Easy to make, soft, fluffy, and moist, these decadent chocolate chip banana muffins are the best ones you will ever have. Made using a food processor or blender, the banana muffins batter is ready in a handful of minutes, and you could be enjoying freshly baked muffins in under 30 minutes. Top them with your choice of chocolate chips [such as semi-sweet or dark], or go crunchier with some added nuts, it is up to you... the result will still be top-notch delicious!
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During the pandemic, everyone and their neighbor baked banana bread. There wasn't one street in the world you could walk without enduring the delightful smell of baked goods.
While I love banana bread like any other human, there is one thing that I feel is better. Super moist, fluffy, easy to make, and store, chocolate chip banana muffins.
Being my mother from Oh-Canada, it may come as no surprise that she can bake anything into a cake. Zucchini? Yes. Nuts? Yes. Pineapple? Yes, again.
But at the same time, having a very picky brother came with limitations, so she often baked banana muffins or cake using the same recipe, and it was good.
You see, banana bread comes in a loaf, with a crunchier top, and thicker 'pulp', but muffins are moist top to bottom, and these are no exception.
Get your mini chocolate chips out, it's time to bake chocolate chip banana muffins!
Chocolate Chip Banana Muffins Ingredients
- Bananas: The darker their skin, the better, as ripe bananas are sweet, soft, and super tasty, which is perfect for baking.
- Brown Sugar: It has molasses in it, which gives it its nice sweet but slightly 'burnt' flavor. The darker the brown sugar chosen, the more distinct its taste.
- Unsalted Butter: The fatty ingredient in the recipe.
- Eggs: Medium, room temperature.
- Maple Syrup: Why choose anything extravagant, when good old maple syrup is the best flavoring to go with bananas?
- Self-Raising Flour: Can be swapped for the same amount of all-purpose flour and two teaspoons of baking powder, mixed well together using a whisk.
- Bicarbonate of Soda, Baking Powder, Salt: Bananas are quite a heavy ingredient to 'lift' in the oven, so these help the muffins rise and be fluffy.
- Chocolate Chips: Any type that works for you! Milk chocolate, semisweet chocolate chips, white, dark, it's up to you, what you like, and what you have to hand.
How To Make Chocolate Chip Banana Muffins?
- Peel and roughly chop the bananas and add them to the food processor. Blend the bananas on low until they turn into a paste; this step will take about 20-30 seconds.
- Next, add the sugar, and again, on a low speed, mix for approximately 10 seconds.
- Once these are well blended, add the melted butter and maple syrup, and mix once more until fully incorporated. Keeping the speed on low will take a further 10-30 seconds.
- The last wet ingredient to go in is the eggs, which need to be blended like the previous ingredients.
- The next step is to add the dry ingredients and mix them well until the banana muffins batter is ready. The dry ingredients that go in are the flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt.
- Before moving the batter to the muffin tin, mix it on high for about 30 seconds, to incorporate some air bubbles.
- Fill the muffin tin with liners and divide the chocolate chip banana muffin batter equally amongst them 12.
- Top each muffin with some mini chocolate chips of choice.
- Bake the muffins on the middle shelf of the oven at 400 F [or 180 degrees Celsius in a FAN oven, Gas Mark 6, or 200 degrees Celsius in a static oven] for 17 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean or with a few moist crumbs.
- Cool on a cooling wire rack, serve, and enjoy for breakfast, as a snack, or with some vanilla ice cream for dessert.
People Also Ask [FAQs]
The best substitute for self-raising flour is all-purpose flour mixed with baking powder. To each cup of flour [100-120g] add a teaspoon of baking powder and whisk until fully incorporated.
Should your bananas be too raw and hard, there is a 10-minute trick to ripen them quickly. Place your skin-on bananas on a baking tray covered with parchment paper on the middle shelf of the oven and bake for 10 minutes at 350 F [160 C FAN oven]. Remove from the oven, allow to fully cool down, then use as instructed.
When freezing bananas, chop them into half-inch-long pieces and spread them out so they don't stick to each other. When you need to defrost them, simply place them in a bowl on the counter a couple of hours in advance to naturally thaw. To defrost in a rush, either submerge the bananas while still in a freezer bag in hot water or use a microwave on the lowest possible setting.
How to store chocolate chip banana muffins?
- In the fridge or on the counter: Allow the banana chocolate chip muffins to fully cool down before putting them in an airtight container, where they will keep for up to 4 days on the counter, and up to one week in the fridge. To absorb excess moisture, place a paper towel on top of the muffins before closing the container.
- In the freezer: These can be stored in freezer bags or individually wrapped in cling film, and then kitchen foil. They will keep for up to three months. These can be removed from the freezer at night to allow them to fully thaw on the counter to be eaten in the morning, or they can be defrosted in the microwave.
Tips and Tricks for Banana Chocolate Chip Muffins
- Unsalted Butter: I have always prepared this recipe using unsalted butter, however, should you be using lightly salted butter, then make sure you don't add the ½ teaspoon of salt that the recipe calls for.
