It’s not very often that you’ll see me post a muffin recipe. For a couple of decades now, I’ve been using a recipe that I’ve adapted from Cook’s Illustrated, Big, Beautiful Muffins and there are so many variations that I’m normally absolutely content in making those. But there are few muffins that aren’t able to be made with that recipe…one is a pumpkin muffin, and so came about Healthier Cinnamon Sugar Pumpkin Muffins and the other is a banana muffin. And that’s where these marvelous muffins, King Arthur Banana Streusel Muffins come in.

King Arthur Banana Streusel Muffins

I do have a couple muffin “oddities” on my site, too. One is a recipe to use up leftover oatmeal. I was pretty intrigued with that because I love to make oatmeal and often have some leftover in the fridge. Especially when I make my Steel Cut Oatmeal in the Instant Pot. My Leftover Oatmeal Muffins are tasty, but admittedly not very pretty and just a bit squat. They serve their purpose. Then there’s the Cinnamon Swirl Ragamuffins. They’re great to make with or for kids, basically a fancy biscuit – best eaten right away.

About King Arthur Banana Streusel Muffins:

So since I’ve been blogging for almost 10 years, you can see it takes a lot for me to deviate from my much loved Big Beautiful Muffin recipe! But when I do, that muffin either has to be really good and/or serve a specific purpose. This one is both! Maybe I need to deviate more often, lol!!

I know not everyone can access the New York Times without a subscription, so you might not be able to see this article entitled “Heating Up Ovens For the State Fair.” It was written by Andreea Zimmerman after she spent the afternoon with the Cwikla family in Connecticut as the daughter, Anna Marie baked for the fair. And it went on to say how there was a Junior Competition at the local fairs put on by King Arthur Flour where these muffins had to be made. What I don’t know is if King Arthur does that everywhere or if it’s still going on. That was back in 1997.

I’m glad, though, that I came across that old recipe…and I hope you’ll be glad, too, if you give these a shot. They’re super easy, mix by hand, and I’ve added an optional little powdered sugar glaze. Because sometimes, you just have to gild the lily. And now, there’s competition for my Classic Banana Bread I make with those old, brown bananas I keep tossing in my freezer.

King Arthur Banana Streusel Muffins

Making King Arthur Banana Streusel Muffins:

I love a super easy muffin recipe like this one, and I especially love a recipe that doesn’ t need to have buttermilk, which I hate buying. And yeah, I do usually use that told substitute with vinegar, but to tell the truth, it’s nice when I don’t have to. Over the years, I’ve learned to keep two white vinegars in my kitchen, a small, glass bottle that I refill and a larger one under the sink, but still, it’s just one more little hassle when you’re not a morning person, to begin with!!

The recipe says to use butter or margarine. My vote’s always for butter even if it does cost a bit more. Who you gonna trust, cows or chemists? No offense intended to any chemists out there! Spray or grease your muffin tins well. These do have a tendency to stick. And don’t use the paper liners – half your muffin will end up stuck to them as you peel it off the muffins.

When I mix up the streusel, I lay it out on a sheet pan and stick it in the freezer as I make the muffins. Then, it holds its shape so much better than if it’s just refrigerated or left at room temperature. If the streusel is at all melty and sticks to the pan, just run a spatula under it. As a matter of fact, it’s not unusual to see frozen streusel in my freezer – when I like a recipe and know I’ll be making it again, soon,  I’ll double the streusel and after it’s hardened in the freezer, put half of it in a Ziploc. That saves me a step for next time. And I mentioned the glaze, already, on these muffins. First of all, they’re 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 glaze, let’s just say, you won’t be sorry!

King Arthur Banana Streusel Muffins

Saving Money on King Arthur Banana Streusel Muffins:

I pick up most of my baked goods at Aldi, where the prices rival the sale prices at my regular grocery. Before we had an Aldi, I’d really watch the holiday sales, especially around Thanksgiving, Christmas, and Easter when baked goods are at their lowest and producers often put out scads of coupons. Then I’d stock up.

I haven’t mentioned it for a while, but anytime I bring any flour or flour-based items into my home, they go right into the freezer for three days. That eliminates the possibility of bringing any “peskies” into the house.

I don’t know about you, but I always seem to have bananas in my freezer. I mean to eat them when I buy them, but they sometimes go so fast! If you know what recipes you are going to bake with your bananas, rather than chucking the bananas in whole where they take up so much room, add the right amount to a Ziploc, mash them right inside (with a tablespoon of lemon juice if you don’t want them to brown) then flatten them out so it stores easily. Take the Ziploc out the night before you want to use them and thaw overnight in the fridge. Make sure to label. Most of the recipes I make take three bananas; it seems to be a “standard” measurement for things like muffins, banana bread, and cake.

King Arthur Banana Streusel Muffins