Easy Banana Caramel Muffins

Key ingredients and possible alternatives

• Self-raising flour - enables the muffins to rise when they bake. UK self-raising flour contains ½ tsp 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 flavour. The riper the better!
• Caramel sauce - adds yummy caramel flavour 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 flavour.
• 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

1. Use ripe bananas - they are easier to mash and have a much stronger and sweeter flavour than unripe bananas. The riper the better!
2. 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.
3. 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.
4. 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

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