You know I'm a sucker for the one banana muffins that I've been making ever since I was in pastry school. But these small batch raspberry banana muffins have little bursts of sweet, juicy, berry flavor. Swoon. These muffins are super tall, fluffy, and topped with raw sugar for some crunch. Even better, the recipe comes together in about 30 minutes (if that).
I hate to say it, but I fear these muffins were the most fruit I ate in-between Christmas and New Year's. Could it be worse? I mean, yeah. But was it a win? I can't say it was.
I've never really thought of adding fruit to banana bread. Honestly, I'm more of a chocolate chip banana muffin girl myself.
But then my aunt and uncle brought me a bag of fresh-picked and frozen raspberries from Oregon. And I figured if raspberries and bananas work in smoothies, why not bread as well?
And yeah, they're hella good. The raspberries add a nice tart, juicy bite to balance out the sweetness of the bread. Plus, you can freeze them for a nice grab-and-go breakfast situation. It's unexpected, but if you're a berry girl, you're gonna love these!
Fresh or frozen raspberries
I make this recipe with both frozen and fresh berries, and both work equally well. If you use frozen berries, no need to defrost them! Defrosting will just make the batter runny.
I do like to toss the berries with a little flour before I mix them into the batter. The flour keeps the raspberries from sinking to the bottom!
Recipe directions
Leave an empty cup in between each liner. This helps with airflow, which makes the muffins rise super tall!
Cover with a linen
To store the leftover muffins, just leave them on the counter and cover the tops with a clean linen for 1-2 days. This keeps the raw sugar from melting!
If you want to store them for longer, place the muffins in an airtight container but leave the raw sugar off the tops.
When it comes to small batch baking, I always recommend using a scale to measure the ingredients. Just a small amount of flour can make or break an entire recipe. But if you don't have a scale, use the fluff, spoon, & level method to measure flour, cocoa, & other dry ingredients. Here is a whole guide on how I measure ingredients for small batch baking!
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The Best Small Batch Raspberry Banana Muffins
Equipment
- Muffin pan
- Muffin liners
Ingredients
- 1 very ripe banana
- 60 grams unsalted butter, melted and slightly cooled (¼ cup)
- 105 grams brown sugar light or dark (½ cup, packed)
- 1 large egg, room temperature
- 1 ½ teaspoons pure vanilla extract
- 125 grams all-purpose flour, divided (1 cup + 2 teaspoons)
- ¾ teaspoon baking powder
- ¼ teaspoon Kosher salt, I used Diamond
- 30 milliliters whole milk (2 Tablespoons)
- 100 grams raspberries, fresh or frozen (¾ cup)
- Raw sugar, for sprinkling
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 400°F (204°C). Line a 12-cup muffin pan with 6 liners, spacing them out so there is an empty cup in-between each liner. (See the post for a visual example.)
- On a small plate, use the tines of a fork to mash the banana until it's very smooth. You should end up with around 90-140 grams (⅓-1/2 cup) of mashed banana. Set aside.
- In a medium mixing bowl, add the cooled melted butter, brown sugar, egg, and vanilla extract. Whisk the mixture until it's thick and lighter in color, 2-3 minutes. Then, whisk in the mashed banana until smooth. The mixture may look a little curdled, but it'll smooth out.
- Add 120 grams (1 cup) of all-purpose flour, baking powder, and salt. Using a rubber spatula, fold the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients until it's about 75% mixed. Then, add the milk, stirring just until the batter is combined and there are no more streaks of flour.
- Toss the fresh or frozen raspberries with the remaining 5 grams (2 teaspoons) of flour. Add the berries to the banana batter and gently mix to combine. Don't over-mix or the berries will fall apart!
- Use a cupcake scoop to divide the batter between the 6 muffin liners, filling them all the way to the top. Finish each muffin with a generous sprinkle of raw sugar.
- Bake the muffins at 400°F (204°C) for 5 minutes. Then, reduce the heat to 350°F (177°C) and bake the muffins for 12-16 more minutes, until an inserted toothpick has just a few moist crumbs. Let the muffins cool in the pan for about 5 minutes. Then, transfer them to a wire rack to cool completely. Enjoy!
Did you make this recipe? I'd love to hear what you think!