Brown Butter Banana Nut Muffins Recipe

Brown Butter Banana Nut Muffins

Tall tops, toasty nuts, and caramelized banana flavor

prep time: 20 min

cook time: 25 min

Tall brown butter banana nut muffins with crunchy sugar tops - Hungry Mockingbird

Toasty, deeply flavorful, soft inside, and crowned with crunchy sugar and golden tops.

The brown butter adds richness and depth. The sour cream keeps them moist. And if you’re someone who secretly loves the muffin top more than the actual muffin… this one’s for you.

Makes: 6 jumbo muffins or 12 standard
Time: ~1 hour (plus optional rest time)

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From the Kitchen

Pro Tips & Variations

Don’t skip the rest. Even 30 minutes helps develop the structure for taller muffins.

Not into walnuts? Try pecans, chocolate chips, or even shredded coconut.

No sour cream? Greek yogurt (2% or whole) works perfectly.

For extra browning on top, bake in a dark metal muffin pan if you have one.

Why This Works:

Browned butter for nutty depth, sour cream for moisture, and a rested batter plus a hot 425°F start for tall, bakery-style muffin tops

Tall brown butter banana nut muffins with crunchy sugar tops - Hungry Mockingbird

Brown Butter Banana Nut Muffins

Ingredients

For the Muffins

½ cup salted butter 116g, browned and cooled
1 cup light brown sugar 200g, packed
2 large eggs room temperature
1½ cups mashed ripe bananas 360g, about 3 large
¼ cup sour cream or Greek yogurt 64g
1 tsp vanilla extract
1¾ cups all-purpose flour 266g
1 tsp baking soda
½ tsp baking powder
½ tsp kosher salt
1 tsp ground cinnamon optional, but highly recommended
¾ cup chopped walnuts 90g, plus more for topping

Optional Toppings

turbinado/raw sugar for a crunchy top
more walnuts

Instructions

Brown the Butter

Melt butter in a small saucepan over high heat, whisking constantly (do.not.step.away!). After about 3–5 minutes, it’ll turn golden, smell nutty, and develop brown bits at the bottom. Immediately remove from heat and let cool.

Mix the Wet Ingredients

In a large bowl, whisk together browned butter and brown sugar until well combined.
Add eggs, mashed banana, sour cream (or Greek yogurt), and vanilla. Whisk until smooth.

Combine the Dry Ingredients

In another bowl, whisk together flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt, and cinnamon.
Gently fold the dry ingredients into the wet mixture, just until no dry streaks remain. Fold in the walnuts.

Rest the Batter (Optional Cheffy Tip that I HIGHLY encourage)

Cover and let the batter rest for 30–60 minutes at room temp, or even better, overnight in the fridge. This hydrates the flour and gives you tall, bakery-style muffin tops. (Yes, it really makes a difference.)

Bake

Preheat oven to 425°F (218°C). Line or grease your muffin tin and fill each cup all the way to the top. Top with extra walnuts, banana slices, and/or turbinado sugar.
If you like a denser, cake-textured muffin: bake at 425°F for 13-15 minutes for standard size muffins, or 17-20 minutes for jumbo muffins.
If you like a more spongey, light muffin: bake at 425°F for 5 minutes, then reduce to 350°F (177°C) and continue baking — jumbo muffins 18–22 more minutes, standard muffins 14–16 more minutes.
They’re done when a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.