First, preheat the oven to 350°F and measure out all of the banana muffin ingredients.
Next, peel the bananas and drop them into a large mixing bowl.
Then, use a potato masher to mash the bananas completely.
Add the butter, egg, sugar, and vanilla extract to the mashed bananas and blend together with a blending whisk.
Next, transfer the banana mixture to a kitchen stand mixer and add the flour, baking soda, and salt.
Use the stand mixer, or hand mixer, to completely combine the wet and dry ingredients until your banana muffin batter is ready.
Then, gently fold the walnuts into the muffin batter mixture with a silicone spatula.
Line a 12- cupcake pan with the cupcake liners.
Then, scoop the banana muffin batter into the cupcake liners, about ¾ full each.
Finally, bake the muffins for 18- 20 minutes or until a toothpick stuck in the center comes out clean. After baking, let the muffins cool for about 5 minutes in the pan, then transfer them to a cooling rack to cool completely.
Caramel
First, begin heating up a small saucepan over medium heat, add the sugar and salt to the pan, and cover with water.
Then, bring the mixture to a simmer while stirring occasionally until the sugar is completely dissolved, about 5 minutes.
After the sugar has completely dissolved, stop stirring and increase the heat to medium-high. Continue to cook the mixture, without stirring, until it’s deeply golden. If you have a candy thermometer, use it to check that the caramel reaches 350°F.
Once the caramel is a deep copper color, turn off the heat and immediately stir in the cream and butter.
Lastly, let the caramel cool slightly in the pan, then transfer to a heat-safe container. You can use a heat-safe container with a pouring lip if you want to make more of a drizzling effect.
Garnishing
Spoon, drizzle or pour the homemade caramel over each of the banana muffins. Then, top each one with a couple of banana chips and a few extra walnuts, if desired.