Looking for ways to use up those ripe bananas? These Banana Muffins with Nutella Ganache are your solution!
The muffins are fragrant and fluffy, with a strong banana flavor, and the airy Nutella ganache is the perfect compliment.
Banana Muffins with Nutella Ganache Tips and Tricks
Smash Those Bananas
The first thing you want to do is smash your ripe bananas with a fork. Ideally, you’ll have little chunks of banana throughout your muffins, adding moisture and flavor to each bite.
Smashing the banana down into smaller pieces will allow the banana bits to evenly distribute into your batter, instead of them all sinking to the bottom.
On that note, your bananas should be ripe. Or even overripe! The Department of Agriculture estimates that in the U.S., we waste around 133 billion pounds of food per year. Yes, you read that right. HUNDREDS OF BILLIONS OF POUNDS of food just wasted annually.
That means all of the resources and energy that went into producing, harvesting, and distributing that food has gone to waste. Baking with overripe bananas that you would otherwise throw away is just one small way to reduce your contribution to food waste.
Green tip: It is estimated that 50% of food waste happens in our homes. Avoid tossing those overripe bananas by making these banana muffins!
Add Your Ingredients in Order
I’m a huge proponent of one-bowl baking when possible, as less clean up makes for a happy baker! In order to avoid mixing things in separate bowls, there’s a strategic order in which the ingredients are added and stirred.
In this case, add your eggs, butter, and vanilla extract first, then both sugars, then your dry ingredients, and finally your milk. This will yield the fluffiest and moistest Banana Muffins with Nutella Ganache you can possibly mix in one bowl.
Always Line and Grease
There’s nothing worse than anxiously waiting for your muffins to bake, taking them out of the oven to fill your kitchen with the delightfully fragrant aroma of banana, nutmeg, and cinnamon, grabbing one to set on the cooling rack and realizing… oh no, they’re stuck!
Line and grease your muffin tin to ensure easy removal every time. Stuck muffins crumble quick, and we want 12 fluffy muffins to top with ganache.
Make-Shift is Acceptable, if not Encouraged!
No double boiler? No problem. Just fill a large pot about 2/3 of the way with water and bring it to a boil. Carefully place a smaller-sized pot or a tempered glass or stainless steel bowl on the boiling water.
Just add your heavy cream to your top pot or bowl. Remove it from the heat as soon as it starts to simmer. Fold in your Nutella and it’s as simple as that!
Green tip: “Nutella” is a brand, but has become a catch-all term for hazelnut spread, but there are other options that are just as delicious. Palm oil is a major driver of deforestation. Try using a palm-oil-free hazelnut spread to reduce your environmental impact.
Chill Out and Let Things Cool
Both the Nutella and heavy cream mixture and the freshly baked muffins need to cool completely before you can marry these two incredible flavors.
Once you’ve mixed your Nutella and heated heavy cream, set it in the refrigerator to cool. You won’t be able to thicken it by whipping until it’s nice and cold.
Use a hand or stand mixer on high to reach your desired consistency for the ganache. Add it to a piping bag and set it back in the fridge to wait until your muffins are cool.
Once your muffins are out of the oven, remove them from the muffin tins and place them on a cooling rack for the quickest cooling possible. It will still take around 30 minutes until the muffins are cool enough for your ganache.
If you’re not in a rush, still remove your muffins from the baking tin within 5 minutes of removing them from the oven. The muffin tin stays hot, which may cause your muffins to overbake if you leave them in there too long.
Why Should I Make These Banana Muffins with Nutella Ganache?
- Your kitchen will smell like heaven. Fragrant banana and nutmeg and cinnamon. Fuhgettaboutit!
- Overripe bananas should never be thrown out! Sometimes the bananas that have been sitting in your fruit bowl a little too long just aren’t appetizing. But they’re perfect for baking!
- Nutella and banana is the perfect pairing. As soon as you try it, you’ll wonder why you hadn’t sooner.
- Because you’ve had banana bread a million times. But you haven’t had Banana Muffins with Nutella Ganache.
- Food waste is the worst! Never throw out overripe bananas. They’re perfect for baking!
Loving the ease of one-bowl baking in these Banana Muffins with Nutella Ganache? Check out these One-Bowl Fudgy Chocolate Brownies.
Banana Muffins with Nutella Ganache
PRINT PIN RATEEquipment
- Hand Mixer * or *
- Reusable Baking Cups (optional)
- Reusable Piping Bag (optional)
Ingredients
Banana Muffins
- 2 bananas (smashed)
- 2 large eggs
- ½ cup unsalted butter, softened (½ cup usually = 1 stick)
- 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
- ½ cup light brown sugar
- ½ cup granulated sugar
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon cinnamon
- ¼ teaspoon nutmeg
- 1 cup milk (dairy or non-dairy)
Nutella Ganache
- 1 cup heavy whipping cream
- 1 cup Nutella
Instructions
Banana Muffins
- Preheat the oven to 350°F and line or grease your muffin tin.
- Use a fork to mash two ripe bananas in a large bowl. Add eggs, butter, and vanilla and mix with a hand or stand mixer.
- Add both sugars and beat until integrated.
- Add flour, baking soda, salt, cinamon and nutmeg and beat again until smooth.
- Add milk and fold in using a spatula. Pour batter into lined or greased muffin tin, filling about 3/4 of the way to the top, leaving a little room to rise. Bake at 350°F for 35-40 minutes, until a toothpick comes out clean.
- Allow your muffins to cool completely before adding ganache—at least 30 minutes on a cooling rack.
Nutella Ganache
- Heat heavy cream over double boiler until it just starts to simmer.
- Remove from heat a fold in Nutella until fully integrated. Place in the refrigerator to cool completely.
- Once your Nutella ganache mixture is cold, use a hand or stand mixer to whip until it thickens. Add to a piping bag.
- Once your muffins are completely cooled, pipe your Nutella ganache on top and enjoy!
Pro Tips
- Bananas for bananas? Hate waste? You’ll love this collection of the best ripened banana recipes!
- You can create your own double boiler by placing a tempered glass or stainless steel bowl in a pot of boiling water.
- I highly recommend using these reusable muffin liners and reusable piping bags—it saves money and is better for the environment!
- Pay close attention to the order in which you add and mix the ingredients in order to achieve a fluffy and moist muffin.
- Your ganache won’t thicken until it’s whipped when it’s cool.
- Always allow your baked goods to cool before icing them or adding ganache.
2 thoughts on “Amazing Banana Muffins with Nutella Ganache”
My mum made us a batch of these and dropped them off as a Valentine’s treat ❤ (after i tagged her in the post hint hint!) – They are just as delicious as they look! The ganache is incredible and could be used in lots of different ways too. Definitely one to try if you’re a Nutella fiend like we are! Thanks Marley!
Yay! You’re welcome, glad you all enjoyed them. Good job momma Sally!!