Pinterest w/ a Twist: Cinnana Pecan Muffins

I hope you are all doing well during this stressful time being stuck at home, out of work, or taking college online…like me!

One thing that has been getting me through these days at home is baking, and today I’ve got a recipe for you all to try at home, because muffins are delicious, a perfect quick breakfast and…WHAT ELSE DO YOU HAVE TO DO!

Today on “Pinterest w/ a Twist” I have made a muffin inspired by Mrs. Meyers Pinterest Banana Bread Recipe. I decided to put a twist on the banana bread by throwing a little cinnamon and pecan action in there and converting the loaf to an on the go muffin. I like to call them Cinnana Pecan Muffins!

Click me to go straight to the cinnana pecan muffin recipe!

To start, preheat your oven to 350℉ and set aside a muffin pan with liners inside so they are ready for you later when you have finished the batter!

Secondly, you want to make sure you have RIPE bananas, to the point where they are basically black. I had been sitting on the counter for about a week to get the ripeness I wanted, while my mom was yelling “USE THOSE BANANAS BEFORE YOU BRING BUGS IN THIS HOUSE”. Of course I had to respond with “JUST BECAUSE THEY ARE BLACK DOESN’T MEAN THEY ARE ROTTEN”. Anyways if you don’t know how here is what mine looked like and they were a perfect ripeness to give maximum banana flavor in my recipe.

Now that the most important part of this dish has been discussed, lets talk about the rest of the ingredients. For me, things become much easier when I get all my utensils out and measure out all ingredients beforehand, putting them into small ramekins, or whatever you have on hand that’s similar. This way you have more counter space because you can put all the rest of the ingredients away after you’ve measured what you need…thank me later 🙂

So now take your sugar and butter and cream that in a mixer until completely combined.

Now mash up your bananas, because they are very ripe, they should not be very hard to mash into a thick mixture, which will have some lumps, but its alright since they will be mixed more later when combined with the rest of the wet ingredients and again with the dry ingredients.

Since everything is measured out now just simply pour in the vanilla, eggs, and buttermilk. Mixing on medium speed before adding in the mashed bananas, mixing again until combined. I love the use of buttermilk in this recipe. I tried earlier to make some muffins using a different recipe that did not have buttermilk and they turned out drier than I hoped, but knowing that buttermilk gives a decadence to baked goods, I know that ingredient was definitely a contributor to the moisture in my muffins!

Next is sifting together the flour, baking soda, salt, and cinnamon in a separate bowl. It isn’t NECESSARY, but it will rid the dry ingredients of any lumps, because we really don’t need anymore after those mashed up bananas.

Then simply combine the wet and dry ingredients with only a spoon or spatula as to not overmix the batter. I used to be an overmixer, but I have learned from my mistakes. The batter should look like the picture below!

Now comes one of my favorite parts… chopping the nuts! Is it weird that chopping pecans is my favorite part? You tell me! Anyways… I don’t really know why but it’s just fun to me.😂You want to make the nuts a medium size, not too small or too large.

OK EVERYONE, we’ve almost made it to the promise land. Throw those pecans into the batter and fold together. What did I say? FOLD. Why? SO YOU DON’T OVER MIX. Is that clear? Good! 

Is this what Dora the Explorer feels like?

Now we will fill the muffin pan we set aside earlier with batter. I used a ¼ cup measuring cup to scoop my batter, because it almost perfectly filled each muffin to the amount I wanted, ¾ full.

This next part is optional, but definitely adds a little something extra to your muffins. So find yourself some coarse sugar crystals, which you can find in the sprinkles aisle. Just get the white/clear sanding sugar. Sprinkle a good amount on each muffin. I’ve always loved the extra sugar they put on top of Pick’n’Save muffins…ugh declicious IYKYK, so I definitely wanted to add it to mine. Then to top it off put a whole pecan in the middle of each muffin and throw those babies in the oven for 14-16 minutes.

Make sure to watch them throughout. You should start smelling the wonderful scents of bananas and cinnamon lingering through your WHOLE house. Ahhh the wonders of baking. You want to take them out whenever they are slightly browned on the top, but cooked throughout, you can check with a toothpick. The goal is for them to look like this.

Of course let them cool for a bit and put in a bowl or container wherever you want to serve. The good thing about these is they are the perfect quick breakfast muffins for my family and I to eat each morning before we start work, online class, or anything else we are doing while stuck at home!

Please let me know how they came out for you all in the comments!! What variations did you make if any? Enjoy!