I have a favorite muffin recipe so it’s not often you’ll see me go rogue. But now and then, I find something so irresistible I can’t wait to make them! That’s where these marvelous  King Arthur Banana Streusel Muffins come in.

King Arthur Banana Streusel Muffins

I love these muffins. They’re easy, straightforward, mix by hand and they’re everything a muffin should be: full of flavor with a beautiful streusel topping, optional drizzle, and a nice, everyday size.

About King Arthur Banana Streusel Muffins:

There’s a story behind these muffins. Use the Jump To Recipe Button (above) if you wish to skip.

Not everyone can access the New York Times without a subscription, but the recipe for these muffins comes from a 1997 article: “Heating Up Ovens For the State Fair.” by Andrea Zimmermann.

In Connecticut, all fairs belonging to the Association of Connecticut Fairs accept and judge entries in state baking contests. There is a specific recipe each year for adults and juniors, and that year, the junior recipe was King Arthur’s Banana Streusel Muffins.

For the contest, directions have to be followed exactly, and the contestants lose points for any slight deviation.

I wouldn’t have scored; I couldn’t resist an optional little powdered sugar drizzle over the top. Because sometimes, you just have to gild the lily.

King Arthur Banana Streusel Muffins

Making King Arthur Banana Streusel Muffins:

I love a recipe like this that doesn’t call for buttermilk. Sure, you can do the old trick of adding a little vinegar to milk, but it’s even better to skip that step, amirite? This is also made exclusively with white sugar (except for the optional drizzle) so that’s nice, too.

Bonus for a recipe, too, that doesn’t require the softening and creaming of butter. The recipe calls for melted margarine or butter, so that’s a snap! They’re mixed by hand and ya gotta love that!

For the best flavor, use butter. Besides, who are you gonna trust more, cows or chemists? No offense intended to any chemists out there but some of you do bad stuff to food.

These do have a tendency to stick. Spray or grease your muffin tins very well. Do not use the paper liners – half of your muffins will end up stuck to them as you peel the liners off.

Streusel is even better added on when it is frozen – make extra for another recipe – just keep it in your freezer in a Ziploc.

The Streusel:

The recipe calls to mix the streusel up first and refrigerate while making the muffins.

I like to deviate. First of all, I’ll crumble the streusel, then lay the streusel out on a sheet pan and freeze; it holds its shape while being baked better than if it is just refrigerated.

As long as I’m making streusel, I’ll often double or triple and after it’s frozen hard, place the excess in a ziploc in my freezer. It’s a fabulous little cheat just to have some streusel on hand for any spur-of-the-moment baking.

If your frozen streusel sticks to the sheet pan, use a thin spatula to scrape it off.

The Drizzle:

Let’s talk about the powdered sugar drizzle. First of all, the muffins are perfectly good without it, but if you’re not eating the muffins warm, right away, and give them a chance to cool enough for the drizzle, you won’t be sorry!

It is simple to mix up; take the bit of butter out ahead and mash the soft butter into the powdered sugar; it makes a thicker drizzle than melted butter.

King Arthur Banana Streusel Muffins

Storing & Reheating:

• To store, cool on the counter, then cover. Over time the streusel might soften. Reheat in the oven at 350 degrees F. for about 10 to 15 minutes for best results. If you’re not worried about preserving the streusel, microwave for about a minute. Any drizzle will melt with either method.
• Freeze cooled muffins (without the drizzle) for up to three months either in freezer bags or individually wrapped. Thaw on the counter after opening the wrapping a little, which prevents condensation. Reheat as above.

Saving Money on King Arthur Banana Streusel Muffins:

Making your own baked goods will always save money in the long run, even if there is an initial outlay for ingredients or equipment. The grocery markup is extraordinary.

General Baking Items:

My standard advice for saving on any baking items is to stock up during your grocery holiday sales. Many items are up to half off. To see what’s on sale before the major food holidays, see Win at the Grocer.

Discount stores like Aldi or Lidl, if you have one nearby, have great pricing on baking items year-round, as does your buyer’s club. A few things to keep in mind:

• Discount stores, especially Lidl sometimes have holiday sales on baking goods.
• At your buyer’s club, you may need to buy in larger quantities and the pricing is generally not as good as the discount stores.

Butter: 

If you have a freezer there’s no reason to ever buy butter at full price. It goes on sale often enough and freezes well. (If you are interested in saving money, you should have a deep freeze.)

• Butter is usually on sale before any holiday but reaches a rock bottom low before Easter, Thanksgiving, and Christmas. Stock up at a low, and buy enough to last until the next great sale. Count out the weeks between holidays and buy appropriately.
• Both Aldi & Lidl have great pricing on butter (and sale prices before holidays) and so does your buyers club; quantities might be larger at your buyer’s club than at your grocery or discount store.

Flour:

Anytime you bring flour or flour-based items into your home, immediately freeze for three days to avoid any possibility of pests.

Bananas:

Bananas do go on sale, so that’s a great excuse to buy more.

Toss extras whole in the freezer or mash them in quantities used for your favorite recipes and freeze them in a Ziploc. If you only have one or two, note how many are in the bag and then add to them until there is enough for a recipe.

Kids love bananas on a stick dipped in chocolate and frozen.

King Arthur Banana Streusel Muffins

King Arthur Banana Streusel Muffins

Print Recipe

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• Author: slightly adapted from King Arthur Flour, via the New York Times
• Prep Time: 40 minutes
• Total Time: 40 minutes
• Yield: 12 muffins 1x
• Category: breakfast & brunch
• Cuisine: American

Ingredients

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Streusel:

• 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
• 1/4 cup sugar
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon
• 4 tablespoons (1/2 stick) butter or margarine, room temperature

Muffins:

• 1 1/2 cups flour
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 3 large, ripe bananas, mashed
• 3/4 cup sugar
• 1 egg, slightly beaten
• 1/3 cup butter or margarine, melted

Powdered Sugar Drizzle:

• 1 cup powdered sugar
• 2 tablespoons butter or margarine, softened
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 3 to 4 tablespoons milk or half-and-half

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Instructions

Streusel:

For the topping, in a medium bowl, mix flour, sugar, and cinnamon. Add butter or margarine and mix with a fork or pastry cutter until crumbly and most of the crumbs are pea-sized. Refrigerate while preparing muffin batter.

Muffins:

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Generously spray muffin tins with nonstick spray. (Do not use paper muffin cup liners.)

In large bowl, combine flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt. Set aside.

In another bowl, combine mashed bananas, sugar, slightly beaten egg, and melted butter or margarine. Mix well. Fold into dry ingredients just until moistened.

Fill greased muffin cups two-thirds full. Using hands, arrange coarse, pea-sized crumbs over muffin batter.

Bake at 375 degrees for 18 to 20 minutes or until muffins test done with a cake tester. Cool in pan 5-10 minutes before removing to a wire rack. Serve warm or at room temperature.

Note: If desired drizzle with a powdered sugar drizzle after muffins are cool.

Powdered Sugar Drizzle:

Mix all ingredients together with a fork until smooth, using the minimum amount of liquid. Add the last tablespoon slowly bit by bit, stirring, until desired consistency is reached.