Easy Chocolate Banana Muffins
Easy Chocolate Banana Muffins
I often wake up in the mood for a yummy pastry or baked good that goes well with my coffee. There is nothing cozier than the sweet and bitter when you are waking up to start your day. These muffins are full of buttery banana flavor, that is complimented so well with lots of chocolate chunks, and they make for a great addition to any morning. This recipe is great because it only takes one bowl, is really quick to make, and is always a crowd pleaser! Another bonus is that I think they taste even better after cooling, making them the perfect make-ahead for a busy weekday. The best way to enjoy them, in my opinion, is with a thick slab of warmed butter. They taste great with peanut butter, almond butter, or tahini also. I hope you give these super easy muffins a try!
Notes and Tips:
Feel free to switch the regular flour called out for any gluten free alternative you prefer to use. I have made these with cassava flour before and they still turned out delicious.
Coconut sugar is always my preferred brown sugar option. It has a slight caramel flavor and adds richness. Brown sugar works great also if that is all you have on hand or prefer.
The process of starting the muffins at a higher temperature and then turning down the oven to finish the bake, is what sparks the chemical reaction to create a muffin top. Turning down the oven then allows the muffins to finish cooking without burning the bottom. I learned about this technique and completely changed my bakes! I was finally able to achieve the muffin top without adding a bunch of extra baking soda.
If you are defrosting bananas versus having them fresh, your batter may contain more liquid. You may have to bake them a few extra minutes or add a couple extra tablespoons of flour. I prefer ripe bananas that have not been frozen, as it allows for delightful chunks of fresh banana to remain.
Looking to make this part of a complete breakfast? Try it with my Open-Faced Egg Sandwiches!
Detailed Directions: Makes 9 large muffins
Preheat the oven to 375 F. Starting the oven at 375 F and then turning it down, creates a great muffin top without using a lot of baking powder.
Peel and mash the bananas. Leaving some banana chunks will just make a more textured muffin, so leave it a little chunkier if that works better for you
Add the sugar, egg, butter and vanilla, combing them with the banana.
In a separate bowl, add in the white flour, baking powder, salt, and cinnamon.
Combine the dry ingredients with the wet.
When the batter is well mixed, add in the chocolate chips to desired level.
Divide the batter into 9 large muffins or 10-12 small muffins.
Bake at 375 F for 6 minutes.
Turn the oven down to 350 F and Bake an additional 8-10 minutes, or look for browning edges and the tops to begin to crack
Remove, cool, and enjoy!