Banana Muffins with almond cinnamon crumble topping

It's almost as if we're hard wired to crave the warm, comforting flavors of cinnamon, nutmeg, apples, pumpkin and such around this time of year.  Otherwise, why on earth would you want to bake banana muffins when it's still 90 here in Florida, with no end in sight (sigh).  Yes, that would be me - heating up the house just to get my fall baking fix.

These aren't your run-of-the-mill banana muffins.  Almond flour gives them a tender, but subtle nutty flavor, low fat buttermilk adds a deliciously creamy texture, and brown sugar plus a dash of fresh nutmeg add a caramel note.  And the "icing on the cake", as it were - an almond cinnamon crumble topping.

You can make this in a 9 x 5 loaf pan instead if that's how you roll, I'm just partial to mini treats.




Banana Muffins with Almond Cinnamon Crumble Topping

Muffins:
6 tablespoons canola oil
1/2 cup light brown sugar, packed
1/2 cup granulated sugar
about 3 very ripe bananas, coarsely  mashed ( 1 1/2 cups)
3 eggs, lightly beaten
1/2 cup low fat buttermilk
1 cup almond flour
1 cup all purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon salt

For the topping:
1/4 cup all purpose flour
3 tablespoons dark brown sugar, firmly packed
1/4 teaspoon ground saigon cinnamon
2 tablespoons butter, softened
1/4 cup sliced almonds

Preheat oven to 350.  Add cupcake liners to 2 jumbo size muffin pans.

Prepare topping:
Mix flour, brown sugar, and cinnamon together in a small bowl.  Cut in butter until it looks like coarse crumbs.  Mix in sliced almonds.  Set aside.

Prepare muffins:
Whisk together flours, baking soda, baking powder, salt and nutmeg in a medium bowl.  Set aside.

In a large bowl, whisk together the oil and sugars until well blended.

Add the bananas and eggs and beat until well blended.

Add buttermilk and mix just until combined.

Add the flour mixture to the banana mixture, and lightly stir just until combined.  The batter should be slightly lumpy.

Use an ice cream scoop to fill muffins 3/4 full.  Then, generously sprinkle the tops of muffins with crumble mixture.

Bake 1 pan of muffins at a time on the center rack of your oven 23-25 minutes, until golden.  A toothpick inserted in the center of a muffin should come out with a few moist crumbs attached.  Remove muffins from the oven and cool on a rack for 10 minutes.  Carefully remove the muffins from the pans and cool completely on the rack.  Cover tightly - will keep for 1 day at room temperature.