These muffins are so dang delicious! Indulgent Banana Chocolate Chunk Muffins are loaded with big pieces of chocolate.
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Have you had your chocolate today? Well, it's about time you get some, my friend. And these muffins are chock full of chocolate!
Banana Chocolate Chunk Muffins are made using a thick, banana bread batter and big chunks of chocolate. We love them for breakfast or in the afternoon for a snack.
It starts with bananas
Eventually, those bananas sitting on your counter will begin to lose their bright yellow sheen and instead sport a coat of brown spots—that's usually the exact moment that no one in the house wants to eat them anymore, because they look a little sus.
Hey, that's okay! Because when they get those spots your bananas are perfect for baking. As they overripen bananas become soft and really sweet. The texture and sweetness of ripe bananas are exactly what you want for flavorful, tender chocolate and banana muffins.
And the best part? The chocolate!
Semisweet chocolate is my choice here, but dark chocolate is also delicious in these muffins. There's enough sweetness that the chocolate can be a little less so. If you have a really fierce sweet tooth though, try these muffins with milk chocolate chunks!
Don't settle for chocolate chips here; instead pick up some bars of chocolate and use a sharp knife to chop them into chunks. The baked banana muffins will have luscious pockets of melted chocolate, plus little chocolate speckles and slivers, too.
Why you'll love this recipe
Bananas and chocolate are exceptional together, especially in these moist muffins. They're based on a banana bread recipe for really rich and sweet muffins with banana flavor and a little spice.
Buttermilk goes into the chocolate chunk banana muffins for a little tang and to give them extra richness and moisture.
Chocolate Chunk Banana Muffins are a great make-ahead breakfast idea—bake them the night before, and then pull them out in the morning for the best breakfast ever. Make a batch to share at a brunch gathering or to share at work.
You can also freeze the baked and cooled muffins to have on hand anytime.
🔪 How to make Banana Chocolate Chunk Muffins
Ingredients:
- Buttermilk: It gives the muffins moisture, tenderness, and a little tang.
- Bananas: Choose ripe bananas that are brown or a least spotted with brown. They'll be soft and fragrant, and give the muffins lots of sweetness.
- Chocolate: Pick up bars or blocks of semisweet chocolate and chop them into coarse chunks. All the little shavings and chocolate bits can go in the batter, too.
- Flour: Use all-purpose flour; my go-to is King Arthur Unbleached.
- Oil: Vegetable oil gives the muffins a soft, tender texture, and helps them stay moist when stored for a few days.
- Egg: You'll need just one large egg.
- Brown sugar: It brings so much flavor to the muffins and the molasses-caramel notes are tasty with banana.
- Cinnamon: A little cinnamon pairs so nicely with the banana and chocolate.
- Extracts: I use both vanilla and rum extracts. Choose a good, quality brand like Nielsen-Massey.
- Baking powder: This leavener makes the muffins nice and light.
- Salt: Just a pinch to boost the flavor.
- Decorating sugar: Sprinkled on the tops, it gives the chocolate and banana muffins sparkle and crunch. Granulated sugar can be used, too.
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- Step 1: Combine the wet ingredients. Beat together the wet ingredients including the brown bananas, sugar, oil, and egg in a large mixing bowl.
- Step 2: Make the rest of the batter. Whisk together dry ingredients in a separate bowl, then mix this into the wet batter. Stir in the chocolate chunks.
- Step 3: Fill the muffin cups. Pour the batter into a muffin pan with paper liners in the wells. Sprinkle the tops with sugar.
- Step 4: Bake! Pop them in the oven and bake the muffins for about 20 minutes until a tester comes out clean.
Tips for perfect banana and chocolate muffins:
- Use really ripe, brown bananas for this recipe, as they'll add the most sweetness and flavor.
- Take your buttermilk and egg out of the fridge 30 to 60 minutes before starting your recipe. Having these ingredients at room temperature will help you get the best texture in your muffins.
- Don't overmix the batter, as doing so will make the muffins tough. Fold the wet and dry ingredients together by hand, with just enough strokes to bring everything together—a few specks of flour are okay.
- Use paper liners—plain, decorated, whatever you like! They're so worth it, because they allow the muffins to release from the pan cleanly, and they look cute, too! You can also make your own bakery-style liners from squares of parchment paper. This tutorial explains how to make easily make them.
FAQs
Yes! Place cooled muffins in a freezer-safe bag, and press out all the air. Store the muffins in the freezer for up to three months. Let them thaw in the fridge still inside the freezer bag.
One way to ripen bananas quickly is to put them in a paper bag and close the top. This traps ethylene gas and ripens the fruit faster. You can also cook bananas to soften them: for the oven, lay them unpeeled on a baking sheet and bake at 350°F until they're soft to the touch. Or, poke holes in the peels and microwave bananas until they're soft.
Placing bananas in the fridge will also make them turn brown and soft, but this may take a couple of days.
The Banana Chocolate Chunk Muffins recipe is below, and here are a few more baked treats to try!
💬 Have you tried these banana chocolate muffins? Leave a comment below.
📖 Recipe
Banana Chocolate Chunk Muffins
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Ingredients
- ⅔ cup buttermilk
- 2 large brown, over-ripe bananas, mashed (over-ripe means really brown!)
- ½ cup packed brown sugar
- ¼ cup vegetable oil
- 1 egg
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 1 teaspoon rum extract
- 2 cups all-purpose flour, unbleached
- 1 tablespoon baking powder
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 8 ounces semi-sweet chocolate, cut into chunks (about 1½ cups)
- Sparkling decorating sugar or granulated sugar
Instructions
Make the batter:
- Preheat oven to 400° F. Line a muffin tin with paper liners, or spray it with nonstick cooking spray.
- Beat the buttermilk, bananas, brown sugar, oil, egg, vanilla extarct, and rum extract together in a stand mixer, or in a large bowl with a hand mixer, until thoroughly combined.
- Mix together the flour, baking powder, cinnamon, and salt in a separate bowl. Fold this into the wet mixture by hand until the wet and dry ingredients are just combined—a few streaks of flour are okay.
- Fold in the chocolate chunks using as few strokes as necessary.
Fill the cups:
- Fill each muffin cup about ¾ of the way. Sprinkle the tops with a pinch or two of decorating sugar.
Bake:
- Slide the pan into the oven and bake for 20 minutes, until they're lightly browned and a tester inserted in the center comes out clean.
- Turn the muffins out onto a cooling rack. Serve them while warm and while the chocolate is melty if you can!
- Once cool, the muffins can be stored in a sealed container for three days. Makes about 12 muffins
Notes
- Use really ripe, brown bananas for this recipe, as they'll add the most sweetness and flavor.
- Take your buttermilk and egg out of the fridge 30 to 60 minutes before starting your recipe. Having these ingredients at room temperature will help you get the best texture in your muffins.
- Don't overmix the batter, as doing so will make the muffins tough. Fold the wet and dry ingredients together by hand, with just enough strokes to bring everything together—a few specks of flour are okay.
Nutrition
TaMara Sloan says
I know my small people would love these! Thanks for sharing at Food on Friday.
Nancy Mock says
Thanks Mom!
Anonymous says
Yum!!! they look great!!!
Mom