Banana

Black Sesame Banana Muffins

by:
March 29, 2018
4.3
3 Ratings
Black Sesame Banana Muffins
Photo by saltnpepperhere
  • Makes 17 muffins
Author Notes

This one is my favorite twist on banana muffins. I am a die-hard fan of the distinctive flavor of black sesame seeds. In these muffins, I especially love how its earthy nuttiness balances the sweetness of the bananas. A liberal sprinkling of extra black sesame seeds and coarse sugar give the muffins delightfully crunchy tops, making them extra special. —saltnpepperhere

What You'll Need
Ingredients
  • For the muffin batter:
  • 1/2 cup 1/2 C black sesame seeds
  • 1/2 cup mashed / pureed ripe bananas (about 4 large)
  • 1 1/2 cups unbleached all purpose flour
  • 1 1/4 teaspoons baking soda
  • 3/4 teaspoon kosher salt
  • 3/4 cup tightly packed dark brown sugar
  • 1/3 cup organic Greek yogurt
  • 1/4 cup unsalted organic butter (1/2 stick), room temp
  • 2 large eggs, yolks and whites separated
  • For topping the muffins:
  • 2 tablespoons whole black sesame seeds
  • 2 tablespoons coarse sugar such as turbanado
Directions
  1. Preheat oven to 400f. Grease or line a standard-sized muffin tin (or in my case, grease a mini cheesecake pan which yields a size between a mini muffin and a standard muffin).
  2. Place the black sesame seeds into the blender (or food processor) and pulse until a paste is acheived and there are no whole seeds visible. It took me about 20 pulses. Scrape out the paste and set aside. {see * note below regarding this step}
  3. *Note: I use a Vitamix blender with the smaller 'personal adaptor'. If you are using a full-sized blender or food processor and find that the seeds are not blending into a paste well, you may need more volume. Add another 1/2 cup more black sesame seeds to make a double batch i.e. total of 1 cup of seeds. The unused black sesame paste can be stored refrigerated or freezer in a tightly closed container for another batch of these muffins or something else like black sesame ice cream which is my fav!
  4. Using the same blender (or food processor), puree the bananas until smooth.
  5. In a large bowl, whisk the all purpose flour, baking soda and salt. In a stand mixer fitted with the paddle, beat the sugar, yogurt and room temperature butter until light and fluffy, about 4 minutes. Add the black sesame paste and beat another 1 or 2 minutes. Next add the egg yolks and beat to blend. On low speed, add the flour mixture until just combined. Finally add the banana puree and mix until combined. Scrape the batter out into the large bowl that held the flour mixture.
  6. Put the egg whites into the stand mixer bowl and whisk with the whisk attachment until they look like softly whipped cream with soft peaks, about 2 minutes on high speed. Scoop a third of the whipped whites into the batter and stir to loosen. Then gently fold in the remaining whipped whites, taking care not to deflate. Some wisps of white throughout the batter are ok.
  7. Fill the cavities of the muffin tin (or mini cheesecake pan) about 3/4 full. Sprinkle the tops with black sesame seeds and coarse sugar. Bake for about 12 minutes if you used a mini cheesecake pan like mine. Or else bake 18-20 minutes for standard sized muffins. In all cases, check with a tester inserted in the center which should emerge clean. Cool on wire rack a few minutes before taking the muffins out. Repeat with remaining batter.
  8. Enjoy! Preferably with a cup of coffee :)
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  • KKD
    KKD
  • saltnpepperhere
    saltnpepperhere
  • PeiShanKW
    PeiShanKW
  • ag
    ag

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7 Reviews

KKD
KKD October 10, 2022
I really like black sesame recipes. Thanks for this one- very good. I tried an adjustment by adding some vanilla paste and yellow miso. Not sure it made a difference. | Also, to save a bit of cleaning time, I prepped all ingredients, then whipped the egg white (set aside in a bowl), and proceeded with the instructions. Saves the of having to clean the bowl and get it pristine.
 
PeiShanKW
PeiShanKW December 8, 2021
I like this recipe but made some adjustments. The recipe hasn't been updated to reflect 1.5 cups of mashed banana; good thing I read the comments beforehand. First, I toasted the seeds before blending, to intensify the flavor of sesame seeds. Since the banana flavor is very forward, given the amount, I'd add more seeds next time because I LOVE black sesame seeds. I added toasted walnuts because I like the combination. Now, this recipe is not for beginners because of step #6; otherwise, it's easy to follow. I thought the baking temperature was high. So, I lowered to 375F and baked at 30 minutes (I had 1/2 cup of batter per cup) and the top was of deep golden brown. I lowered to 35F for the remainder batter, and they came out perfectly golden brown, although it's hard to tell because of the black sesame seeds. Thank you!
 
ag
ag October 21, 2020
I just tried this and LOVE it!!!! I added 2 scoops of protein powder to add some extra protein it and they still taste good!!! I think I will add more black sesame next time - just because I always love black sesame :p Thank you for the recipe!!!
 
saltnpepperhere
saltnpepperhere October 21, 2020
So glad the protein powder boost worked out well for you! I love black sesame SO much too. Thanks for your note, makes my day to hear that you loved them :)

x sonia
 
Nancy H.
Nancy H. April 17, 2018
Love the addition of the seeds! Wondering about the listed amount of banana though.... surely 4 large bananas would mash down to more than half a cup?
 
saltnpepperhere
saltnpepperhere April 17, 2018
You're absolutely right Nancy. It should read 1.5 cup. I will contact Food52 to see how I can make the correction. Thanks so much for pointing it out!
 
Nancy H.
Nancy H. April 20, 2018
Thanks for the clarification - I look forward to making them!