The Best Banana Muffins with Caramel Icing You’ll Ever Make

These banana muffins are delightfully soft and sweet with caramel icing that takes them to a whole new level.

If you’re looking for an easy yet impressive breakfast for overnight guests, these muffins are absolutely perfect. Even picky eaters will love them, and they are so fun to make with kids – let them stir in the bananas and drizzle on the icing!

bite taken from muffin

Banana Muffins with Caramel Icing

Deliciously soft and sweet banana muffins topped with an easy stovetop caramel icing.
Prep Time 20 minutes
Cook Time 25 minutes
Total Time 45 minutes
Serving Size 12 muffins

Equipment

  • Muffin tin
  • Plastic bag for drizzling

Ingredients 

For the Banana Muffins

  • 1/4 cup shortening
  • 1 cup granulated sugar
  • 1 egg
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla
  • 3 large bananas (mashed with a fork and very ripe)
  • cups all-purpose flour
  • 1 teaspoon baking soda
  • ¼ teaspoon salt

For the Caramel Icing

  • 2 tablespoons butter
  • ¼ cup brown sugar
  • ½ cup powdered sugar
  • 1 tablespoon milk

Instructions 

Make the Muffins

  • Preheat the oven. Preheat the oven to 350°F (175°C) and line a muffin tin with paper liners.
  • Mix the wet ingredients. In a large mixing bowl, beat the shortening, sugar, egg, and vanilla with an electric mixer on medium speed until light and fluffy, about 2-3 minutes with a stand mixer or 4-5 minutes with a hand mixer.
  • Add the bananas. Add the mashed bananas to the bowl and mix at low speed until combined.
  • Combine the dry ingredients. Whisk together the flour, baking soda, and salt in a separate bowl.
  • Mix the wet and dry ingredients. Gradually add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients, mixing until just incorporated.
  • Fill the muffin tin. Scoop the batter into the prepared muffin tin, filling each cup about 3/4 full.
  • Bake. Bake for 21-25 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center of a muffin comes out clean.
  • Cool the muffins. Let the muffins cool in the tin for 5 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.

Make the Icing

  • Melt butter and sugar. In a small saucepan, melt the butter over low heat. Add the brown sugar and milk, bringing the mixture to a simmer until the sugar is dissolved. Remove from heat and whisk in the powdered sugar until smooth.
  • Drizzle the icing. Drizzle the icing over the cooled muffins directly from the saucepan or by using a plastic bag with a small corner cut off. The icing will harden as it cools, so work quickly.

Notes

For best results, use very ripe bananas with lots of brown spots for sweeter and more flavorful muffins.
Before mixing, make sure your eggs and shortening are at room temperature to help them blend together smoothly.
Consider adding chocolate chips to the banana muffin batter for a delicious variation.
Make sure that the muffins are completely cooled before adding the caramel icing. If they’re still warm, the icing will melt and slide off.
The caramel icing will become firm as it cools, so drizzle it over the muffins quickly for an even coating.
Most importantly, don’t forget the icing – it adds delicious flavor to the muffins!
Calories: 235kcal | Carbohydrates: 46g | Protein: 3g | Fat: 5g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 2g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 14mg | Sodium: 150mg | Potassium: 156mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 30g | Vitamin A: 48IU | Vitamin C: 3mg | Calcium: 15mg | Iron: 1mg

More Tips:

Instead of scooping from the bag, spoon the flour into your measuring cup and level it off with a knife to avoid dense muffins.

When mixing the wet and dry ingredients, blend them until just combined. Overmixing can result in tough muffins.

If you don’t have muffin liners, grease your pan with baking spray to prevent sticking.

Allow the muffins to cool in the tins for 5 minutes before removing them to prevent them from falling apart.

To make sure even sizing and baking, use an ice cream scoop to divide the batter among the muffin cups.

As ovens may vary, start checking your muffins at the 20-minute mark. Insert a toothpick into the center of a muffin; if it comes out clean, they’re done.

For jumbo muffins, use a jumbo muffin tin and bake for 25-28 minutes.

stack of muffins drizzled with icing

Serving Suggestions

These banana muffins are best served with fresh fruit salad, Greek yogurt, hot coffee or tea, smoothies, or scrambled eggs.

Key Ingredients and Tools

You can try these alternative ingredients for the recipe:

bananas, all kinds of sugar, egg, flour, salt, and butter on white wood surface.
  • Ripe Bananas: Look for bananas with lots of brown spots for sweeter muffins. If your bananas aren’t ripe enough, you can ripen them quickly by placing them in a paper bag with an apple or baking them in the oven at 300°F for 15-20 minutes.
  • Shortening: Typically found in the baking aisle. If unavailable, substitute with butter.
  • Electric Mixer: Use a hand-held or stand mixer to beat the ingredients until light and fluffy.
  • Muffin Tin: Essential for baking evenly. Usually located in the baking supplies section. If you don’t have them, grease the muffin tin thoroughly with butter or non-stick spray.
  • Brown Sugar: Adds a rich, molasses-like flavor to the caramel icing. Find it in the baking aisle near the granulated sugar.

These items are essential for making delicious muffins.

Storage Instructions

You can keep the muffins in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days.

If you like, you can store the muffins in the refrigerator in an airtight container. They will stay fresh for up to 5 days. Allow them to come to room temperature or warm them slightly before serving.

These muffins freeze well. To freeze, place the cooled muffins in a single layer on a baking sheet and freeze until solid. Once frozen, transfer the muffins to a freezer-safe bag or container and store them for up to 3 months.

To thaw, leave the muffins at room temperature for a few hours or warm them in the microwave for about 20-30 seconds.

Enjoy baking and sharing these delightful banana muffins with caramel icing. They’re simple to make and perfect for any occasion, whether it’s breakfast, a snack, or dessert. With these simple steps and basic ingredients, you’ll have a batch of delicious muffins ready to enjoy.

wrapped banana muffin with caramel icing on small plate, milk bottle in background

picture of smiling female

By Katie Shaw

Katie lives in Virginia with her husband, three daughters, a chocolate lab, and over thirty chickens. She loves creating simple tutorials for sourdough, bread, and soap. Her recipes, articles, and YouTube videos reach millions of people per year.

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Recipe Rating




4 Comments

  1. 5 stars
    This is one of those that deserves a ten star rating. Of course, I’m a lover of sweets, but these were out-of-this-world amazing. You’re right about the icing. Work quickly, folks!

  2. 5 stars
    Our little girls were hungry for something homemade. I planned for making banana bread but I remember printing this recipe and we decided to give it a try. We made it in no time at all. The frosting was fun decorative touch too! The girls loved it!