Banana Bread Muffins with Peanut Buttercream Frosting
The Any Time of Year Banana Bread Muffin
Whether there’s a foot of snow on the ground outside or it’s the height of summer’s heat, banana bread muffins are a staple in our house. At any moment, you can find a few dozen tucked quietly away in our freezer – ready to be devoured as a sweet, special treat or hearty little snack, anytime.
Pair these muffins with a hot cup of coffee, and there’s no better way to relax into a chilly Saturday morning.
On extra special occasions, I love to top these moist, crunchy muffins with a thick, creamy crown of peanut buttercream frosting. It turns these hearty muffins into a decadent dessert that gets me lots of compliments.
This frosting-topped muffins have substituted for birthday cake in our home on more than one day – 1st and 2nd birthdays especially!
So Many Bananas
In our home, we buy a LOT of bananas. That’s because we eat…a LOT of bananas! Bananas are an anytime-of-day food at our home. But I’d be lying if I said we didn’t get behind in our banana consumption once in a while.
However, I never feel guilty about bananas getting too ripe on my counter! That’s because bananas are super simple to freeze and use in recipes later. They can be substituted into many recipes in place of fats, like oils, or in these amazing Banana Bread Muffins.
Freezing Bananas for Banana Bread Muffins
To freeze extra bananas, wait until they’re really ripe – like almost all-brown-peel ripe. Peel them and put the sweet, squishy banana into a dated freezer baggie and tuck them away in your freezer.
I like to freeze mine in bags with 3 bananas in each; that’s how many you need to make this delicious batch of Banana Walnut Muffins. The bananas can be frozen for up to 6 months. To thaw them, put them in a bowl (still in the freezer bag) and let them sit at room temperature overnight. Discard any liquid before using them in this recipe.
Cupcake and Muffin Displays
A fun way to display cupcakes and these sweet Banana Bread Muffins is on a made-for-cupcakes display rack.
In my town, we are blessed to have Ida’s Cupcake Cafe. If you ever have the opportunity to visit Central Oregon, then you must find your way to Ida’s. Their cupcakes are the gold standard for confections!
Ida’s always has the cutest cupcake racks and displays that one can rent with their cupcake order. Here are a few of my favorites – two of them are on my wishlist this year!
Banana Bread Muffins for Kids and Grownups
These delicious banana bread muffins are a huge hit with grownups and kids alike! You can’t go wrong with that wonderful combination of bananas and peanut butter.
Try the recipe and leave a comment below!
The Recipe
Banana Bread Muffins with Peanut Buttercream Frosting
Equipment
- muffin tins
- Piping kit (or plastic freezer bag)
Ingredients
Banana Bread Muffins
- 3 ripe bananas
- 2 cups flour
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- ½ cup shortening
- 2 large eggs
- ¼ cup coarsely ground walnuts (optional)
- 3 tbsp buttermilk (or Buttermilk Substitute - see recipe below)
- 1 tsp baking soda
- a pinch of salt
Buttermilk Substitute
- 2 ½ tbsp whole milk
- ½ tbsp white vinegar
Peanut Buttercream Frosting
- 1 ½ cups powdered sugar, sifted
- ½ cup butter (1 stick), softened to room temperature
- ¼ cup creamy peanut butter
Instructions
Make Buttermilk Substitute (if necessary)
- In a small bowl combine 2 1/2 tablespoons whole milk with 1 tablespoon white vinegar. Let sit at least 10 minutes before adding to your recipe.
Making Banana Bread Muffins
- Preheat your oven to 325 degrees Fahrenheit and set your oven rack to the center of the oven.
- Line muffin tins with 20 large liners or 40 small liners. If you don't have liners, you can also grease and flour your muffin tins using shortening.
- In a medium mixing bowl, use a hand mixer on medium to cream together the sugar and shortening - about 2 minutes. The mixture will be grainy and crumbly.
- Add bananas, eggs and buttermilk. Mix on medium speed until combined. The batter will be lumpy.
- In a large bowl, sift together flour, baking soda and salt.
- Using a spatula, pour the wet ingredients into the dry ones and mix until just combined. Fold in walnuts (optional). The batter will be very sticky.
- Fill the muffin cups ⅓ - ½ full (the batter will more than double in size).
- Bake on the center oven rack for 22-25 minutes. They’re done when an inserted toothpick comes out clean.
- Turn out and cool completely on a rack before topping with Peanut Buttercream Frosting.
Making Peanut Buttercream Frosting
- In a medium bowl, use a hand mixer on medium to cream together ½ cup (1 stick) of softened unsalted butter and ¼ cup creamy peanut butter. You can use sweetened or natural peanut butter; whatever you have on hand. Cream them together until fluffy, about 2-3 minutes.
- Sift 1 ½ cups powdered sugar and add it slowly to your butters mix, in about 4 parts. The frosting will be very thick.
- Mix milk (½ tablespoon at a time) into your frosting on low and blend until you’ve reached your desired consistency. If you plan to pipe this using a piping bag, it usually takes me between 2-3 tablespoons to reach a thick yet airy frosting consistency that’s perfect for the piping bag. If you don’t have a piping bag on hand, you can add this frosting to a plastic freezer bag and snip off the bottom corner (about ¼ inch wide snip) to create a make-it-work piping bag that works just as well in a pinch.
- This frosting can be stored in an airtight container up to 1 week in the refrigerator.
