My husband loves banana bread, but for some reason I have never been a fan. It’s not that I hate the stuff; I just don’t love it enough to get excited about making it.
Or at least I didn’t, until the day I discovered that you could put chocolate chips in it. Moist, chocolaty yumminess for breakfast? Yes, please!
Unfortunately, my banana-bread-loving husband thinks chocolate in banana bread is an abomination, which is yet another reason why I prefer making quick breads in a muffin pan. I can mix up plain muffin batter for my chocolate-averse family members, spoon half of it into the muffin pan, then stir in some chocolate chips for those of us who prefer deluxe banana muffins. 🙂
While this recipe is delicious, my motives for making it tend to be more practical than indulgent. I buy lots of bananas to blend into smoothies, and occasionally my banana buying outstrips my smoothie making. Before I know it, I have a counter full of very freckly bananas whose flavor is way too strong for most of my smoothie recipes. I don’t like to throw away perfectly good food, so I’m grateful to have a recipe where super-ripe bananas play a starring role. I also appreciate that chocolate chip banana muffins baking in my oven make my home smell downright heavenly.
Now, I’ve debated whether to mention that most of the flour in this recipe is wheat flour, because I’m never sure how a person is going to respond to that. Some readers will probably say, “Whew! I feel so much better about eating this muffin now that I know it has healthy ingredients in it!” Others are probably thinking, “Wheat flour in banana muffins? Way to ruin a good thing–they probably taste like cardboard.” Let me just say that when I’m making this recipe, I feel better knowing that it has all that wheat flour and fruit in it. When I’m eating these healthy chocolate chip banana muffins, they’re so yummy that I don’t care what’s in them.
One final note on butter. The ingredient list says you can use butter or canola oil, and they each work fine, texture-wise. I typically put in a little of both because the canola oil is better for you, but I love the flavor that butter adds to baked goods. Even a couple tablespoons add warmth and richness that harmonize wonderfully with the bananas. I think that little flavor boost is worth fussing with an extra ingredient, but of course, you can use whichever ingredient (or combination) floats your muffiny boat.
- ½ cup brown sugar
- ¼ cup butter (softened) or canola oil
- 1 egg
- 3 mashed bananas
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- ¾ cup white whole wheat flour
- ½ cup all-purpose flour
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- ¼ teaspoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon cinnamon
- ½ cup chocolate chips
- Preheat oven to 350°F. Grease 12 cups of a muffin pan.
- In a large mixing bowl, beat the sugar and butter (or oil) until well combined, then mix in the egg, mashed bananas, and vanilla.
- In another mixing bowl, combine the flours, baking soda, baking powder, salt, and cinnamon. Add the flour mixture to the banana mixture, and stir just until combined (you don’t want to overmix, or the muffins will be dense and tough). Gently stir in the chocolate chips, if using (and I really hope you are!).
- Divide batter evenly among the 12 greased muffin cups. Bake for 20-22 minutes, or until the top of a muffin is firm when lightly pressed. Let muffins cool in their pan for 5 minutes, then remove from pan to cool completely on a wire rack.
Craving more delicious yet healthyish muffins in your life (who doesn’t)?
