Whole Wheat Banana Spice Muffins with Brown Butter Glaze

Whole Wheat Banana Spice Muffins with Brown Butter Glaze.

April 10, 2012

Do you know the muffin man?

I do I do I do.

Probably a little too well… especially after he delivered these muffins.

If you know what I mean.

I’m also blaming the muffin man for making me drive to my parents’ house last night to eat Easter leftovers where I proceeded to pour gravy over my turkey-filled CROISSANT. Oh wait, CROISSANTS. Croissants with an “s.” I had two. This may rival the whole gravy on french fries things. What I did can only be described as pouring salty fat on top of layers of butter.

And the worst part is that now? It’s all I ever want to eat for the rest of my life. I see no problem here.

You know what? I succeed at taking something fairly healthy and dousing it in brown butter or a delicious brown butter-like substance. Right?

Embrace it. It’s the easiest solution.

It’s not going anywhere.

The good news is that I fly through bananas like whoa. Healthy stuff! As one of my favorite fruits, the fact that they sit out on the counter directly in my line of vision – since I spend my entire life inside the walls of my kitchen – only helps their cause. Maybe if I could leave spinach or broccoli or something else green sitting out on the counter I’d eat more of it? Because we all know that my crisper drawer is where produce goes… to DIE.

So if you don’t feel like making muffins I am here to tell you that it’s totally appropriate to whip together some brown butter glaze and lick it off a spoon. That’s what I’m for: your sanity.

Whole Wheat Banana Spice Muffins

makes 12 muffins

2 cups whole wheat pastry flour

1 teaspoon baking soda

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon cinnamon

1/4 teaspoon nutmeg

1/4 teaspoon cardamom

1 large egg

1/3 cup packed brown sugar

1/4 cup unsalted butter, melted and cooled

2/3 cup milk

1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract

2 medium ripe bananas, mashed

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. In a bowl, whisk together flour, baking soda, salt and spices. Set aside. Line a muffin tin with liners.

In a large bowl, whisk egg and brown sugar together until smooth and no lumps remain. Add in vanilla extract, butter and milk, whisking again until smooth, then stir in mashed bananas. Gradually add in dry ingredients, mixing until just combined. Fill each muffin liner 2/3 of the way full with batter (I use a 1/4 cup measure to get the muffins to be of equal size).

Bake for 15-17 minutes, or until tops are no longer wet and become slightly golden. Remove and let cool until comfortable to the touch.

Brown Butter Glaze

1/4 cup unsalted butter

1/2-3/4 cup powdered sugar

1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 1/2 tablespoons milk

Heat a small saucepan over medium-low heat and add butter. Whisk constantly until melted, then continue to whisk as bubbles form, the butter begins to foam, and eventually brown bits appear in the bottom of the pan. This will take about 5-6 minutes total. As soon as the brown bits appear, remove from heat. I always stir for an additional 30 seconds or so. Let cool for 10 minutes.

In a large bowl combine brown butter, vanilla extract and powdered sugar. Whisk until the mixture comes together then add in 1 tablespoon of milk, continuing to mix. I always stir my glazes for a good 3-4 minutes so they really come together. If it still doesn’t appear glaze-like, add in milk 1/2 tablespoon at a time and mix again. Don’t worry if it becomes too liquidy – just add a tiny bit of powdered sugar until you get the desired consistency. Spoon glaze on warm muffins or dip each top in the glaze, then serve.