Brown Butter Banana Muffins

Sometimes The Captain wonders why I must always have a bunch of bananas in a small wicker basket on the table: uneaten and always left to ripen. It’s simple. Banana desserts are my absolute favourite and seeing them when they’re on their last legs always spurs me into a save-and-rescue mission before I’m forced to throw their rotting carcasses out.

Last week, I forgot that I had a blog for a moment (forgive me, I still love you C&C!). I know I’ve been slack but it’s just so hard to do anything blog-related when you’re not inspired to bake or cook anything. This kind of mood sucks all round on an epic level. But through the haze, just for a fleeting moment, I get a craving for something sweet and simple, usually incited by the tantalising smell of overripe bananas. From there, it’s a desperate rush to the kitchen to break out the eggs, sift out the flour and pummel the bananas senselessly like a dominatrix on heat, working at breakneck speed before the mood dissipates and I slink back to my rut.

Aah muffins. So underrated, so overlooked and too often, relegated to the back of the mind in favour for the likes of banana bread or cake, both of which does not require me to tediously fill out dozens of muffin cases with batter. But this time around, I was swayed by my inner girl. These uber cute baking cases has been sitting untouched for too long and it was time to break them in. What can I say? I’m a sucker for polka dots.

I could’ve gone with my usual no-frills banana muffin recipe that has been an ol’ faithful since my pubescent home economic days. But I was craving something a little more. It’s amazing what a simple act of browning butter into a nutty goodness can do, As well as toasting a little desiccated coconut. But the moment comes about 5 minutes after the muffins are baked. When you rip off the case like a flimsy dress, break apart the soft warm crumbly flesh and proceed to add a smoosh of butter to both halves. And just as the edges of the butter start to melt, you apply to face. Burnt fingers be damned.

I’m hoping the rut will end soon. After all, it is autumn, my absolute favourite time for baking and I’m already fantasising about things like pumpkins, apples, earthy spices, molten caramel and oozing chocolate. But for now, a simple buttered muffin is all I need.

Tagged as: banana, Beurre Noisette, Breakfast, Brown Butter, Butter slather-happy, Coconut, goes well with BUTTER, Muffins, Well worth the muffin top