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Hummingbird Muffins

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★★★★★

5 from 3 reviews

Based on the classic Southern cake, these hummingbird muffins have a brown butter pecan streusel, a sour cream glaze, and a tender banana and pineapple filled muffin base.

Ingredients

For the browned butter

  • 1/2 cup (1 stick, 110 gm) unsalted butter

For the streusel

  • 1/3 cup (40 gm) flour
  • 1/4 cup (55 gm) brown sugar
  • 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt
  • 4 tablespoons (50 gm) unsalted butter, cold
  • 1/2 cup (55 gm) chopped pecan halves

For the cinnamon sugar sprinkle

  • 1 tablespoon sugar
  • 1 teaspoon cinnamon

For the cake

  • 1 large (120 gm) banana, mashed
  • 2 large eggs, room temperature
  • 1/2 cup (115 gm) drained crushed pineapple
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 1–1/2 cups (190 gm) flour
  • 3/4 cup (150 gm) sugar
  • 1/4 cup (55 gm) brown sugar, packed
  • 3/4 teaspoon salt
  • 1 teaspoon baking powder
  • 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1 teaspoon cinnamon

For the glaze

  • 1/2 cup (60 gm) confectioner’s sugar
  • 2 tablespoons sour cream
  • 1–1/2 teaspoons whole milk

Instructions

To prepare the browned butter

  1. Cube the butter and place in a small sauce or fry pan over medium heat. Stir occasionally until melted. Once melted, stir frequently to keep the butter moving and watch as the butter slowly begins to brown. You’ll notice little amber colored flecks forming at the bottom of the pan and the butter will give off a nutty aroma. This should take close to ten minutes, but watch closely to avoid burning the butter. Once browned, remove from pan to a separate bowl and place in the fridge to cool to room temp.

To prepare the streusel

  1. Combine the flour, sugar, cinnamon, and salt in a medium sized bowl. Dice the butter and then cut into the flour using the back of a fork or a pastry cutter. Once the butter is well integrated, about pea-sized clumps, toss in the pecan pieces. Place in the fridge to keep cool until use.

To prepare the cinnamon sugar sprinkle

  1. Combine the cinnamon and sugar in a small bowl and set aside.

To prepare the cake

  1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees and prepare a muffin pan with 12 paper liners.
  2. Combine the banana, eggs, pineapple, and vanilla in a large bowl or the bowl of a stand mixer and beat on medium speed until thoroughly combined and slightly whipped, about 1-1/2 to 2 minutes. Add the cooled, liquid browned butter, and beat to combine. In a small bowl, combine the remaining dry ingredients and then add them to the butter mixture. Stir until combined, scraping the sides of the bowl as needed.
  3. Once mixed, scoop 2 tablespoons of batter into the bottoms of each of the muffin tins. (I use a leveled medium-sized cookie scoop for even scoops). Sprinkle the cinnamon sugar sprinkle evenly over each scoop of batter. Then, disperse about 1/3 of the streusel evenly among the 12 muffin tins. Top each muffin with an additional 2 tablespoons of batter, and then sprinkle the remaining streusel on top. Bake in the preheated oven for about 25 minutes, or until an inserted toothpick comes out clean. Allow to cool for a few minutes before removing from the pan.

To prepare the glaze

  1. Combine all of the ingredients in a small bowl with a whisk. Drizzle over top of the the muffins as desired.

Notes

For some help on browning butter, see my post here: http://thewoodandspoon.com/you-need-to-know-how-to-brown-butter/

Find it online: https://thewoodandspoon.com/hummingbird-muffins/