food 4 tots

Banana muffins

banana muffins, muffins, banana, food for toddlers

 

Quite often I heard from some mommies that they always run out of ideas when it comes to preparing teatime snacks for their preschoolers. I consider myself lucky as my son’s kindergarten provides teatime snacks. So far, he hasn’t complaint anything about the snack served in school. When I “interviewed” him on his preference between mommy’s cooking and school lady’s cooking, he cheerfully replied me that he liked both. I’m really happy that he can accept the food prepared by others even if my cooking is not on par with that of the school lady’s. I don’t mind it at all. At least, I have one less headache for the next two years.

 

In this posting, I have a simple and easy teatime snack recipe to share with everyone. It’s so easy that even a novice at baking can excel. The entire baking process is very fast too. 1½ dozen mini banana muffins will be ready in the oven within an hour (or maybe less if you are skillful) including the cleaning up time. Definitely save you some money than buying from the local bakery shop.

 

This recipe is adapted from Amy Ong of Cooking Crave, a mom with 3 lovely kids. Her food blog has a long list of kids-friendly recipes for you to try out. Remember to hop over to her blog to “dig the treasures”.

 

I must say that this is the best banana muffins recipe I had found so far. The muffins turned out to be very soft, fluffy and moist! The sweetness is also perfect for those without sweet tooth. So, there is no need to cut down the amount of sugar called in the recipe. I was truly satisfied with the results even at my first attempt. The only thing I didn’t follow is the baking temperature and the time required to bake. I used my own experiments to fine tune both.

 

In my 2nd attempt, I had added some desiccated coconuts into the batter. To my surprise, this little ingredient compliments so well with the bananas. The fragrant coconut flakes gave the muffins extra flavour and volume in the texture. Besides my family, it’s also a hit among my panel of “food taster” friends.

 

One important tip to get this recipe right is to use over-ripe bananas. This means that you will see many black dots appearing on the banana skin. This type of banana will be the tastiest for baking. I always have problems getting my bananas to reach this stage as they will end up in my hubby’s and son’s stomach even with many reminders and warnings to keep their distance and hands away.

 

banana muffins, muffins, food for toddlers

 

Another point to share is that I like to use small muffin paper cup for making muffins. This size is perfect for all kids who prefer little treat. It helps to minimize wastage as well, and the muffin appears more adorable. It’s also great for adults (like my hubby and myself) who can have some small bites during snack time. When the muffins were fresh from the oven, we could easily pop a few into our mouth and only felt “guilty” after that.

 

I also discovered the beauty of using muffin paper cup. It can be “transformed” into a disposable plate if you open up the pleats. It saves you all the cleaning up especially during outings. Kill two birds with one stone! Doesn’t that sound great?

 

(Note: You can find muffin paper cups at any local baking supplies stores. I bought mine from Phoon Huat (Simei branch) and Sun Lik Trading (Seah Street)).

 

muffins, banana

 

This super tasty banana muffin guarantees to please your preschoolers’ tummies during their breakfast and teatime, especially for the picky eaters who prefer “plain” muffins. It’s also perfect for all occasions such party, gathering and outing too. A must-try recipe for all!

 

>>> Click on PAGE 2 below for banana muffin recipe with step-by-step instructions and photos.………

 

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138 Comments

  1. Evelyn says:

    Hi, Where did you buy those lovely muffin cup? I have been looking around the supermarket but cannot get those pretty strawberry ones that you have.

  2. anncoo says:

    Thanks for sharing this recipe. Yesterday I just bought 2 banana muffins from Chocolat & Spice, still soft but found this time the muffins were overly sweet even the little boys only took one bite.

  3. Little Inbox says:

    My previous 2 muffin baking didn’t turn out great. The muffin became harder when it’s cool. I’ll try out yours once my kitchen is ready.

  4. tigerfish says:

    Oh really? WHen you open up the muffin cup, it becomes a plate? Good “secret” 😀

  5. peachkins says:

    your banana muffins look cute!

