Banana Chocolate Chip Muffins

These amazing banana muffins are probably my most frequently made recipe. They remind me of a fluffier, moist, hand sized banana bread snack. These are great with or without chocolate chips and with some minor adjustments can easily be made vegan.

Their origin is shrouded with mystery… Just kidding! A long, long time ago these started as a Muffin Mania cookbook recipe called "Best Ever Banana Muffins". Over the years my mother made these so often that she no longer followed the recipe. She then passed it on to me. Small changes accumulated over time until, similar to the game broken telephone this recipe morphed into something new.

To get started, add all of the dry ingredients into one bowl and whisk until they are completely combined and nicely aerated. The flour should be light and fluffy, not densely packed. It's also possible to sneak in some extra fiber by including 1-2 tablespoons of ground flax seed. Make sure your baking soda is not too old otherwise you will end up with muffins that don't rise as much and have a flatter top.

Fresh or frozen bananas can be used in this recipe as long as they are overripe. If using frozen bananas either leave them out to thaw for an hour or two or defrost them in the microwave for 20-30 seconds.

I have had a final yield of anywhere from 10-13 standard sized muffins. The final yield of this recipe depends entirely on the size of the bananas used. I try to use 3 large or 4 small/medium bananas which is about 1.5 cups mashed. The magical part of this recipe is that even if you have a larger or smaller amount of mashed bananas it will not impact the final taste, just the yield.

I use a whisk to mash the ripe bananas but a hand blender/mixer, fork or potato masher will do the job just as well. I personally enjoy big chunks of banana in my muffins so I find the whisk works best for that. If you prefer a smoother texture I suggest using a hand blender or mixer to cream the bananas instead.

Whisk together the mashed bananas and half a cup of white sugar, followed by one large egg and a third of a cup of canola oil. At this point you have the choice to add some chocolate chips. These muffins are great as plain banana or as banana chocolate chip - my preference.

Using a large spoon, gently fold in the dry ingredients. Mix together both wet and dry ingredients until they are just mixed. It is very important not to overmix or you will have dense, unfluffy muffins and nobody wants that.

I prefer to use a silicone muffin pan to cook my muffins in, getting rid of the need for muffin liners or greasing the cups. I use a big spoon to fill the muffin pan cups with batter, almost to the top, leaving about half a centimeter. This leaves room for the muffins to expand while baking and to hold their shape. If the pan is filled right to the top they will overspill while baking without rising nicely. Depending on how the chocolate chips were mixed in I will usually sprinkle a couple more onto each muffin as garnish so that the final result looks even more delicious.

I cook these muffins for around 20 minutes at 375°F in the middle rack of an oven. Everyone has a slightly different oven, so the first time you make this recipe keep an eye on them in the last couple minutes of cooking time. These are done when the top is a nice golden-brown color. Let them cool for 5-10 minutes and they should pop right out of a silicone muffin pan.

Muffins can be frozen until needed, they last for 2-3 days in a container at room temperature or up to a week in the fridge.

Great for breakfast or as an on-the-go snack. Enjoy this simple recipe any time.