Bananas and walnuts are, of course, a great flavor combination any time of year, but I especially love these muffins in the cooler months when there aren’t a lot of muffin-friendly fruits in season.
One of the secrets to their great flavor? Toasted nuts. (Read this post for more about toasted nuts and why they’ll make such a difference in all your cooking.)
Makes 24 regular or 10 jumbo muffins
- 4 large eggs
- 1 1/2 cups plain yogurt
- 3/4 cup (1 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter, melted
- 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 1/2 cups whole wheat flour
- 1 cup sugar
- 2 tablespoons baking powder
- 2 teaspoons baking soda
- 1 teaspoon coarse kosher salt
- 2 large bananas, peeled, halved lengthwise, and sliced (you should have about 2 1/4 cups), divided
- 1 cup chopped toasted walnuts, plus 1/4 cup chopped raw walnuts (untoasted), divided (see note)
Preheat an oven to 375°F. Coat muffin tins with nonstick cooking spray.
In a large bowl, whisk together the eggs, yogurt, butter, and vanilla. Set aside.
In a medium bowl, combine the flours, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Mix the flour mixture into the egg mixture, stirring until almost combined. Set aside 1/4 cup of the bananas. Add the remaining bananas and toasted walnuts to the batter, stirring until just combined.
Fill the muffin tins barely to the top. Arrange the reserved bananas and raw walnuts on top. Bake until the muffin tops are golden brown and set, about 25 minutes for regular muffins or 30 minutes for jumbo muffins.
NOTE To toast nuts, preheat the oven to 350°F. Spread the nuts onto a rimmed baking sheet and bake until lightly browned and fragrant, 6 to 10 minutes, depending on the type of nut and the size of the pieces. (Read this post for more about toasted nuts and why they'll make such a difference in all your cooking.)
