Jumbo Caramel Banana Muffins

The last week of September in Montana is when the summer gives up for good. Not gradually the way it does in warmer places — more like a decision. One morning you wake up and the temperature is in the twenties and there's frost on everything and that's it, summer is done. I always feel a small grief about it and a larger relief. Winter is clearer than summer. Less movement. More time to think.

Thirteen accounts now. The new one is a therapeutic referral from Dr. Meyers at Valley Equine — a mare with chronic laminitis that nobody around her owner's place has been able to manage well. I drove to Bozeman for the first visit and spent two hours just assessing — the angle of the coffin bone, the wear patterns, the shoes the previous farrier had put on, which weren't wrong exactly but weren't what I would have done. Dr. Meyers watched the whole time. Afterward we talked for forty-five minutes about management options. That conversation — the technical, collaborative kind between two people who both understand the specifics of what's in front of them — is one of the better conversations I have in a given month.

Dad's hands have been bothering him. He mentioned it once and then didn't again, which is his way — state a fact once, then consider it handled. He's been rubbing the joints when he thinks no one's looking. I ordered him a pair of work gloves with extra insulation, the kind that help with stiffness. Left them on his workbench without saying anything. He's been wearing them.

Made pumpkin bread this week from the pie pumpkins Mom grew — boiled, seeded, pureed, baked into loaves with brown sugar and spice. The house smelled like November for two days. Mom and I ate a slice warm with butter on Sunday afternoon while Dad napped. She said: This is a good week. Not particularly directed at anything. Just a statement. I agreed.

Baking the pumpkin bread this week reminded me how much I rely on that ritual when the season turns — the measuring, the waiting, the way a warm loaf on the counter changes the whole feel of a house. If you’re in a similar place and want something just as rewarding but a little quicker to pull together, these jumbo caramel banana muffins are what I’d point you toward. They have that same Sunday-afternoon quality — substantial, a little sweet, the kind of thing you eat with someone you’re glad to be sitting next to.

Prep Time: 15 min | Cook Time: 25 min | Total Time: 40 min | Servings: 6 jumbo muffins

Ingredients

3 very ripe bananas, mashed (about 1 1/4 cups)
1/2 cup packed brown sugar
1/3 cup unsalted butter, melted and slightly cooled
2 large eggs
1/3 cup sour cream
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/3 cup caramel sauce, store-bought or homemade, plus more for drizzling
1/4 cup chopped walnuts or pecans (optional)

Instructions

Preheat and prep. Preheat your oven to 375°F. Grease a jumbo 6-cup muffin tin generously with butter or nonstick spray, or line with large paper liners.
Mix the wet ingredients. In a large bowl, whisk together the mashed bananas, brown sugar, melted butter, eggs, sour cream, and vanilla until smooth and well combined.
Combine the dry ingredients. In a separate bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and cinnamon.
Fold together. Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and stir gently with a spatula until just combined — a few streaks of flour are fine. Do not overmix, or the muffins will be dense.
Layer with caramel. Spoon about half the batter into the prepared muffin cups (roughly 1/4 cup per cup). Add a small spoonful of caramel sauce to the center of each, then top with the remaining batter. Swirl lightly with a toothpick if desired.
Add toppings and bake. Scatter chopped nuts over the tops if using. Bake for 23 to 26 minutes, until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean and the tops are deep golden brown.
Finish and serve. Let cool in the pan for 5 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack. Drizzle with additional caramel sauce while still warm. Best eaten the day they’re made, though they keep well wrapped at room temperature for up to 2 days.

Nutrition (per serving)

Jumbo Caramel Banana Muffins — The Warmth You Bake Into a Week