These Glazed Banana Muffins With Honey make for a simple and sweet breakfast bite alongside your morning coffee! They’re an all-around crowd-pleasing muffin, sweetened with honey instead of white sugar for days when you’re either out of white sugar, or looking to use up some of your honey! The ingredients for the muffin base are effortlessly stirred together in one bowl; No mixer required. Honestly, I can’t help but eat 2 at a time…It’s impossible to eat just 1! 🙂
The muffin base is minimally sweet, evened out by the sweetness of the powdered sugar, honey, and coffee glaze. I promise the muffins don’t taste like coffee…It adds just a tiny dash of balance and flavor complexity! It’s so easy to make, and the tasting notes are super subtle!
This post contains affiliate links from which I may earn a commission if you make a purchase. Read more here!
RECIPE NOTES:
Prep: Because everything comes together so quickly with these muffins, I recommend taking out all of your ingredients ahead of time so that you have them at the ready (once the butter, half & half, and egg have come to room temperature). Having items measured and prepared will make the process super speedy.
Muffin Pan: You’ll want to use a 12-Cup muffin pan for this recipe! (I personally used this carbon steel pan.)
Storage & Glazing: Once glazed, these muffins can be stored airtight at room temperature for about 24 hours. If you don’t expect the full batch to be eaten within about 24 hours of glazing, I recommend glazing them half at a time, or in whatever increment you like as you go! This is because the glaze is not super long-lasting once atop the muffins; The moisture will start to make it a little bit too drippy over time. SO, simply store any unused glaze airtight in the refrigerator, and bring it back to room temperature when you want to glaze more! (Give it a good stir first!) The muffin bases can be stored airtight at room temperature, and they also freeze very well!
INGREDIENT NOTES:
Muffin Base
Bananas: You’ll want to use bananas that are very overripe! The more brown and speckled the better. Banana sizes vary, so I recommend using a kitchen scale if possible! After ripening and peeling, they weighed 9 oz total. This equated to about 2 3/4 Medium Bananas for me if you’re unable to weigh!
Unsalted Butter: Unsalted butter allows for control over the salt content of the recipe.
Vanilla Extract: Vanilla is a great flavor enhancer in muffins.
Dark Brown Sugar: Including some dark brown sugar adds to the flavor of these muffins, and also adds a bit of acidity that helps to activate the baking soda!
Honey: Honey replaces white sugar in this recipe, giving the muffins a subtle honey flavor and a light bouncy crumb. It’s also the reason for the lower oven temperature as honey browns much faster than sugar.
Half & Half: A dash of half & half adds a tad extra fat and moisture into the muffins! (I have tested it with a more reduced fat milk, but would not recommend that as they came out too dry.) Allow it to come to room temperature before baking.
Egg: Be sure to also use an egg that has come to room temperature! This will help it easily mix into the batter without altering the consistency.
Ground Saigon Cinnamon: Cinnamon is always a great background spice for anything made with banana! I strongly recommend using Saigon cinnamon for the sweetest and smoothest flavor!
Salt: A little salt is a must in baking to help the batter develop properly! (I used finely ground sea salt.)
Baking Soda: Baking soda ensures that the batter rises tall!
All-Purpose Flour: All-purpose flour is the perfect neutral flour option to use for these muffins. I love to use an unbleached variety! (Measuring Tip: I always like to measure my flour by scooping it into the measuring cup with a spoon, to keep it from getting overly packed, then leveling it out on top with the spoon at the end!)
Glaze
Powdered Sugar, Honey, & Cold Brew Coffee: This sweet glaze evens out the minimal sweetness in the muffin base, so you don’t want to skip it! The tasting notes of honey and coffee are extremely subtle, but add just a dash of flavor complexity to the sugar! Feel free to use strongly brewed traditional coffee as an alternative (cold, not hot).
Kitchen Equipment:
- Bowls (1 Small + 1 Medium + 1 Large)
- A Cooling Rack
Servings: 12 Muffins
Ingredients:
- 9 oz Overripe Peeled Bananas, approx. 2 3/4 Medium Bananas**
- 10 Tablespoons Unsalted Butter, melted and cooled
- 2 1/4 Teaspoons Vanilla Extract
- 1/3 Cup Dark Brown Sugar, packed
- 1/4 Cup + 2 Tablespoons Honey
- 2 Tablespoons Half & Half, room temperature
- 1 Egg, room temperature
- 1 1/4 Teaspoons Ground Saigon Cinnamon
- 1/2 Teaspoon Salt, I used finely ground sea salt
- 1 1/2 Teaspoons Baking Soda
- 1 3/4 Cups All-Purpose Flour
GLAZE
- 3/4 Cup + 2 Tablespoons Powdered Sugar
- 1 Tablespoon Honey
- 1 Tablespoon Cold Brew Coffee, or equivalent strongly brewed coffee, cold
**See Ingredient Notes!
Directions:
PREP
Let the butter, half & half, and egg come to room temperature
Line a 12-cup muffin pan with muffin liners, and set it aside
CREATE THE BATTER
Preheat the oven to 325º
In a medium, microwave-safe bowl, melt the butter in the microwave
Let the butter cool for approximately 15 minutes, stirring occasionally to keep it fluid
While the butter is cooling, in a large bowl, mash the bananas with a fork until as smooth as possible
Next, add the melted/cooled butter, as well as the vanilla, into the banana bowl, and gently stir together until combined
Stir in the brown sugar, then the honey (scraping the bottom if needed so that it doesn’t stick!)
Next, stir in the half & half and the egg
After that, stir in the cinnamon, salt, and baking soda
Lastly, gently stir in the flour until incorporated, taking care not to overmix (First the 1 Cup, then the 3/4 Cup)
(The mixture will be slightly lumpy from the banana…That’s okay!)
BAKE
Evenly distribute the batter into the 12 muffin cups (they will be between 1/2 – 3/4 full)
On the middle rack of the oven, bake for approximately 27 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out clean (They will be a nice golden color)
Place the pan on a cooling rack and let the muffins cool in the pan for 10 minutes
Remove all of the muffins from the pan and place them on a cooling rack to finish cooling (Do this within 20 minutes so as to avoid any moisture buildup.)
Let the muffins fully cool (about 1 hour)
GLAZE
In a small bowl, stir together the powdered sugar, honey, and coffee until smooth and well combined (You’re looking for a very thick consistency, just viscous enough to be able to drizzle it! For a cautious approach, add the sugar in parts, testing the thickness as you go!)
Drizzle the glaze over the fully cooled muffins in several layers of zig zags (The quantity allows for very generous spillover. I like to place the muffins on a sheet of parchment paper to catch the mess!) – Optional: If you want your muffins extra sweet, feel free to remove the liners first to get some extra glazing on the sides.
Let the glaze harden
Enjoy!
