Butternut Squash Banana Muffins (Printer-friendly)
Moist banana and roasted butternut squash muffins, spiced with cinnamon—ideal for breakfast or an afternoon snack.
# What You Need:
→ Produce
01 - 1 cup butternut squash puree (from roasted butternut squash)
02 - 2 ripe bananas, mashed
→ Dry Ingredients
03 - 2 cups all-purpose flour
04 - 1 teaspoon baking powder
05 - 1 teaspoon baking soda
06 - ½ teaspoon salt
07 - 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
08 - ½ teaspoon ground nutmeg
→ Wet Ingredients
09 - 2 large eggs
10 - ½ cup brown sugar, packed
11 - ¼ cup granulated sugar
12 - ⅓ cup vegetable oil (or melted coconut oil)
13 - 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
→ Optional Add-ins
14 - ½ cup chopped walnuts or pecans
15 - ½ cup chocolate chips
# How to Make It:
01 - Preheat oven to 350°F. Line a 12-cup muffin pan with paper liners or lightly grease with baking spray.
02 - In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, and nutmeg until evenly distributed.
03 - In a medium bowl, beat the eggs, brown sugar, and granulated sugar until well combined. Stir in the oil, vanilla extract, mashed bananas, and butternut squash puree until smooth.
04 - Pour the wet mixture into the dry ingredients and fold gently until just combined. Do not overmix to keep muffins tender.
05 - Gently fold in chopped nuts or chocolate chips if using.
06 - Divide the batter evenly among the prepared muffin cups, filling each about three-quarters full.
07 - Bake for 22 to 25 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center of a muffin comes out clean.
08 - Let the muffins cool in the pan for 5 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely before serving.
# Expert Tips:
01 -
- These muffins stay incredibly moist for days thanks to the double hit of squash and banana working together.
- They freeze beautifully, so you can batch bake on a Sunday and grab one on your way out the door all week.
02 -
- Overmixing the batter is the fastest way to end up with rubbery muffins, so stop folding the moment the flour disappears.
- Making your own squash puree by roasting peeled cubes at 400 degrees F for 30 minutes and then blending produces a thicker, richer puree than anything from a can.
03 -
- Let the wet mixture cool slightly if your roasted squash is still warm, because heat can start cooking the eggs before they even hit the oven.
- A single extra minute in the oven dries these out fast, so start checking with a toothpick at the 20 minute mark just to be safe.