Spiced Banana, Walnut and Chocolate Muffins, with Chocolate Frosting

As often happens, I found two ripe bananas in the kitchen, and decided to use them as a base for quick muffins.

The bananas found were soon mixed with butter, brown and white sugar, eggs and buttermilk. To that basic mixture, I’ve also added a bit of malted milk powder, which enhances flavors and creates a light texture in pastries.

Chopped walnuts and chocolate chips added their flavor, and crunchy texture, while cinnamon, cardamom and vanilla, added their warm aroma. All these created light and highly flavorful tasty muffins.

While the muffins are tasty on their own, topping them with a thick chocolate and sour cream frosting made them even tastier. This frosting is very easy to prepare, and has a unique tangy flavor, that adds a nice contrast to the muffins.

The muffins are perfect for serving as part of a brunch buffet, or as a light snack any time of the day. Try them and enjoy.

 

Notes:

* Malted milk powder is a mix of whole milk powder and malted barley/wheat. It is mostly used when preparing malted milkshakes, but it is also used in baking. It is available in specially stores or online.

* The unfrosted muffins can be frozen, in freezer bags, for up to two months.

 

Makes: 24

Prep time: 20 minutes

Baking time: 25 minutes

 

Ingredients:

For the muffins:

1 stick (115gram) butter, very soft

1 cup dark brown sugar, packed

½ cup white sugar

¼ cup malted milk powder (see notes)

1 tsp cinnamon powder

1 tsp cardamom powder

1 tsp vanilla

2 L eggs

2 medium ripe banana

1¼ cups buttermilk, at room temperature

2 cups flour

1 Tbs baking powder

¼ tsp salt

½ cup roughly chopped walnuts

½ cup mini dark chocolate chips

For the frosting (enough for 6-8):

½ cup mini dark chocolate chips

1 Tbs oil

½ cup sour cream

 

1. Preheat the oven to 350F (175C). Line two muffin pans with 24 baking paper cups.
2. In a large bowl, whisk together the butter, brown and white sugar, malted milk powder and spices. Add the eggs and bananas, and whisk until smooth. Add the buttermilk and whisk again. (The mixture will look broken, but that’s fine.)
3. Add the flour, baking powder and salt, and mix to a smooth batter.
4. Switch to a spatula, add the walnuts and chocolate chips, and mix to incorporate. Divide the batter between the baking cups.
5. Bake for about 25 minutes, until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Transfer to a rack, to cool to room temperature.
6. The frosting: place the chocolate chips in a small bowl, add the oil and mix. Melt over a double boiler, or in the microwave. Mix until smooth, add the sour cream and mix well. Spread the frosting over the top of the muffins soon after, as it tends to harden quickly (which is why it’s best to make a small batch at a time). Let the frosting set and serve.