Bananas, cherries, and chocolate. Three delicious words brought together in this recipe for Banana Cherry Nut Muffins sure to make you happy! Moist and delicious with fresh cherries and walnuts baked right in, this is the perfect addition to your morning cuppa or afternoon snack!
I have been buying alot of bananas lately. This also means that I have had a lot of over ripe bananas on my hands. I made some Banana Crumb Muffins about a week or so ago. I had to admit, that is the best banana muffin I have ever made. However, since I had just made that recipe I decided I wanted to do something different with my next batch of banana muffins.
This is where the cherries come in. I've been on a great big cherry kick. They have been at really good prices in the grocery stores lately and I've been buying them and eating them like crazy. I also have my new cherry pitter and absolutely love to use it and having fresh cherries in my baked goods. So much better than buying a canned cherry any day!
This will definitely be another keeper recipe. I loved the moist bites of cherries in the muffin, the crunch of the walnuts, and the little bit of chocolate drizzle set it right off the chart for me.
For this muffin I wanted texture, so I used two bananas slightly mashed to go in with the cherries and walnuts in the batter. Turned out perfect. At first I was afraid it would leave mushy spots inside the banana, but it didn't, so I was very happy!
Make these muffins for yourself, go out on your porch with your cup of coffee and a couple of these, and enjoy the comfortable morning temps. Sounds like a perfect situation to me. 😉
Banana Cherry Nut Muffins
Author:
Prep time:
Cook time:
Total time:
Serves: 18 muffins
Ingredients
- 1 cup white whole wheat flour
- 1 cup all-purpose flour
- 1-½ teaspoons baking soda
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 4 very ripe bananas
- 1 cup light brown sugar
- 2 eggs
- ¾ cup (1-½ sticks) unsalted butter, melted
- ½ cup fresh cherries, pitted and chopped
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- ½ teaspoon almond extract
- ⅓ cup chopped walnuts
- [b]Chocolate Drizzle:[/b]
- ⅓ cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
- 2 tablespoons fat free half and half
Instructions
- Pre-heat oven to 375 degrees. Prepare muffin pans by lining with 18 muffin liners or spraying pans with non-stick cooking spray.
- Sift together flours, baking soda, and salt. Set aside.
- Mash two of the bananas with the brown sugar, setting the other two aside until later. Using an electric mixer, mix until thoroughly combined. Add eggs, extracts, and melted butter and mix until all is well incorporated and mixture looks creamy.
- Mash the other two bananas, leaving slightly chunky. Mix into wet ingredients along with the chopped cherries and walnuts.
- Fold the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients until just incorporated. Do not beat!
- Bake for 18 -20 minutes (I baked mine 18 min exactly). After muffins have slightly cooled top with chocolate drizzle.
- For Chocolate Drizzle: Melt chocolate and half and half in the microwave for 1 to 1-½ minutes. Stir until smooth.
Notes
You could also add some small pieces of pineapple (fresh or dried) and give this a total "banana split" flavor. Walnuts are optional and other nuts could be substituted.
BANANA CHERRY NUT MUFFINS - PIN IT!
Aimee says
Made these Friday, gone by Sunday morning (today) and now making another batch! So good, even without the drizzle!
Shelby says
So glad they were enjoyed so much! Thank you for stopping by to let me know!
Stephanie Pass says
I hear you about the bananas. I'm always looking for banana recipes, and this looks wonderful. My husband's favorite fruits are bananas and cherries. I think he'd love these muffins. Definitely making them soon.
Lois Christensen says
These look soooooo good! Came over from your Facebook page! Enjoy your weekend!
Megan's Cookin' says
These sound so inviting. I want to make them now so I can have them with my morning coffee out on the deck! Love the chocolate and cherry combo.
Amish Stories says
Looks rich but I wont tell if you dont! Richard
Leslie says
I am guilty of over buying bananas too. These sound scrumptious