  6. I love baked goods with bananas and you are right, it’s so hard to wait for them to ripen, you relaly have to hide it somewhere..haha

  7. Those look great. My son loves muffins!

  8. Pei-Lin says:

    Your muffins look wholesome & yummy! How can anything be simpler than making muffins! Banana ones are good old classic that are hard to be resisted! Great shots, too!

    • food-4tots says:

      Pei-Lin: Tks for your compliment! I don’t like those classic muffins as they are too sweet and huge in size. But since I started baking muffins, I really fell in love with them. 😉

  9. mycookinghut says:

    Love banana! I think it’s a great ingredient in baking.

  10. felicia says:

    yum. can you bake some for me to bring to school? 😀
    i’m in the polytechnic btw 😛

  11. Vanille says:

    Cute muffins and tasty for sure !

  12. Beautiful muffin cups! Your pictures are magazine-like!

  13. Dora says:

    I wanna have some too!

  14. Alice says:

    The muffins look so adorable and I bet the taste is superb! Great snack for kids & preschoolers, will bookmark it! 🙂

  15. Anh from Vietnam says:

    I love banana muffin too and make it quite often. My suggestion is to place some almond flake ( or other kind of nuts) on the top to garnish. Could you try it next time ? Have a nice day !

    • food-4tots says:

      Anh: Tks a lot for your suggestion! I had tried pine nuts before. Yes, will definitely try adding some nuts in my next attempt as I plan to introduce nuts into my son’s diet. 😉

  16. LCOM says:

    Lovely, I love banana muffins!

  17. I am drool for one, can? 🙂

  18. noobcook says:

    your banana muffins look perfect – and I also like the cute looking cups and utensils. Very pretty pictures =)

  19. allie says:

    Banana muffins! I wanna try to make. Yummy~~~

  20. Love the coconut in these mufins..great addition. The little muffin cups are cool, I will track those down. Neat how they open into little plates. Great recipe and gorgeous photos!!

  21. Anh says:

    These muffins are good for both kids and adults alike!

  22. My favourite type of muffin. 🙂 Your son is so darling. I am glad he is easy going about food. Good for him, and for you too!

  23. anggie says:

    thanks for sharing ….
    I love baking muffin or cupcake , but sad to said, my son not in to cake …. only me and daddy …

  24. jack says:

    can i cut down the amount of banana

    • food-4tots says:

      Jack: Is there any particular reason to cut down the banana? Lesser bananas will make the muffins become drier. I suggest that you follow closely this recipe for your 1st trial and make the necessary adjustments in your 2nd attempt. 😉

  25. DaneCalyMum says:

    After 2 failed attempts to make muffin using recipe from recipe book, I decided to use your receipe. Guess what? The muffin really look great and taste good. Thank you for sharing the recipe.

  26. Busymum says:

    “combine melted butter, milk, lighted beaten eggs and vanilla essence. Stir until well mixed. Add in sugar and salt.” -Can you share with me how to combine the wet ingredients? Using whisk or electric mixer, and how long we should mix it? I always get hard and wet muffin :(. I guess my mixing method is wrong. Thanks

    • food-4tots says:

      Busymum: There are 2 methods in making muffins – mixing and creaming as mentioned in my how to make muffin post. This banana muffin recipe calls for mixing method. So a hand whisk (as shown in page 2 of this post) will do the job. Put all the required ingredients inside a mixing bowl and stir in a clockwise direction until they are well combined. Do not beat. Then follow by next step. As for your muffins, I don’t understand why it is hard yet wet. It should be either hard and dry or soggy and wet. If it is hard, then it may be due to wrong mixing method, and wrong baking temperature and time, wrong measurement (especially recipes that call for US cup). If it is wet, it may be due to wrong baking temperature and time, or baking at a lower rack. These reasons will cause the muffins to be underbaked. Please give this recipe a try and let me know your feedback. Before that, do go thru those tips I mentioned in my “how to make muffins” post. Looking forward to hear your success story. 😉

  27. Wow! You wouldn’t believe was just gonna attempt to make banana muffins this weekend. I have a recipe but your pictures have enticed me further!!

