To me bananas and caramel are like a match made in heaven. If you agree you will love this Easy Banana Caramel Muffin recipe. Just follow a few simple steps and get yummy deliciously moist muffins that are brimming with the rich flavors of ripe bananas and sweet and salty caramel sauce. If you're after a treat for yourself, inviting friends round for coffee or wondering what to bring to the next bake sale these 30-minute banana caramel muffins have got you covered.
If you adore the sweet, creamy and slightly salty taste of caramel you're sure to love these Butterscotch Tartlets. They're easy to make, packable and extremely scrumptious, just like my Biscoff Cheesecake and Biscoff Pancakes.
Key ingredients and possible alternatives
- Self-raising flour - enables the muffins to rise when they bake. UK self-raising flour contains ½ teaspoon more baking powder per cup than US self-raising flour. If you are based in the US use plain flour/all-purpose flour instead and add 2tsp of baking powder.
- Unsalted butter - the muffins will be too salty if you use regular butter.
- Ripe bananas - these are much easier to mash than unripe bananas and have a sweeter flavor. The riper the better!
- Caramel sauce - adds yummy caramel flavor to the muffins. Caramel sauce can get lost when mixed into the batter so it is added when the muffin batter is spooned into the cases to ensure you can taste it to the full.
- Milk - makes the muffins deliciously moist. Use full fat or semi-skimmed.
- Brown sugar - brings sweetness and adds to the caramel flavor.
- Egg - adds structure and stability to the batter.
How to make Banana Caramel Muffins
1. Mix the dry and wet ingredients
Heat your oven to 220C or 430F and prepare 6 muffin cases or grease a muffin tray. Mix the dry ingredients in one bowl and combine the wet ingredients in another. Then add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and mix to form a thick and smooth batter.
2. Fill the cases or muffin tray with muffin batter and caramel sauce
Spoon the batter into the muffin cases until they are one-third full. Then add a teaspoon-sized dollop of caramel sauce to each one. Continue to fill the cases/muffin tray with batter until they are two-thirds full and add another dollop of caramel sauce. Spoon the remaining batter into the cases / muffin tray until they are full and add a final teaspoon of caramel sauce to each.
3. Bake
Bake for 5 minutes at 220C or 430F. This initial blast of heat causes them to rise quickly. Then reduce the heat to 180C or 350F and bake for a further 10-15 minutes. Test the muffins with a cocktail stick or cake tester. If it comes out clean they are done, but if you see muffin batter on the stick they will need longer. Transfer the baked muffins to a wire rack to cool and enjoy.
Tools and Equipment
- Muffin cases/muffin tray- you can use either or both. Cupcake cases are a similar size to muffin cases and seem to be more readily available. However, they are smaller than muffin cases. Go ahead and use them, it won't make much difference, but you might have some excess batter.
- Two mixing bowls - dry and wet ingredients should be mixed separately before being incorporated to form the muffin batter so you will need two mixing bowls.
- Stand mixer, whisk or electric whisk - this recipe does not require a stand mixer or electric whisk but they do speed up the process and make things easier. Use them if you have them. Otherwise, you can whisk manually.
- Wire cooling rack - enables the muffins to reach room temperature quickly after they have baked.
Top tips for perfect Banana Caramel Muffins
- Use ripe bananas - they are easier to mash and have a much stronger and sweeter flavor than unripe bananas. The riper the better!
- Soften caramel sauce - sometimes caramel sauce that has been stored in the fridge can be a little stiff and hard to spoon onto the muffin batter. Place it in the microwave for 20 seconds to soften it up a bit.
- Bake at a high temperature first and set a timer- the muffins are baked at 220C or 430F for the first 5 minutes and then lowered to 180C or 350F for the rest of the cooking time. The initial blast at the high temperature stimulates the muffins to rise. The muffins will burn if you continue to bake them at this temperature so set a timer to make sure you don't forget to lower the temperature for the remainder of the cooking time.
- Test doneness with a toothpick or cake tester - check to see if the muffins are done by inserting a cocktail stick or cake tester into the middle. If it comes out clean they are good to go. If there is wet batter on the toothpick they will need longer.
FAQs
The muffins can be stored in an airtight container for up to 3 days. There is no need to refrigerate them. You can freeze muffins for up to 3 months. Just place them in freezer bags or containers when they are cool.
There are three possible reasons for this.
1. You may not have cooked them at a high enough temperature. Bake them at 220C or 430F for the first 5 minutes before reducing to 180C or 300F for the rest of the cooking time.
2. There might not be enough baking powder. This recipe uses self-raising flour instead of baking powder. If you are based in the UK don't worry about adding baking powder, the self-raising flour will enable the muffins to rise nicely. US self-raising flour contains less baking powder and more salt than the UK version. If you are based in the US use plain/all-purpose flour plus two teaspoons of baking powder instead.
3. The cases might not be full enough. Make sure the cases are full to the top. Your muffins might have risen but it might not be noticeable if the cases were underfilled.
No. If you are using a muffin tray greasing prevents the batter from sticking to it but if you are using muffin cases greasing is unnecessary.
Recipe Card
Easy Banana Caramel Muffins (Banoffee Muffins)
Ingredients
- 200 g (1 ⅔ cups) self-raising flour (note 1 - read if you are based in the US)
- ½ teaspoon sea or kosher salt
- 3 ripe bananas mashed
- 90 g (6 tablespoon) unsalted butter melted
- 120 g (½ cups) brown sugar
- 1 egg
- 2 tablespoon milk
- 70 g (⅓ cup) caramel sauce
Instructions
- Heat your oven to 220C or 430F.
- Prepare 6 muffin cases or grease a muffin tray.
- Mix the self-raising flour and salt in a bowl.
- Incorporate the mashed banana, unsalted butter, brown sugar, egg, and milk in another bowl.
- Add the bowl of dry ingredients and mix until a smooth thick muffin batter is formed.
- Spoon the batter into the cases or greased muffin tray until they are one-third full and then add a teaspoon-sized dollop of caramel sauce to each one. (note 2)
- Continue to fill the cases until they are two-thirds full and add another teaspoon-sized dollop of caramel sauce to each muffin.
- Spoon the remaining batter into the cases or muffin tray (it should reach the top) and finish with a final dollop of caramel sauce in each.
- Bake for 5 minutes at 220C or 430F.
- Reduce the heat to 180C or 350F and continue to bake for a further 10-15 minutes.
- Check the muffins are baked by inserting a cocktail stick or cake tester into the middle. If it comes out clean the muffins are done if it comes out with batter the muffins need a little longer.
- Transfer the baked muffins to a cooling rack and enjoy.
Notes
If the caramel sauce is a little stiff after being stored in the fridge place it in the microwave for 20 seconds to loosen it up and make it easier to spoon into the muffin cases.
I love the way you've presented the recipe. It's straight forward and written so that it's easy on the eye. No need to go flying from the end back to the start and so on, it's laid out in an informative and practical way, you seem to have thought of everything! Many thanks!
Thanks, Jonathan, that's great to hear!