Banana Walnut Muffins
Hannah always makes fun of me about how often I make muffins. And when I told her these banana walnut muffins are my new favorite muffin, she replied “you say that after every muffin recipe you make!” While in the beginning of my Weight Watchers career I was always trying to make recipes that were the lowest points, but I’ve found that having full metal jacket muffins are worth it every once in a while.
If you are not following Beth from The First Year, you need to give her a follow. You can find her website here. She is the muffin queen in my book, and I’ve adapted a few of her techniques on how to get bakery style muffins at home in a regular oven.
How to get bakery style muffins at home
Her first tip is to bake the muffins at a high temperature (425) for the first 7 minutes of baking. This allows the muffins to rise and get a good “dome.” Second is only baking six muffins at a time. Yes, this does double the time in your kitchen (especially if you only have one muffin tin like I do), but this allows the muffins to have room to grow, so to speak. By not overcrowding the muffin pan, each muffin is beautifully cooked.
Lastly, letting the batter sit 15 minutes before baking (much like my pancake recipes) allows the baking powder to do it’s magic. And letting the muffins rest in the muffin tin 15 minutes after baking ensures you have the perfect baked muffin.
Are these Weight Watcher friendly?
I truly believe that any recipe can be Weight Watchers friendly, it just depends on how you choose to fit it into your week. Higher point or higher calorie meals aren’t off limits, they just require a little planning and balance with your other meals. I can absolutely enjoy those foods, maybe not every single week, but as a once-in-a-while treat that I really look forward to. I’ve learned that always chasing the lowest point version of everything often means sacrificing flavor, and for me, that’s not sustainable. Food should taste good and bring you joy, and when it does, it’s so much easier to stay consistent long term.
I didn’t take many photos while I was making these muffins, especially after I found out they were 14 Weight Watchers points, but so many people DM’d me asking “where is the banana muffin recipe?”
Banana Walnut Muffins
I follow Beth from The First Year for all tips and tricks about making bakery style muffins at home. I adapted her recipe quite significantly in the hopes of making this more Weight Watcher friendly. Well, these are still 14 points and 351 calories, but definitely worth making from time to time.
Ingredients
- 2 cups bananas (about 4 medium bananas)
- 1/3 cup vegetable oil
- 1/3 cup sour cream
- 1/3 cup milk (I used cashew milk)
- 3 large eggs
- 2 teaspoons vanilla
- 1/4 cup honey
- 3 cups flour
- 3/4 cup sugar (remove 6 teaspoons for topping)
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 cup dark chocolate chips
- 1 cup walnuts, chopped and divided
Instructions
- Mash bananas, then measure out two cups. In a mixing bowl, combine the mashed bananas, oil, sour cream, milk, eggs, vanilla and honey. Mix until combined.
- In a separate bowl combine the flour, sugar, baking powder, cinnamon and salt. Mix. Add in chocolate chips and 1/2 cup walnuts and toss to coat.
- Mix the dry ingredients with the wet ingredients, mixing to combine. The batter will be thick. Let sit for 15 minutes.
- Heat oven to 425. Fill 6 muffin wells (meaning you'll only fill every other muffin well with batter) until it reaches the top of the pan. Sprinkle 1/2 teaspoon sugar and a heaping teaspoon of walnuts on top.
- Bake at 425 for 7 minutes, reduce the temperature to 350 and bake an additional 10-13 minutes (or up to 16 extra minutes depending on your oven). My oven only needed 10 additional minutes once the temperature was reduced.
- Let the muffins sit for 15 minutes before removing. Repeat with remaining batter, and remember to bump the temperature back up to 425 with the next batch.
Notes
Even though I reduced the amount of oil by 2/3 from the original recipe, and reduced the sugar by 1/3, these muffins still came out to 14 Weight Watchers points. If you count calories or macros: 351 calories, 15 fat, 47 carbs, 3 fiber and 6 protein.
New Here?
If you are new here, welcome to My Bizzy Kitchen! I started this blog 16 years ago to document my recipes and daily life, never imagining it would one day become my full-time career. After losing my husband nearly 10 years ago, I navigated the hardest chapter of my life while still finding joy in cooking and sharing my journey.
In December 2020, I took a leap of faith and left my 30-year career as a legal secretary to pursue My Bizzy Kitchen full-time, a decision that changed my life.
Two years later, in October 2022, I was able to hire my daughter, Hannah, full-time, which brings me so much joy. Now, My Bizzy Kitchen is more than just recipes. It’s about embracing life, finding balance, and making healthy living sustainable and fun.
Follow along for delicious recipes (mostly Weight Watchers friendly!), realistic weight loss tips, and my daily adventures on Instagram, YouTube, TikTok, and Facebook (@mybizzykitchen). Let’s get bizzy in the kitchen together!
Looking for more Weight Watchers inspiration? Check out my bread archives!