- Chocolate Chips: Chunky or mini chocolate chips will work either way, as you can see from the pictures above. Feel free to use any type you like, and if you rather have some also inside the muffin and go a bit heavier with the chocolate side of things, move the batter to a mixing bowl, and scoop in the chips, before moving the mixture to the paper liners. Overdoing it with the choco chips may add a lot of moisture to the banana chocolate chip muffins, creating a soggy bottom and center, so keep that in mind when adding these.
- Toppings: The beauty of these muffins is that they are oh, so versatile! Add nuts [such as peanuts, walnuts, pecans, almonds, hazelnuts, etc], raisins, sunflower seeds, or even a little dusting of desiccated coconut.
- Maple Syrup: This can be swapped for a teaspoon of vanilla extract, or skipped. As a Christmassy alternative, add ½ teaspoon of cinnamon powder.
- How to serve banana chocolate chip muffins: These can be served at room temperature or lightly warmed in the oven or microwave for breakfast or as a snack with a hot cup of coffee, hot chocolate, or chai. For an indulgent dessert, lightly warm up the muffins and serve with some vanilla ice cream, some whipped cream, or both!
The simplest things are the best ones, and these are definitely the best banana muffins you will have.
Most of the ingredients can be found in most pantries, and once ready, they store well to be used during the week or to prepare in advance for larger gatherings.
Customize them to your taste and add your favorite toppings and flavorings, but most of all, taste how a real moist banana chocolate chip muffin should be.
If you gave this recipe a go, then please share your thoughts in the comments below and leave a star rating - we'd love to hear from you! Thank you so much!
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🍽️ Recipe
Delicious Chocolate Chip Banana Muffins
Ingredients
- 4 Medium Bananas Ripe
- 125 g Brown Sugar Demerara or Muscovado
- 125 g Unsalted Butter Melted
- 2 Eggs Medium
- 1 tablespoon Maple Syrup
- 200 g Self-Rising Flour
- ½ teaspoon Bicarbonate of Soda
- ½ teaspoon Baking Powder
- ½ teaspoon Salt
- 30 g Milk Chocolate Chips
Instructions
Preheat the oven
- Preheat the oven to 400 F [or 180 degrees Celsius in a FAN oven, Gas Mark 6, or 200 degrees Celsius in a static oven].
Prepare the batter
- Add the peeled and roughly chopped bananas to the food processor and blend until smooth at a low speed; all major pieces should be broken down.
- Once the banana turns to a paste, add the sugar and mix well once more, for 10 seconds.
- Melt the butter completely, and add it to the banana batter, together with the maaple syrup. Blend on a low speed for a further 10 seconds.
- Once the butter is thoroughly incorporated, add the two eggs and mix until you have a very creamy and uniform consistency. This should take about 20-30 seconds, always on a low speed.
- At this stage, start adding the dry ingredients.
- Add the self raising flour, soda, baking powder, and salt and mix well until thoroughly incorporated, always on a low speed. This should take about 30 seconds as well.
- Once all the ingredients are incorporated well and the batter is smooth, increase the speed of the food processor to high for 30 seconds. This will allow the batter to incorporate some air bubbles and which will result in fluffy muffins. This is important as bananas can be quite a heavy ingredient.
- Line a cupcake tray with 12 cupcake tins and divide the batter equally.
- Top each muffin with some chocolate chips.
Bake
- Bake the cupcakes on the middle tray for 17 minutes or until cooked; this may take a couple of minutes more or less depending on the oven.
- The muffins will be ready as soon as a toothpick comes out clean or with a few moist crumbs from the centre of a muffin.
- Once ready, remove the cupcakes and allow them to cool down on a cooling rack.
- Serve on their own warm or cold, or while still warm with some ice cream or cream.
Notes
- Ensure the bananas are as ripe as possible. This will make them easy to mash, give a stronger flavor to the muffins, and balance the sweetness. Underripe bananas will give a lumpy batter.
- If your bananas are underripe, bake them at 350 F [160 C Fan oven] for 10 minutes, on the middle shelf, while still skin on. After 10 minutes, remove the bananas from the oven, and allow them to cool down completely before using as instructed.
- Use room temperature ingredients, as these will mix better together.
- Top the muffins with any type of chocolate chips, or coarsely chopped nuts [such as almonds, walnuts, peanuts, or peacans], as well as seeds or dry fruit [such as sunflower seeds, or raisins]. The batter can also be used to prepare plain banana muffins.
- Before storing in an airtight container, allow the chocolate chip banana muffins to fully cool down. These will store well for 4 days on the counter, or up to 3 months when individually wrapped and kept in the freezer.
- Should you not have self-raising flour, mix the same amount of all-purpose flour to 2 teaspoon of baking powder as a substitute.
Jasmine
This is something I've yet to try! I tried the banana bread, and it was fantastic! I love how simple and straightforward your recipes are!
Elle
Thank you, Jasmine! You are too kind!