Henry's Tall Texas Banana Nut Muffins

Ingredients

Dry Ingredients

Whisk these together first so the leaveners are evenly spread.

• 270g (2¼ cups) all-purpose flour — Metric is the preferred measurement.
• 6g (1½ tsp) baking powder
• 7g (1½ tsp) baking soda
• 4g (¾ tsp) fine salt

Wet Ingredients

The bananas are the liquid in this recipe. There's no milk, no sour cream, and no spice hiding the flavor.

• 505g (about 4 to 5 large bananas, 2 cups mashed) very ripe bananas, mashed — Heavily speckled or black. Weigh after mashing, anywhere from 500g to 510g.
• 225g (1 cup + 2 tbsp) granulated sugar
• 75g (1½ large eggs) beaten egg — Beat 2 eggs together and weigh out 75g.
• 113g (½ cup (1 stick)) unsalted butter, melted and cooled slightly
• 3g banana or 5g vanilla (¾ tsp banana or 1 tsp vanilla) banana extract or vanilla extract — Use one or the other, not both.

Nuts and Topping

• 60g (½ cup) pecans or walnuts, finely chopped — Fold 45g into the batter and hold back 15g for the tops.
• 25g (2 tbsp) turbinado sugar — For a crunchy, sparkly bakery top.

Pro tip: Weigh the batter into the wells, about 205-210g each. A full, heavy portion is what pushes the batter up into a tall crown instead of out into a flat top.

Equipment

• Texas-Size Jumbo Muffin Tin
• Tulip Muffin Liners (optional)
• Large and Medium Mixing Bowls
• Balloon Whisk
• Flexible Spatula
• Digital Scale
• Instant-Read Thermometer
• Wire Cooling Rack

Method

Prepare the Pan and Oven

Get the oven fully hot before you mix. This batter should go in the minute it's portioned.

1. Preheat the Oven. Heat the oven to 425°F (220°C) with a rack in the center. Give it a full 20 minutes.
2. Prep the Tin. Grease the six wells of a Texas-size muffin tin well, including the top surface around each well where the crown will spread, or set in tall tulip liners.

Tip: Grease the flat top of the pan too. A tall Texas crown spills over the rim of the well, and an ungreased pan tears it off when you unmold.

Mix the Dry Ingredients

Distribute the leaveners before anything wet touches them.

1. Whisk the Dry Mixture. Whisk the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt together in a medium bowl for about 30 seconds.

Mix the Banana Base

Mash the bananas well. A few small lumps are fine and give you pockets of banana in the crumb.

1. Mash. Mash the bananas in a large bowl with a fork or potato masher until mostly smooth, then weigh out 500g to 510g.
2. Mix the Wet. Add the sugar, egg, melted butter, and extract to the banana and whisk until combined. The sugar doesn't need to dissolve.

Tip: Let the melted butter cool for 5 minutes first. Hot butter and cold egg together can scramble a little.

Combine the Batter

Fold, don't beat. The flour should just disappear.

1. Fold Dry Into Wet. Add the dry ingredients to the banana mixture and fold with a spatula just until you don't see dry flour. Stop there. Don't beat it smooth.
2. Fold In the Nuts. Set aside 15g of the chopped nuts for the tops. Fold the remaining 45g into the batter in about five strokes.

Tip: Lumpy, thick batter is the goal. Every extra stroke builds gluten and turns a tender crown into a tough, tunneled muffin.

Fill the Wells

Heavy, even portions for tall, even crowns.

1. Portion the Batter. Divide the batter among the six wells, about 205-210g each. It'll come right up to the top of the well. That's correct.
2. Top It. Scatter the reserved 15g of nuts over the tops, then sprinkle the turbinado sugar evenly over all six.

Tip: A spring-loaded ice cream scoop on the scale makes six even portions fast.

Bake and Cool

High heat for the lift, then a lower oven to bake the heavy center through without burning the sugar top.

