I firmly believe banana bread is a gift from the universe.

It’s carbs, sugar and banana goodness all rolled into one — what more could you possibly want? It’s one of those classic baked goods that will have you drooling and making grabby hands for just a single bite. For those of you who don’t feel this way, I pity your taste buds and seriously hope you give banana bread another chance because you’re missing out on one of the simple joys of life.

You’ve probably read and tried hundreds of different banana bread or muffin recipes in your lifetime, each one claiming to be the best one out there. Some may have been phenomenal. Others were likely a major disappointment, but I’m here to say that this is the absolute best recipe out there. I may be biased considering it’s my own pride and joy, but nonetheless, this recipe will blow your taste buds away.

While you can throw this batter into a loaf pan for an hour at 350-degrees Fahrenheit and make bread, I much prefer to make muffins. There’s no hassle involved in cutting a slice, you can just quickly grab a muffin when you’re rushing to make it to class or don’t want to leave the comfort of your bed for too long. Plus, the deliciously moist muffin top and the crunch of the brown sugar topping can’t be beat. 

To acknowledge the avid nut haters out there or those with nut allergies, feel free to throw in some chocolate chips instead!

Brown sugar banana nut muffins

Prep time: 20 minutes

Cook time: 21-22 minutes

Total  time: 1 hour

Yield: 12 muffins

Ingredients

• 2 cups flour
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon
• Pinch of salt
• ½ cup butter
• ¼ cup sugar 
• ½ cup brown sugar 
• 2 eggs
• ⅓ cup yogurt 
• 4 large ripe bananas, mashed
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• ½ cup walnuts and pecans (or other add-ins)

Directions

1. Adjust oven rack to the lower-third position and preheat to 425-degrees Fahrenheit. Grease a 12-count muffin pan and line with parchment paper muffin liners.
2. Whisk together the dry ingredients in a large bowl: flour, baking soda, cinnamon and salt.
3. In a large bowl using a whisk, beat the butter and sugar together for a minute or two until it’s smooth, fluffy and no big clumps of sugar remain. 
4. Add the eggs one at a time, whisking the mixture together well. 
5. Add in the yogurt, mashed bananas and vanilla extract. Mix until everything is well combined. 
6. Pour the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients. Using a wooden spoon, mix until no flour pockets remain. Be careful not to over mix! 
7. Fold in the nuts or other add-ins, if using.
8. Using an ice cream scoop, spoon the batter into the prepared muffin tin. Sprinkle a pinch of brown sugar on top of each muffin before putting them in the oven.
9. Bake at 425-degrees Fahrenheit for five minutes, then reduce the heat to 350-degrees Fahrenheit and bake for another 16-17 minutes. The initial blast of heat is what helps the muffins rise. 
10. Remove from the oven and allow the muffins to cool for 10 mins in the pan. Remove the muffins from the pan and allow the muffins to cool completely on a wire rack before serving.

I make these muffins religiously. Seriously, the money I spend on bananas is borderline concerning, but the pure joy it brings me each time I bite into one makes the budget I set aside for bananas well worth it. Whether I’m enjoying a muffin with a cup of coffee in the morning or munching on one in the evening with some tea or hot chocolate, I cannot go a single day without eating one. You know what they say: A banana muffin a day keeps your grades at an A! (For legal purposes these muffins are not a guarantee of a 4.0 but they will definitely help you feel better.)

For those of you who have cholesterol issues like I unfortunately do, I have several substitutions to make this recipe cholesterol friendly. We just simply make it lower in fat and sugar! Substitute the butter with Earth Balance butter, replace the sugar with date sugar, use only the egg whites and use nonfat yogurt. Just because we’ve got our dietary restrictions it doesn’t mean we can’t enjoy baked goods too!