banana crunch muffins with nutella

I haven’t stopped thinking about this recipe since last Friday when I conjured it up. Banana Crunch Muffins with Nutella, the combination of ingredients played over in my head all weekend. And though time is running out before the wedding and I should be eating healthier than usual, I’ve earned this muffin. Yesterday morning I helped teach a two-hour Zumba master class to 60 giddy enthusiasts and if body soreness is a good enough judge of how many calories I burnt, well then, I think I’m having two of these babies this morning. 

I dolloped the Nutella on top, but feel free to use your poetic license. Swirl it in, mix it outright for a more chocolatey muffin, or maybe you want to bite into it to reveal a heart of Nutella inside; in that case just scoop half of the batter into your cup, drop the good stuff in there, then dollop another scoop of batter on top. 

Want to make crisp liners like mine? Simply cut a 5-inch square of parchment paper, oil the muffin tin slightly (so the cup sticks) and folding so the paper adheres, form your liner. 

Banana Crunch Muffins with Nutella 

(based on this recipe) 

3 tablespoons melted butter or neutral oil, like grapeseed or corn, plus more for the muffin tin

1 cup all purpose flour

1 cup whole wheat flour

1/2 cup walnuts, chopped

1/2 teaspoon salt

3 teaspoons baking powder

1/4 cup honey, or to taste

1 egg

1 cup mashed ripe banana

1/4 cup milk, plus more if needed

1 tsp Nutella per muffin 

Heat the oven to 375°F. Grease a 12-cup muffin tin and line it with my parchment liners or regular muffin liners. Mix together the dry ingredients in a bowl. Beat together the egg, banana, milk and oil in another bowl. Make a well in the center of the dry ingredients and pour the wet ingredients into it. Using a large spoon or rubber spatula, combine the ingredients swiftly, stirring and folding rather than beating and stopping as soon as all the dry ingredients are moistened. The batter should be lumpy, not smooth, and thick but quite moist; add a little more milk or other liquid if necessary. Spoon the batter into the muffin tins, filling them about two-thirds full and handling the batter as little as possible. (If you prefer bigger muffins, fill 8 cups almost to the top; pour 1/4 cup water into the empty cups.) Spoon the Nutella on top of each muffin. Bake for about 20 minutes (about 30 minutes for larger muffins) or until nicely browned and a toothpick inserted in the center of a muffin comes out clean. Remove from the oven and let rest for 5 minutes before taking them out of the tin. Serve warm.

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Like the recipe I couldn't get out of my head, these muffins are going to haunt me until breakfast tomorrow morning. Banana Crunch Muffins with Nutella...! I better go hide them under a dish towel or something.

P.S. Another hauntingly good muffin recipe here!