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.
These days I bake mostly paleo or gluten-free goodies because I do try to limit things around the house that are off-limits for Aubrie. So when the occasion calls for an exception, such as baking for a group of lovely blogger ladies aaaand also when there are 4 absolutely perfect (black-as-hell) bananas on the kitchen counter, I was eager to make this again.
Speaking of black (pathetic segue, sorry), black sesame seeds are a pretty amazing yet underrated ingredient. It's ubiquitous in Japan and some parts of Asia but not nearly as much in Western culture. If you don't know, black sesame seeds are the same as white sesame seeds except with hull (shell) still intact, which is what gives black sesame seeds a stronger aroma and slightly bitter (pleasingly so) flavor. Black sesame seeds are excellent sources of fiber, calcium and iron, as well as B-vitamins and antioxidants. Word on the street (via my mom and somewhat confirmed by internet) is it also reduces gray hair if eaten regularly. For all of those health and vanity reasons in addition to my obsession with the taste, I love using them on and in all the things including salads, avocado toasts, waffles, smoothies and oh my oh yes these muffins.
No this is not a one-bowl deal, but worth the extra care. The first step is to grind the sesame seeds into a paste for the batter. I know, I know but it's WAY easier than it sounds. You toss them into a high-speed blender (or food processor) and pulse (20 times or so?) until you get a nutty and aromatic black paste that is slightly oily. It's pure magic. And since the blender (or processor) is already out, I puree the bananas in there too rather than fork-mashing. I've never loved biting into goopy banana lumps, truth be told.
Once the black sesame paste is done, we move on to subsequent steps pretty much like making banana bread which makes sense as I adapted this recipe from Bon Appetit's Best Banana Bread recipe. However I separate the eggs and whip up the whites into soft peaks before folding them into the batter. Why? I typically might not bother whipping the whites but since the stand mixer is already used for beating the butter / sugar / yogurt mixture, I took the opportunity to bring some lightness to the batter with whipped egg whites to counter the denseness of the black sesame paste. The result is a wonderfully tender and spring-y crumb. Sooo worth it!
I hope my enthusiasm for this recipe intrigues you enough to try it for yourself. That earthy nuttiness from the black sesame seeds gives these moist banana muffins the upgrade from ordinary to extraordinary.
MAKE IN ADVANCE:
Black sesame paste can be made in advance and stored refrigerated in a covered container.
Baked muffins freeze very well in a freezer-safe container or ziptop freezer bag for up to a month. Defrost on the counter up to overnight or if you're like me and forget, loosely drape a slight-damp paper towel over them and microwave on high in 15-20 second intervals depending on your microwave's power.
BAKING INTO A LOAF: You can also bake this into a 8.5" x 4.5" loaf pan. Grease and line the loaf pan with parchment paper, leaving some overhang. Bake the loaf at 350f for 60 minutes or until a tester inserted comes out clean.
Black Sesame Banana Muffins
Makes 26 small muffins (as pictured) or approx 17 standard muffins. Recipe adapted from Bon Appetit.
For the batter:
1/2 C black sesame seeds *
4 large very ripe bananas (about 1.5 cups when pureed / mashed)
1 1/2 C unbleached all purpose flour
1 1/4 tsp baking soda
3/4 tsp salt
3/4 C tightly packed dark brown sugar
1/3 C Greek yogurt
1/4 C (1/2 stick) unsalted butter, room temperature
2 eggs, yolks and whites separated
For the tops:
2 tbsp whole black sesame seeds
2 tbsp coarse sugar such as turbanado
*Note: I use a Vitamix blender with the smaller 'personal adaptor'. If you are using a standard 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 in a tightly closed container for another batch of these muffins! Black sesame ice cream is also pretty epic, just sayin'.
METHOD
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 my * note above regarding this step}
3. Into the same blender (or food processor), puree the bananas until it is smooth.
4. 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.
5. 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.
6. 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.
Enjoy and thank you for reading! xx