  28. NEL says:

    Where exactly is this bakeshop you mentioned at Seah Street? Is it opposite Raffles Hotel?

  29. NEL says:

    Thanks so much for the details 🙂 Will definitely check it out!

  30. JC says:

    I tried baking the muffins today and the results are great. The sweetness is just right. Thanks for sharing this recipe!

  31. food-4tots says:

    Yvonne: Thanks for sharing with me your outcome. Did you use a toothpick to test your muffins? How many tray did you put in your oven. It should be one tray for each baking. Did you use mini paper cups or regular muffin cups? Different muffin cups require difference baking time. Make sure you preheat your oven for 15 minutes. If it still can’t help, then the only solution is to either bake at a higher temperature or prolong the baking time. Hope it helps. Let me know how it turns out in your next attempt. 😉

  32. kerine says:

    Hi, I tried out your recipe today and the muffins turned out hard & dry. I have followed your ingredients & steps stated but yet …☹. Is it because of the conventional oven that i have used ?

    • food-4tots says:

      Kerine: Thanks for sharing your feedback. I don’t think the type of oven is the cause as I am using a table top oven now. Maybe the baking temperature and time can be the culprit. Try to bake it at a lower temperature (ie preheat at 190°C and bake at 180°C) or shorten the baking time (ie 8 minutes). By the way, did you use small muffin paper cups like mine? Did the muffins rise? Hope it helps. Looking forward to hearing from you. 😉

      • kerine says:

        Thanks for your quick response. I did not use small muffin cups as i have some spare squarish small aluminium type of cups at home, i thought of getting rid of the old stock & save cost at the same time
        : ) . My baking time was slightly longer than you said as my muffins were still wet when i used a toothpick to test .Perhaps i shall use small muffin cups in my next attempt : )
        Btw, my muffins tasted bit of floury due to batter not mixing well ?
        Thx.

        • food-4tots says:

          Kerine: Try to use one standard size of muffin cup (be it squarish, small or big cups) for baking as different size requires different baking time. If there isn’t anything stick to the toothpick, then it is considered cooked. You can leave the muffins in the oven for another 5 minutes after baking. Please note that the residue heat will continue to bake the muffins. Hence, they will become slightly dry after cooling.

          I think your mixture is not well combined. As for the bananas, make sure they are fully ripen (ie with black dots appearing on the banana skin). When you mash them, make sure they are mashed thoroughly and turn really mushy . Hope it helps. Happy trying!

  33. Bakingsuccess! says:

    Thanks for the receipe for banana muffins! I’m a greenhorn at baking and at my 1st attempt, it was a success!! I’m so happy! I had a feedback that itz a little dry…shd i add more butter the next time?

    • food-4tots says:

      Bakingsuccess: Congrats! Glad to hear your success story. Try to bake it at a lower temperature (ie preheat at 190°C and bake at 180°C) or shorten the baking time (ie 8 minutes). Hope it helps! Happy trying! 😉

  34. May says:

    I have tried this recipe, i received compliments from my parents.

    Thanks for sharing.

    May i know what type of oven are you using?

  35. Stella Chew says:

    I baked these yesterday and it turned out great. But the muffins are a bit dry and chewy. I follow exactly the temparature and time. I think i will lower the temnparature and shorten the time next time when i bake these again. Thanks for the recipe

    • food-4tots says:

      Stella Chew: Oh, that’s great! Glad to receive your feedback. The baking time and temperature vary depending on the type of oven. So you need to do your own experiment. Try your own suggestion in your next attempt and do share with me your overcome. Thanks!! 😉

  36. Paik Ling says:

    Hi there, did you use the creaming method in this recipe? I followed your recipe to the tee but ended up with really dry and hard muffins. Looked like they were not sufficiently “cooked” eventhough they were baked at 180-190 degrees for 30mins. Can you please tell me why I could possibly have gone wrong?? Thanks!

