These banana apple muffins, with a layer of cinnamon and brown sugar through the middle and a crunchy buttery topping with sugar, flour, cinnamon, and vanilla, are like little single serving coffee cakes!
These banana apple coffee cake muffins are exceptionally moist. After all, they include yogurt, oil, and butter. In addition, there are two bananas and one apple all pureed together and added to the batter. The contrast between the super moist crumb and the crispy topping is just like you'd expect from a slice of coffee cake.
These muffins can be served warm from the oven after about 10 minutes of cooling. You can also make them ahead and then serve them at room temperature when you are ready for breakfast or for taking as a "to-go" snack.
If you have fond memories of coffee cake, or if it was one of the first things you baked in your home economics class, you'll love these muffins.
Ingredients in These Muffins:
You might actually have all of the ingredients on hand!
Pantry Ingredients: All-purpose flour, baking powder, kosher salt, light brown sugar, granulated sugar, neutral oil, vanilla extract, and ground cinnamon.
From the Fridge: Plain yogurt, unsalted butter, and eggs.
Bananas: You will need two ripe bananas.
Apple: You will need approximately one large apple. I used one Envy apple, but any sweet and crunchy apple will do. There is no need to peel the apple.
Surprisingly, with the combination of banana and apple in these muffins, these muffins simply taste "fruity," but not distinctly like banana nor apple. They almost taste tropical.
To Make These Muffins:
First, make the batter. In one bowl, combine the flour, baking powder, and salt. In another bowl, combine the banana and apple puree, brown sugar, yogurt, butter, oil, eggs, and vanilla. Slowly add the flour mixture to the sugar, banana, and apple mixture. At this point, refrigerate the batter for at least an hour and up to overnight.
Next, prepare the topping. Add the butter, granulated sugar, flour, cinnamon, vanilla, and salt into a mini food processor and process until crumbly. Chill in the refrigrator.
Then, combine the light brown sugar and cinnamon for the filling.
When you are ready to assemble the muffins, line a muffin pan with tulip-style muffin liners. Add about 2 tablespoons of batter to each liner, top with some filling, and then add more batter. Top the batter with the topping.
Finally, bake the muffins for about 25 minutes.
Tips for Success:
You will definitely need to use the tulip liners to give thise muffins structure. Otherwise, the batter will all run together over the top of the muffin tin, and the topping will not stay put. If you don't have them, you can probably make your own out of parchment paper squares. Another option is to use a jumbo muffin pan or a mini loaf pan.
To puree the bananas and apples, I used a mini food processor. It was perfect for getting a smooth texture. You could also use a blender or a food mill.
To measure the batter into the muffin tin, I used spring-loaded cookie scoops (a 4 tablespoon scoop and a 2 tablespoon scoop) and actually weighed the batter to get the portions right. That might be a little obsessive, I know! You could probably simply eyeball how much to add to each muffin liner.
Depending on the amount of moisture in the bananas and apple, the baking time may vary by up to 10 minutes or so. The muffins are done when a toothpick comes out clean and the muffins reach an internal temperature of 205 degrees F.
For the kosher salt, I used Diamond Crystal. If you use table salt, use about half as much by volume if you don't have a scale.
Make Ahead/Storage:
These muffins will keep in an airtight container for up to three days.
Recipe Variations:
You could skip the apple and use all banana for a much more banana forward flavor. You could also substitute another fruit for the apple, such as a pear. I think mango would be a nice substitute and the color would be super pretty.
You could also drizzle the muffins with with a cinnamon or vanilla glaze, such as the one used in my pear cake.
Finally, you could add some toasted pecans or walnuts to the filling or the batter. They would add a nice crunch!
Sunday Funday: International Banana Festival Day:
- Banana Apple Coffee Cake Muffins by Karen's Kitchen Stories
- Banana Daquiri by A Day in the Life on the Farm
- Banana Oat Muffins by Amy's Cooking Adventures
- Banana Protein Muffins by Our Good Life
- Extra Banana Banana Bread by Food Lust People Love
- Protein Rich Banana Smoothie by Mayuri's Jikoni
- Using Banana Leaves + Cochinita Pibil by Culinary Cam
- Vrat Kacche Kele Ke Seekh Kebab by Sneha's Recipe
Banana Apple Coffee Cake Muffins
These banana apple muffins, with a layer of cinnamon and brown sugar through the middle and a crunchy buttery topping with sugar, flour, cinnamon, and vanilla, are like little single serving coffee cakes!
Ingredients
- 375 grams (3 cups) unbleached all purpose flour
- 1 tablespoon baking powder
- 5 grams (1 1/2 teaspoons) kosher salt
- 2 pureed ripe medium sized bananas (216 grams)
- 1 pureed medium apple (144 grams)
- 275 grams (1 1/4 cups packed) light brown sugar
- 240 grams (1 cup) plain yogurt
- 113 grams (1/2 cup) unsalted butter, melted
- 1/3 cup neutral oil
- 1 large eggs
- 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
- 57 grams (1/4 cup) unsalted butter, softened
- 72 grams (6 tablespoons granulated sugar
- 83 grams (2/3 cup) unbleached all-purpose flour
- 1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
- 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 110 grams (1/2 cup) packed light brown sugar
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
Instructions
- In a medium bowl, combine the all-purpose flour, baking powder, and salt.
- In a large bowl, whisk together the banana/apple puree, brown sugar, yogurt, melted butter, oil, eggs, and vanilla. Slowly fold in the flour mixture until just combined. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 1 to 10 hours.
- Mix the topping ingredients in the bowl of a mini food processor or with a pastry cutter, mix the butter, granulated sugar, flour, cinnamon, vanilla, and salt until crumbly. Refrigerate until ready to use.
- Mix the filling ingredients and set aside until ready to use.
- When ready to bake, heat the oven to 400 degrees F with a rack in the middle. Line a muffin tin with tulip paper liners.
- Using a heaping 2 tablespoon spring-loaded cookie scoop, or a level 3-tablespoon cookie scoop, scoop the batter (approximately 45 grams) into each cavity. Top the batter with 2 teaspoons of the filling (about 10 grams). Using a 4 tablespoon spring-loaded cookie scoop, scoop about 64 grams of the batter on top of the filling. Smooth the top and then sprinkle the topping over the muffin cavities.
- Place the muffin tin in the oven and bake for 5 minutes. Reduce the oven temperature to 375 degrees F and bake for an additional 15 to 22 minutes, until a toothpick comes out clean and the internal temperature reaches 205 degrees F.
- Cool in the pan for 10 minutes and then finish cooling on a wire rack. Store in an airtight container for up to 3 days.
Nutrition Facts
Calories
466Fat (grams)
19 gSat. Fat (grams)
8 gCarbs (grams)
69 gFiber (grams)
2 gNet carbs
67 gSugar (grams)
36 gProtein (grams)
6 gCholesterol (grams)
49 mgInspired by, with variations, Bake From Scratch Jan/Feb 2026