1. Start at High Heat. Bake at 425°F (220°C) for 6 minutes.
2. Reduce the Heat. Without opening the door, turn the oven down to 350°F (175°C) and keep baking about 20 to 25 minutes more.
3. Check for Doneness. Start checking at 20 minutes into the lower heat. Pull them when the centers read 200°F to 205°F (93°C to 96°C) and a tester comes out with a few moist crumbs but no wet batter.
4. Cool. Let them rest in the pan for 5 minutes, then move them to a wire rack. Give them 15 minutes before you break one open. The center is still setting.

Tip: If the tops are deep brown before the centers hit temperature, lay a sheet of foil loosely over the pan for the last 5 minutes.

Bake for a Tall Texas Crown

A short blast at 425°F sets the outside and drives the batter up. Dropping to 350°F lets the heavy banana center bake through before the sugar top burns.

Oven: 220°C / 425°F. Internal temperature when done: 93-96°C / 200-205°F.

Bake time: PT30M

Equipment: Texas-size jumbo muffin tin, greased or lined with tulip papers

1. Bake 6 minutes at 425°F (220°C), then lower to 350°F (175°C) without opening the door and bake about 20 to 25 minutes more.

High-Heat Start (Recommended) (recommended)

The profile this recipe is built around for tall bakery crowns.

Equipment: Texas-size jumbo muffin tin

1. Preheat. Preheat fully to 425°F (220°C).
2. High Heat. Bake 6 minutes at 425°F (220°C).
3. Reduce. Without opening the door, lower to 350°F (175°C).
4. Finish. Bake about 20 to 25 minutes more, to 200°F to 205°F (93°C to 96°C) in the center.

Classic 350°F Bake

The way the original winning recipe was baked. Rounder, lower tops and a very even crumb.

Equipment: Texas-size jumbo muffin tin

1. Preheat. Preheat to 350°F (175°C).
2. Bake. Bake about 30 to 35 minutes, checking at 28 minutes.
3. Verify. Pull at 200°F to 205°F (93°C to 96°C) in the center.

Note: Keep the door closed when you turn the oven down. Opening it right then lets the heat out at the exact moment the crowns are rising.

Storage

• Room temperature: Up to 3 days in an airtight container. Banana muffins get moister on day two.
• Refrigerated: Up to 1 week, tightly covered. Warm before serving.
• Frozen: Wrap individually and freeze up to 3 months.
• Refresh: Warm a thawed muffin at 300°F (150°C) for 8 to 10 minutes.

Cool completely before sealing, or condensation will melt the turbinado crunch.

Frequently Asked Questions

How ripe do the bananas need to be?

Riper than you think. You want heavy brown speckles or mostly black peels. Yellow bananas with a little green don't have the sugar or the flavor, and the muffins come out bland and pale.

Can I bake these at 350°F the whole time?

Yes. That's how the original winning recipe was baked, and it works. You'll get a rounder, lower top. The 425°F start is only there to push the crowns taller.

Why did my muffins sink in the middle?

Usually they came out before the center was done. A jumbo banana muffin can look finished on the outside and still be wet inside. Bake to 200°F (93°C) in the center. Old baking powder or heaping spoons of leavening can do it too.

Can I skip the nuts?

Yes. Leave them out and don't replace them. The batter doesn't need adjusting. Finish the tops with the turbinado sugar alone.

Can I use frozen bananas?

Yes. Thaw them completely and use the liquid that leaks out too. Weigh the bananas and their liquid together to 500g to 510g.

Can I bake these in a regular muffin pan?

Yes. You'll get about 14 to 16 standard muffins at roughly 80g of batter each. Bake at 425°F for 5 minutes, then 350°F for 13 to 16 minutes, to 200°F in the center.

Nutrition

Per serving (1 Texas muffin): about 620 calories, 97g carbohydrates, 8g protein, 24g fat, 4g fiber, about 680mg sodium. Makes 6 servings.