Banana Almond Crunch Muffins... The only muffin recipe you'll ever need

With the holidays behind us, I finally found some time to do some baking.  This recipe is adapted from the America's Test Kitchen.  It was developed by Pam Anderson who worked for Cooks Illustrated.   Here is a link to her article.
"The only muffin recipe you might ever need"
During her search for the perfect muffin she experimented by using low fat yogurt in the batter and the outcome was amazing.  I decided to use Low fat vanilla bean Greek yogurt and top my muffins with caramelized almonds.  They came out so yummy!  The texture is nothing like your every day muffin and totally different from banana bread.  This recipe produces 12 big muffins.

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Ingredients

• 3 cups flour
• 1 tablespoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon fresh ground nutmeg
• 1/2 teaspoon table salt
• 10 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened
• 1 cup packed light brown sugar
• 2 large eggs
• 1 1/2 cups low-fat vanilla bean Greek yogurt
• 1 1/2 cups finely diced bananas (about 3 bananas)
• 1 1/2 cups caramelized almonds ( recipe below)
• Cooking spray for muffin tins

 
Directions:
Adjust oven rack to lower middle position and heat oven to 375 F. 
Mix flour, baking powder, baking soda, nutmeg and salt in medium bowl.  Set aside.

Beat butter and sugar with electric mixer on medium-high speed until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes.  Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition.  Alternating 1/2 at a time, beat in the dry ingredients and yogurt until a smooth thick batter forms.  Gently fold in the diced bananas. 

Spray 12 cup muffin tin with cooking spray or coat lightly with butter.  Use a large ice cream scoop to divide batter evenly among cups. Sprinkle about 1 1/2 Tablespoons of caramelized almonds on top of each muffin, pressing in lightly.
  Bake until muffins are golden brown, about 25 minutes.  Set on wire rack to cool slightly, about 5 minutes.  Remove muffins from tin and serve warm. 


 Caramelized Almonds:

 Ingredients:

• 1 cup brown sugar
• 1/4 cup water
• 1 tablespoon cinnamon
• 1/8 teaspoon salt
• 2 cups slivered almonds

 Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350º.
2. Combine the brown sugar, water, cinnamon and salt in a saute pan. Bring to a boil over medium heat.
3. Add the almonds and cook, stirring constantly, until the liquid evaporates and leaves a candy coating on the almonds.
4. Pour the almonds onto a baking sheet lined with parchment. Spread into a thin layer, separating the almonds with forks if necessary.
5. Bake in the oven for 10 minutes. Remove from oven and let cool completely. Store in an airtight container.