    • food-4tots says:

      Paik Ling: This recipe is using mixing method (only a hand whisk and spatula are required). The baking time and oven temperatures vary depending on the types of oven, so use your own judgment to experiment. I think you had under-mixed the batter. Thus, they may turn out hard. Your bananas must be fully ripen (ie black dots on the skins). Mash them until really mushy. Did you use small muffin paper cup (like mine) or other muffin cups? This is because different size requires different baking time. How many percentage is not “cooked”? Remember to preheat your oven for 15 minutes. You can let the muffins sit in the oven for another 5-8 minutes after the required baking time so that the inside is cooked thoroughly and the outside is not too brown. Hope it helps. Do let me know how it turns out in your 2nd attempt.

  37. Kelly says:

    hihi,
    am I right to say if we use creaming method, then we need to mix it longer? and if we use mixing method then we don’t?
    for some receipes, they use quite small amount of butter and sugar, i find it very hard to use electric mixer. then am i right to say that a mixing method would suffice in that case?
    hope u get what i meant.
    thanks!

    • food-4tots says:

      Kelly: Generally, the preparation process under creaming method is longer than mixing method. That’s on the ground that the former needs you to cream the butter and sugar until light and fluffy whereas mixing method just requires you to mix the ingredients until well combined. If a particular recipe calls for small quantities of ingredients and is not feasible to use electrical mixer, you can use a hand whisk. However, this doesn’t mean that a mixing method is appropriate. You still need to follow the methods stated in that particular recipe. Hope your questions are answered. 😉

  38. Kelly says:

    sorry, must the melted butter be cooled to room temp? if i add it hot to the batter, will it affect the outcome in any way?
    thanks!

    • food-4tots says:

      Kelly: Yes, let the melted butter cool down to room temperature before adding to the batter. If it is too hot, the beaten egg will be cooked. 😉

  39. Kelly says:

    hi,
    i think i get what you meant. haha.. i thought i can tweak the method because of the amt of butter and sugar makes it hard to use an electric mixer.

    but isn’t right that if the fats used is in liquid form then we can use mixing method? sorry for confusing you, but i just want to know whether the method used actually depends on the type of ingredients used?? sorry if i sound nonsensical…

    • food-4tots says:

      Kelly: That’s a good question!! I personally haven’t tried switching methods with a particular recipe but your suggestion sounds possible to me. Each recipe has its own combination of ingredients that fits perfectly for certain method (due to the chemical reaction). Although changing method is feasible, it may not warrant the best result. So, I suggest that you follow the method given by the recipe unless your end result doesn’t turn out perfect. Below is an exception for sharing:

      “Read a recipe, name the general mixing method, based on the instructions, and then adapt it how you see fit. Not all mixing methods are interchangeable, but you can usually choose between creaming or two-stage, creaming or muffin or even adapting a recipe with whole eggs to the hybrid method described above. It all depends on the final texture you seek: tender, chewy, light and dry or moist and velvety.” (Source: http://www.reluctantgourmet.com/how_to_bake.htm)

  40. Kelly says:

    thanks so much for the advice and the link, very informative =)

  41. Kelly says:

    Hello, i made these (added some choc chips bcos my son likes choc :p) and they were great 🙂 but i felt mine were very soft in the centre. I hope they r cooked already…. Or is it the bananas not mashed enough? Tks!

    • food-4tots says:

      Kelly: Thanks for your kind feedback!! How did your muffins look like? Any dome effect? What do you mean by “soft in the centre”? Are the muffins wet? If your bananas are not mashed thoroughly, then the texture will be hard. If possible, send me a photo. 😉

  42. Lynn says:

    Hi, may i know where can i buy ground cinnamons and desiccated coconuts? Can I use cane sugar instead of castor sugar? Thank u.

