Recipes
Chocolate Chip Banana Muffins Recipe
These chocolate chip banana muffins are tender, warmly flavored, and full of melted chocolate chips. The batter comes together by hand in one bowl and bakes into 12 soft muffins.
Overview
These chocolate chip banana muffins are soft, tender, and easy to mix by hand. Very ripe bananas provide the strongest banana flavor and enough moisture to keep the crumb tender, while melted butter gives the muffins a rich finish.
The recipe makes 12 standard muffins and takes about 10 minutes to prepare. Bake them until the tops are rounded and golden and a toothpick inserted into the center comes out with a few moist crumbs and no wet batter.
Ingredients
- 3 very ripe medium bananas, peeled and mashed; about 1 1/4 cups or 285 g
- 1/2 cup (113 g) unsalted butter, melted and cooled for 5 minutes
- 2/3 cup (135 g) packed light brown sugar
- 1 large egg, at room temperature if possible
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 1 1/2 cups (195 g) all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon fine salt
- 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 3/4 cup (130 g) semisweet chocolate chips, plus 2 tablespoons for the tops if desired
How to make it
Heat the oven to 375°F (190°C). Line a 12-cup standard muffin pan with paper liners, or lightly grease the cups. If using paper liners, lightly grease the top of the pan as well to prevent overflow from sticking.
Mash the bananas in a large bowl with a fork until mostly smooth. A few small lumps are fine, but break up any large pieces so the banana distributes evenly through the batter.
Whisk the melted, slightly cooled butter and brown sugar into the bananas. Add the egg and vanilla and whisk until the mixture is smooth and glossy.
In a separate bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, salt, and cinnamon. Add the dry ingredients to the banana mixture and stir with a spatula just until no dry streaks remain. Do not keep mixing once the flour disappears; a few small lumps are preferable to dense muffins.
Fold in the 3/4 cup of chocolate chips. Divide the batter evenly among the 12 muffin cups, filling each about three-quarters full. Sprinkle the extra chocolate chips over the tops if using.
Bake for 18 to 22 minutes, rotating the pan once after 12 minutes if your oven browns unevenly. The muffins are done when the tops spring back lightly when pressed, the edges are golden, and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out with a few moist crumbs but no streak of raw batter.
Let the muffins cool in the pan for 5 minutes, then transfer them to a wire rack. Serve warm or let them cool completely. The chocolate will be softest while the muffins are still slightly warm.
Expert tips
- Use bananas with plenty of brown or black spots. Yellow bananas work in a pinch, but the muffins will have less sweetness and banana flavor.
- Measure the mashed banana before mixing. If you have much less than 1 1/4 cups, the muffins may be drier; if you have much more, they may need extra baking time and can become gummy.
- For taller tops, rest the mixed batter for 10 minutes before portioning it into the pan. Do not rest it for much longer because the baking soda begins reacting with the moist ingredients.
- If the tops brown before the centers are baked, loosely cover the pan with foil for the final few minutes.
- Do not substitute baking powder for the baking soda in equal amounts. If necessary, use 3 teaspoons of baking powder instead, though the texture and browning will be slightly different.
- You can replace the semisweet chips with milk chocolate, dark chocolate, or chopped chocolate. For a nutty variation, fold in 1/2 cup of chopped walnuts or pecans.
Serving and storage
Serve the muffins warm, at room temperature, or split and lightly toasted. They are especially good with the chocolate chips still soft from the oven.
Once completely cool, store the muffins in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 2 days. For longer storage, refrigerate them for up to 5 days, though refrigeration can make the crumb firmer. Rewarm a muffin in the microwave for 10 to 15 seconds to soften it.
To freeze, wrap each completely cooled muffin or place them in a freezer bag, removing as much air as possible. Freeze for up to 3 months. Thaw at room temperature or microwave one muffin for 20 to 30 seconds, checking the center before serving.
Frequently asked questions
Can I make chocolate chip banana muffins with frozen bananas?
Yes. Thaw the bananas completely, then drain off any large amount of liquid before mashing. Use about 1 1/4 cups of mashed banana by weight or volume so the batter has the intended moisture level.
Why did my banana muffins turn out dense or gummy?
The most common causes are overmixing the batter, using substantially more banana than the recipe calls for, or removing the muffins before the centers are baked. Stir only until the flour disappears and use a toothpick to check for wet batter in the center.
Can I use oil instead of butter?
Yes. Replace the 1/2 cup of melted butter with 1/2 cup of neutral oil, such as canola or vegetable oil. The muffins will remain moist but will have less buttery flavor.
How do I keep chocolate chips from sinking?
Use the amount listed and fold the chips in gently at the end. If your batter is unusually loose because the bananas are large, toss the chips with 1 teaspoon of the measured flour before adding them.
Can I make these muffins without paper liners?
Yes. Grease the muffin cups thoroughly, including the upper edges, and let the baked muffins cool for 5 minutes before loosening them with a thin knife or offset spatula.
