fine.

Step 2: In a separate bowl, whisk the toasted oats with the flour, baking soda, baking powder, spices and salt.

Step 3: Pour the wet ingredients into the dry and use a rubber spatula to combine everything until there are no more streaks of flour left. As soon as it is just combined, stop mixing.

Step 4: Use a tablespoon or a small cookie scoop to scoop the muffin batter into the prepared muffin pan. You want to fill each one to the top. Bake in the oven for 12-14 minutes. The muffins should be golden brown. Let them cool in the pan for 10 minutes before removing to a wire cooling rack to cool completely.

Expert Tips & Tricks

• I always recommend weighing your flour using a weighing scale! It is the most accurate way to bake and will make a big difference to the texture of your muffins. Adding too much flour (which is easy to do when using measuring cups) will lead to dry, stodgy muffins.
• Filling them to the top of the muffin liners will give you tall muffin tops.
• Using a small cookie scoop means you'll get the same amount of batter in each muffin liner!
• You'll want all the ingredients to be at room temperature before starting this recipe, so make sure the toasted oats and the melted butter have cooled down before starting.

Frequently Asked Questions

Storage & Freezing

Store the coolest muffins an airtight container in the fridge for up to 5 days. To freeze, place the mini muffins in a freezer bag or ziploc bag and freeze for up to 2 months. Thaw at room temperature or in the microwave.

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