    • food-4tots says:

      Lynn: You can buy both items in supermarket like NTUC and Cold Storage. Usually, ground cinnamon is sold under the dried herb section whereby desiccated coconuts is sold under the baking section. Besides that, you can also get them from local baking supply store. What is the size of your cane sugar? Is it as fine as castor sugar? For all my baking, I am using unrefined cane sugar (for baking purposes).

  43. Lynn says:

    Hi food4tots, thank you for your reply. The sugar which I used is bought from shopNsave, it’s written as fine cane sugar. Is it ok to use? Thanks.

  44. Lynn says:

    Hi foodsfortots, I’ve baked these muffins today, however my muffins dun look as pretty as yours. Can I email u the pictures n u advise me Hw to let the muffins rise nicely? Or is it bcos I’m using conventional oven (when baking, the plate will turn round n round). Please go through those tips I mentioned in my post titled “How to make muffins”. Hope it helps.;)

    • food-4tots says:

      Lynn: Thanks for your kind feedback. I had already received your photo. I don’t think it is due to the rotating plate in the conventional oven. They looked like not well mixed. Did you follow closely the steps in my recipe? I need to know more before I can trouble shoot for you. 😉

  45. Lynn says:

    Hi, I will bake again n see what’s the result. 😉 will ensure I’ve mix it well this time. Thanks.

  46. Lynn says:

    Hi food for tots, I’ve addicted to your website. Thinking what to cook/bake everyday. 🙂 your family is so fortunate to have you as their wife/mummy. 😉
    Btw, I’ve tried baking these muffins today, the results turn out good. However, got the sane problem, my muffins got a funny shape :p will sent u a few pictures for u to give comments. Thank u.

  47. ibi says:

    my muffins turn out dense and slightly wet on the surface.I used frozen bananas (which I freeze when the family cannot finish eating them) and added these to the combined melted butter,egg mixture. any effect of the cold mashed bananas on the outcome?

    • food-4tots says:

      Ibi: There is no problem using frozen bananas. Your problem can be due to under/ over-mixing your ingredients. You must mash your bananas until pureed. Do give it another try. 🙂

      • ibi says:

        I tried the recipe again but with fresh ripe bananas( can you give them in grams?) but the muffins again turned out dense. I did however manage to get the muffins to dome out well but they taste rather floury this time. How do i know if i have under/overmixed the mixture? I really want my muffins to look and taste as good as yours!

        • food-4tots says:

          ibi: I didn’t measure the weight during baking. The estimated weight is about 175g with skin. It is important to find fully ripen bananas (meaning you can see black spots appearing on the skin). Under-mixing means you can see many lumps or traces of flour in your mixture. Over-mixing means you beat your batter for too long. Another reason can be due to the temperature of your oven or over-baking. Different oven has different temperature setting. You need to do your own experiment to find the right temperature. Please do not give up as this recipe has been tried and tested by many readers including those with zero baking experience. Looking forward to hearing your success story soon! 😉

  48. Sofia says:

    Hi, I am so glad that I found your blog =)

    I used your blueberry muffin recipe today and it turned out to be great =D

    Next, I will try your banana muffin recipe. However, I would love to add semi-sweet choco chips in it. Any advice or changes of the recipe that I need to take note?

    Thank you =)

    • food-4tots says:

      Sofia: Thanks for your kind feedback! I’m so glad to hear your success story! I don’t recommend the addition of chocolate chips for this recipe as it will affect the end product. I also do not how to change this recipe to add in the new ingredient. Baking is all about science. I am sorry to say that I am not an expert in this field. Why not giving this recipe a try first before making any changes to it? Happy trying! 😉

  49. Joanne says:

    Hi,
    I’ve been an avid fan of your blog since i had my first baby. You are such a lifesaver for me since she is such a picky eater. Anyway, I just recently started baking and I tried your blueberry muffin recipe. Turned out great! I would like to try the banana muffin recipe next. Can I substitute the plain flour with cake flour? Thanks!

  50. Shirley says:

    Ur muffin recipe is good.not too sweet. I guess ill be eating alot then.. Haha. Thanks

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