Save those browning bananas by making these moist banana muffins with black sesame streusel. Easy and no mixer needed, you can have these ready in under one hour.
Ease Level & Flavor Profile
Ease Level: Beginner friendly! You don’t need a mixer and while an ice cream scoop is helpful, you can spoon the batter and streusel topping instead.
Flavor Profile: The banana muffin is moist and full of spiced banana flavor. When paired with the black sesame streusel topping, it adds a nice buttery, crisp texture with a nutty flavor. This flavor combo works similarly to banana with peanut butter but the black sesame is a lighter nutty flavor instead.
My mother-in-law AND my mom love to buy bananas….and forget about them, haha! To avoid the sad fate of tossing them, I decided to try roasting them and they turned out AMAZING. Since there were still too many though, I froze the rest and saved them for a baking day and that's how these banana muffins with black sesame streusel topping came to be. This was actually made up of a pantry clean out day so I didn't want it to take too many steps for a quick way to use up my ingredients for a delicious treat. They turned out to be so good, I had to pack them up to share with my friends and write up the recipe to share with you too! If I had a bakery cafe, I would definitely serve these.
Main Ingredients
- Taiwanese black sugar: Taiwanese black sugar, also known as "黑糖" (hēi táng), is an unrefined sugar made from sugarcane. Similar to Japanese “kuromitsu”, it has a deep, rich flavor with molasses-like undertones and a dark brown to almost black color. This sugar is often used in Taiwanese desserts, bubble tea, and traditional sweets, adding a distinctive caramel-like sweetness and depth of flavor. It can also be used in savory dishes for balance. This can usually be found in local Asian marts in the sugar section. If it’s difficult to find, using light or dark brown sugar works as well.
- Cinnamon and Cardamom: These are the spice combo I love using in this banana muffin recipe and the amazing part about this…you can always substitute for your favorite spices instead!Cinnamon and Cardamom: These are the spice combo I love using in this banana muffin recipe and the amazing part about this…you can always substitute for your favorite spices instead!
- Toasted milk powder: This is totally optional. When I rediscovered adding milk powder to cookies for an extra milky/buttery flavor, I started adding it to cake batters for another level of flavor as well. Even without it, this muffin recipe is delicious!
- Banana: I like to freeze my browned bananas for a future baking day. First I roast my bananas in the oven (350F for about 20mins but keep an eye on them around 10-15mins, add more time as needed) for a caramelized flavor and then freeze them. When defrosting the frozen bananas, they will become mushy but no worries, you would have been mashing them anyway. For this banana muffin recipe, you're welcome to just used mashed fresh bananas too. Browned is just tastier and roasted is even better :)
- Chocolate chips: Use your favorite chocolate chips or other add ins for extra flavor and texture ~
- Black sesame powder: Black sesame seeds are tiny, dark seeds with a rich, nutty flavor. You'll find it often in Asian cuisines as a garnish and ingredient in both sweet and savory dishes. I use the grounded version of black sesame to replace some of the wheat flour in the streusel topping and for more nutty flavor. If anyone is allergic to peanuts, sometimes they are also allergic to black sesame so be careful serving to those with nut allergies. I learned this from when I used to sell custom cakes and a mom-client taught me since her child has a nut allergy.
How To Store Banana Muffins
- At room temperature: Store in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days. I recommend toasting it for a nice, warm muffin and pairing it with coffee or tea.
- Freeze: In an airtight container, freeze for up to 3 months. Let it defrost at room temperature. Enjoy it after defrosting or slice in half and toast for a warm muffin.
Enjoy! :) Please tag @sparklecakerie if you make this! I’d love to see and share your creations <3
Banana Muffin with Black Sesame Streusal
Ingredients
Dry Ingredients For Banana Muffins
- 250 grams all-purpose flour
- 300 grams Taiwanese granulated black sugar or light brown sugar
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon cardamom optional
- ½ teaspoon ground ginger
- 2 teaspoon baking powder
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon fine sea salt
- 20 grams toasted milk powder optional
- 4 ounces semi sweet chocolate chips optional
Liquid Ingredients For Banana Muffins
- 150 grams vegetable oil
- 4 large eggs
- 425 grams banana pureed
Ingredients For Black Sesame Streusel
- 85 grams unsalted butter melted and cooled
- 100 grams Taiwanese granulated black sugar or light brown sugar
- 150 grams all-purpose flour
- ¼ teaspoon fine sea salt
- 30 grams ground black sesame
- 30 grams toasted coconut shavings
- 30 grams rolled oats
- 30 grams pecans or walnuts toasted and roughly chopped (optional)
Instructions
Directions for Banana Muffin Batter
- Line a cupcake tin with muffin liners, leaving every other cavity empty to promote even baking.
- In a mixing bowl, combine the dry ingredients for the banana muffins.
- Add the vegetable oil and mix in the eggs, one at a time, until mostly combined.
- Gently fold in the banana puree and chocolate chips (if using), then set aside to prepare the black sesame streusel.
- Preheat the oven to 325°F (with fan) or 350°F (without fan).
Directions for Black Sesame Streusel
- In a medium-sized mixing bowl, combine all the dry ingredients.
- Gradually mix in melted butter until the mixture forms a crumbly, sandy texture. Set aside to start assembling the muffins
Assembling Muffins
- Use a 2-ounce ice cream scoop to place 2 scoops of banana muffin batter into each cupcake cavity lined with muffin liners.
- Wipe any remaining batter off the scoop, then use it to evenly distribute the black sesame streusel on top of the batter.
- Bake for 20-25 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out mostly clean. Let the muffins cool and enjoy!
Comments
No Comments