My Culinary Adventures: Cinnamon Swirl Banana Muffins with Walnut Streusel Topping

I bought some bananas for my aunt a couple weeks ago, but she hasn't been able to eat them because of a stomachache.  They started getting really ripe, and since I don't like wasting or throwing things away, I promised her I'd make some banana bread to salvage them.  After removing the trays from the oven to preheat it, I spotted some muffin pans and thought that muffins would be a much more fun alternative, plus they're so much cuter ^_^.  I had a recipe saved for banana bread that I hadn't used yet, and decided to combine it with another recipe which includes a cinnamon-sugar swirl in the middle.  They turned out so moist, with the perfect blend of spices!  They would make the perfect pairing with coffee :)

[I apologize for the quality of the photos.  I couldn't find good lighting anywhere and my camera has been giving me problems =/.]

Cinnamon Swirl Banana Muffins with Walnut Streusel Topping

Recipe adapted from Lovin' From the Oven I and II (go here for my blog post on her Cinnamon Swirl Banana Bread)

Makes 18 muffins

Muffin Ingredients:

3 whole bananas
1 tablespoon milk
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1/8 teaspoon ground nutmeg
8 tablespoons (1 stick) unsalted butter, softened
1 cup granulated sugar
2 large eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt

Cinnamon-Sugar Swirl:

1/3 cup granulated sugar

1 tablespoon cinnamon

Walnut Streusel Topping:
1/3 cup all purpose flour
1/3 cup dark brown sugar
1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
4 tablespoons cold unsalted butter
Pinch of salt
1/3 cup walnuts, chopped

Muffin Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 325 degrees Fahrenheit.
2. In one bowl, cream together the butter and sugar until well mixed. Add the eggs and vanilla, mix well.
3. In a separate bowl, mash the bananas, cinnamon and nutmeg with a fork. Stir in the milk.
4. Add the mashed banana mixture to the creamed butter/sugar mixture and mix with a hand-mixer on low speed until combined. 
5. In another bowl, mix the dry ingredients together well.
6. Add in the dry ingredients to wet mixture only until incorporated.

Cinnamon-Sugar Swirl Directions:

1. Combine sugar and cinnamon in small bowl and stir together until combined.

Walnut Streusel Topping Directions:

1. Combine the butter, flour, and dark brown sugar until well mixed. 
2. Add the cinnamon, pinch of salt and the chopped walnuts.

Muffin Preparation:

1. Line muffin pans with muffin cups.
2. Using a large spoon, pour a spoonful of batter into each muffin cup until 1/3 full.
3. Sprinkle the cinnamon-sugar mix over the batter, making sure to layer it kind of thick.
4. Fill the rest of the muffin cup about 1/2 to 3/4 full with batter using the spoon.
5. Bake for about 15-20 minutes, then remove from oven and sprinkle walnut streusel topping evenly over muffin tops.
6. Place pan back into oven and bake for another 15-20 minutes or until light golden brown around the edges and a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean.
7. When finished, set aside and let the muffins cool on a rack for about 15 minutes before enjoying.