Banana Coffee Cake Muffins

Ingredients

For the Crumble Topping:

• ½ cup cold unsalted butter (8 tablespoons), cubed
• 1 cup all-purpose flour (plus more by the tablespoon if needed)
• ½ cup packed dark brown sugar
• ½ cup cane sugar
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• ½ teaspoon ground nutmeg
• ½ teaspoon ground cardamom

For the Cake:

• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 3 teaspoons baking powder
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• ½ teaspoon ground nutmeg
• ½ teaspoon ground cardamom
• 1 teaspoon kosher salt
• 3 really ripe bananas, peeled and mashed (about 1½ cups)
• ½ cup unsalted butter, softened
• ½ cup cane sugar
• 2 large eggs
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 cup buttermilk

For the Glaze (Optional):

• ¼ cup powdered sugar
• 1-2 teaspoons milk

Instructions

1. Preheat and Prep Preheat your oven to 350°F (175°C). Generously grease a 12-cup muffin tin with butter or cooking spray, or line with paper liners. If you're using paper liners, give them a light spray too so the muffins release easily.
2. Make the Crumble Topping In a medium bowl, combine the cold cubed butter, flour, dark brown sugar, cane sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg, and cardamom. Using your fingers or a pastry cutter, work the ingredients together until the mixture looks like wet sand with some bigger clumps throughout. It should be crumbly, not paste-like. If it seems too wet and sticky, add more flour 1 tablespoon at a time. Set the crumble aside in the fridge while you make the batter.
3. Mix the Dry Ingredients In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, cinnamon, nutmeg, cardamom, and salt until everything is evenly distributed. Set aside.
4. Cream the Butter and Sugar In a separate large mixing bowl (or using a stand mixer), cream together the softened butter and cane sugar on medium speed for about 2-3 minutes until light and fluffy. This incorporates air and makes your muffins tender. Add the eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition. Mix in the vanilla extract and the mashed bananas, beating until everything is well combined. The mixture might look a little curdled at this point, but that's totally normal!
5. Combine the Wet and Dry Add about one-third of the dry flour mixture to the banana mixture and gently fold it in with a spatula. Add half of the buttermilk and fold again. Continue alternating, adding another third of the dry ingredients, then the remaining buttermilk, and finally the last third of the dry ingredients. Fold gently just until you don't see any more streaks of flour. Don't overmix or your muffins will be tough and dense! A few small lumps are fine.
6. Layer and Assemble Spoon about 1 tablespoon of batter into the bottom of each muffin cup. Sprinkle a generous tablespoon of the crumble mixture over the batter in each cup. Add another tablespoon or two of batter on top of the crumble to fill each cup about two-thirds full. Finish by topping each muffin generously with more crumble, using up all of it and pressing it down very gently so it sticks.
7. Bake Place the muffin tin in your preheated oven and bake for 28-30 minutes. The muffins are done when they're golden brown on top, spring back lightly when touched, and a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean or with just a few moist crumbs (not wet batter). Let the muffins cool in the pan for about 5 minutes, then transfer them to a wire rack to cool completely.
8. Make the Optional Glaze If you're using the glaze, wait until the muffins are completely cool. In a small bowl, whisk together the powdered sugar and milk until smooth. Start with 1 teaspoon of milk and add more if needed to reach a drizzling consistency. Using a spoon or a small zip-top bag with the corner snipped off, drizzle the glaze over the cooled muffins in a zigzag pattern.
9. Serve and Enjoy These muffins are delicious served at room temperature or slightly warmed. Store leftovers in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days, or freeze for up to 3 months.