I don’t know how I fell in love with making these muffins, but somewhere around 2010 I went in search of a really great banana bread recipe. I found a few different ones that had some great things about them, but alone they were OK. Together, they were amazing.
The biggest difference by far is the addition of cream cheese and two cups of sugar. This makes the batter sweeter than a typical recipe. The finished product is lighter in color; as regular banana bread is usually dark brown. This version is denser and because of that, making it as a bread was actually a detriment.
Many times I would make a loaf and when I thought it was done with a golden brown top, it would still be raw in the middle. The end result would be a burnt top and an undercooked middle. I eventually moved to small loaf pans, which helped, but when I wanted something to take to an office potluck, I moved to muffin pans. It’s been that way ever since.
Additionally, I’m very against nuts in dessert in just about any form: brownies, sundaes, dessert breads, and anything that anyone puts nuts on, I omit. That includes banana bread.
Banana bread almost always has a call for nuts in some form, usually walnuts or pecans. When I started making this recipe and removing the nuts, I would add almost anything else: chocolate chips, Heath chips, and most often, peanut butter chips. It’s a great substitution to the nuts dilemma I always face. It makes the muffins easy as a dessert or a breakfast… Or an afternoon snack with your 2 p.m. coffee. I tend to make them when I want to make someone happy, whether it’s my husband or my co-workers or family gatherings. They’re a simply sweet recipe to throw together with things I usually keep on hand. I’ll usually make this or a variation of it every month or two because of how popular it is with friends and fam.
Banana Bread Peanut Butter Muffins
Ingredients:
- 1 pkg (8 oz.) of softened cream cheese
- ¾ cups softened butter
- 2 cups of sugar
- 2 eggs
- ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
- 2-4 smashed bananas (depending on size; very over-ripe; basically black)
- 3 cups flour
- ½ teaspoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ½ bag peanut butter chips (I prefer Reese’s)
Directions:
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees and grease a loaf pan.
- Mix 1 pkg (8 oz.) of softened cream cheese, ¾ cups of softened butter and 2 cups of sugar until it becomes a light, fluffy texture.
- Beat two eggs into the mixture, one at a time, and then add ½ teaspoon of vanilla extract.
- In a separate bowl, mix 3 cups of flour, and ½ teaspoon each of the following: baking powder, baking soda, and salt.
- Once combined, slowly add that mixture to the creamy mixture.
- Add smashed bananas and combine thoroughly.
- Fold in peanut butter chips and divide into muffin pan. Top each with extra peanut butter chips if desired. Bake for 20-25 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean.