Easy Banana Muffins with Cherries!

Banana muffins with cherries on a platter with a cup of coffee next to it.

5 from 1 vote

Easy Banana Muffins with Cherries!

These banana muffins with cherries are inspired by a favorite German childhood drink: KiBa! If you didn’t grow up in Germany, chances are high you’ve never heard of a KiBa, which stands for Kirsch-Banane and is simply banana juice and cherry juice poured into a glass to create a pretty pale yellow and bright red drink. It’s tart, perfectly sweet, and so good, and so are these muffins!

I make my muffins with Greek yogurt, which adds to the tartness and keeps them moist and light. And because the bananas give enough natural sweetness, I only add just a bit of brown sugar to get them just perfect, but not too sweet! They’re finished with a buttery almond streusel that gives them just the right crunch on top.

The recipe makes between 12 to 18 muffins, depending on which muffin liners you use. The tulip liners I used gave me 12 larger muffins.

Prep Time20

Cook Time25

Total Time45

Course: Breakfast, Brunch, Dessert, Kaffee und Kuchen, Snack

Cuisine: German

Keyword: Banana muffin recipe, Cherry muffin recipe, easy muffin recipe, German muffin recipe, Kaffee und kuchen recipes

Servings: muffins

Calories: 258kcal

Author: Author: Sophie Sadler

Equipment

1 Kitchen Scale I always recommend using a kitchen scale when baking because it's more accurate and leads to more consistent results. However, I am giving you US measurements as well in case you don't own a scale yet.
12 muffin liners These tulip shaped muffin liners help your muffins look like you bought them at a German bakery! Note that you will end up with 12 muffins using these liners (versus more when using traditional liners).
2 muffin pan Depending on which muffin liners you use, you will need 1 to 2 muffin tins. Also keep in mind that heavier metal pans (like the one I linked) bake faster than lighter metal pans.

Ingredients

Muffins:

240 grams all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
½ teaspoon salt
280 grams frozen cherries or use pitted jarred or fresh cherries.
2 ripe bananas medium-sized
90 grams light brown sugar
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1 egg size US large
180 grams Greek yogurt
80 milliliters avocado oil or other flavor-neutral oil

Almond Streusel Topping:

60 grams all-purpose flour
30 grams almond meal I use almond meal, which are ground almonds with skin on. I like the color it adds, however you could use almond flour (without skins) instead.
45 grams butter room temperature
40 grams light brown sugar

Metric - US Customary

Instructions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Prep 1 to 2 muffin pans with liners or non-stick spray.
The amount of muffins you end up with depends on the liners you use. For standard muffin liners, you will likely end up with 16 to 18 muffins. For the tulip liners I use, I end up with 12 larger muffins.
In a medium-sized bowl, sift together the flour, baking powder, baking soda and sea salt and combine with a whisk.
Toss your frozen cherries in it to keep them from sinking and set aside.
240 grams all-purpose flour, 1 teaspoon baking powder, 1 teaspoon baking soda, ½ teaspoon salt, 280 grams frozen cherries
In a large bowl, mash bananas using a fork (it's esiest to mash them against the side of the bowl). Then add the light brown sugar, vanilla extract, egg, Greek yogurt, and oil to the same bowl, and whisk together until combined.
2 ripe bananas, 90 grams light brown sugar, 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract, 1 egg, 180 grams Greek yogurt, 80 milliliters avocado oil
Add the flour mixture and drained cherries into the bowl with the wet ingredients. This will be a thick batter, so I recommend using a rubber spatula to mix your batter. Mix until you see no more dry spots, but don't overmix. Using two soup spoons, scoop and divide up your batter.
For the streusel topping, using your hands, knead together the flour, ground almonds, butter and brown sugar until you get a crumbly texture. Sprinkle evenly over the tops of the unbaked muffins.
60 grams all-purpose flour, 30 grams almond meal, 45 grams butter, 40 grams light brown sugar
Bake on the middle rack for about 25 minutes or until an inserted cake tester or toothpick comes out clean or with a few crumbs on it. It's that easy!
If baking a double batch, rotate your muffin tins about halfway through baking. You may need to extend the baking time by about 2 minutes.
The total baking time will also depend on which muffin tin you use. Heavier metal pans will bake faster than lighter metal pans. Here is my favorite muffin pan made from steel, so it typically bakes a bit faster.

Notes

Keep Cherries From Sinking: Toss the cherries in the dry mixture before mixing in with the wet mixture. It helps to coat them and soak up some of the moisture, so they don't sink to the bottom of your muffins.

Crunchy Streusel Topping: The streusel topping is such a good way to add nutty flavor and crunch! You can add spices like cinnamon if you'd like and even switch out the ground nuts. I love using ground hazelnuts in streusel, too.

Plan for Leftovers: Make an extra batch and freeze it for weeks of enjoyment to come. Simply pop each muffin in the microwave for 30 seconds (no thawing needed) and enjoy.

Nutrition