Banana Chocolate Chip Muffins
Satisfy your sweet tooth these beautifully moist banana chocolate chips muffins with a hint of vanilla and cinnamon.
Ingredients
Main Ingredients
Method
Break 2 ripe bananas into pieces then place into a large mixing bowl and mash with a potato masher of the back of fork until you have a slightly lumpy paste.
Add the melted butter, soft brown sugar, beaten egg, milk, vanilla bean paste (or vanilla extract) and cinnamon to the mashed bananas and mix well.
In a separate bowl, mix the self-raising flour with 1 tsp of baking powder and 1/2 tsp of bicarbonate of soda / baking soda, then gradually fold the flour into the banana mix until just combined.
Don't overmix otherwise you will end up with tough muffins, the mix needs to be just combined
Fold in the chocolate chips to evenly distribute them through the mix.
Line a muffin tin with 12 muffin cases and fill them up about 2/3 of the way with the muffin batter.
Tip: use an ice cream scoop to help evenly distributes the mix between the muffin cases
Heat your oven to 180C / 350F and bake for 18-22 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the centre of a muffin comes out clean.
Check muffins after 18 minutes to avoid overbaking.
Allow the muffins to cool in the tin for 5 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.
Cooling on a wire rack prevents the muffins from becoming soggy.
About Banana Chocolate Chip Muffins
My aim with this bake was to make banana chocolate chip muffins that had a good balance of flavour; sweet by not overly banana-ry (if that's a word). Initially I used 3 large bananas and just self-raising flour without any other leavening, however the muffins came out dense and the banana flavour was overpowering. My initial thought was that the banana was making the batter too heavy, so on the next attempt I reduced the banana and increased the milk as well as making a few other adjustments; that batch came out better, but still a little dense, so I decided that it was likely the leavening that was causing the issue, so to give the self-raising flour a little help I added 1 tsp of baking powder and 1/2 tsp of bicarbonate of soda / baking soda which can be activated with the acidity of the banana. I also made some adjustments to the other ingredients: I added more chocolate chips (my previous 75g wasn't quite enough) and reduced the sugar, I also adjusted some of the other ratios to get a better batter consistency - thick but not so thick it's difficult to divide between the muffin cases - and this time the muffins came out light, soft and moist with a well balanced flavour. I hope you enjoy them!
How to Make Banana Chocolate Chip Muffins in Images (step-by-step)
Use a potato masher or the back of a fork to mash 2 large ripe bananas (between 200-240g) in a large mixing bowl.
Melt the butter and add to the bowl along with 1 whisked egg, 1 tsp of vanilla bean paste (or vanilla extract), 1/2 tsp of cinnamon, 80g (1/3 cup) of soft brown sugar and 2 tbsps of milk and mix well.
Mix the self-raising flour with 1 tsp of baking powder and 1/2 tsp of bicarbonate of soda/baking soda. This will help make the muffins light.
Fold the flour into the banana mix until just combined, be careful not to overmix as it can develop the gluten making the muffins dense and chewy.
Fold in the chocolate chips to distribute them evenly through the batter.
Your batter should be a thick, slightly lumpy consistency but still easy to scoop into the muffin cases, if it's is a little too thick you can add a splash more milk.
Line a muffin tin with 12 muffin cases and divide the muffin batter between them. I use a small ice cream scoop and push the batter into the cases with a spoon; each case can be filled with approximately 2 small ice cream scoops.
Preheat your oven to 180C/350F and bake for 18-22 minutes until golden. To test if they are cooked you can insert a cocktail stick into the muffin; if it comes out clean the muffins are ready to be removed from the oven.
Remove the muffins from the oven and leave in the muffin tray for 5 minutes.
Transfer to a wire rack and allow to cool.
Questions and Substitutions
Can I use plain flour / all-purpose flour instead of self-raising?
Yes you can, but you'll need to add an additional 2 tsp of baking powder to your batter.
What is 2 ripe bananas in weight?
2 ripe bananas is around 200-240g, for the muffins in the image I was on the lower end, and my 2 bananas yielded just over 200g. If you're bananas are on the larger side you might want to start by adding a little less milk the mix, check the consistency and add a splash more if needed.
What is vanilla bean paste?
Vanilla bean paste is more concentrated than vanilla extract but it is quite expensive and many people still prefer vanilla extract, so go with whatever you prefer or have to hand.
How to Store Banana Chocolate Chip Muffins
Store muffins in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days or freeze for up to 3 months.
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