Tuesday, December 22, 2009

Banana-Chocolate Chip Muffins

I love having bananas that need to be converted. I'll often buy the "red tag" bananas (the ones that are very ripe and need to be sold fast) so I can convert them faster. What other fruit does what the banana does? When perfectly ripe it's a healthy, tasty snack wrapped in it's own biodegradable packaging, and when over-ripe we use it to make yummy baked goods like banana muffins, banana bread, banana pancakes...The perfect fruit? Quite possibly.

These muffins are very quick and easy to put together. If I have enough banana I like to make a double batch and freeze some to keep for later (they make a great quick breakfast or snack for my kids).

Note: I learned a great way to get a good, even mash on the bananas from my sister (she says she learned it from her mother-in-law): peel them, put them on a plate, and then use a fork to press and mash them against the plate. I used to put them in a zip-top bag and use my hands to mash the banana around in the bag, but my sister's plate method does a better job of getting the little lumps.

Banana-Chocolate Chip Muffins
Printable Recipe

1/3 cup butter, melted
2/3 cup sugar
2 eggs
2 tablespoons milk
1 1/4 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
3/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/8 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
1 cup mashed over-ripe banana (about 3 medium)
1 3/4 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 cup mini-chocolate chips (or more if you want)

1. Heat your oven to 350, and spray or line a 12-muffin pan.

2. In a medium bowl, mix together the butter and sugar. Add the eggs and milk, and mix well. Add the baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, nutmeg, and salt and mix well. Add the banana, flour, and chocolate chips, mixing well after each addition.

3. Divide the batter evenly between the 12 muffin cavities (I use a muffin scoop), and bake for 15-20 minutes, or until lightly browned and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out almost clean (a few moist crumbs clinging to the toothpick are good). Let the muffins cool in the pan for about 3 minutes, then remove them to a cooling rack to cool completely.

Note: To make a loaf, use an 8x4x2 1/2'ish loaf pan, and bake it for 55-60 minutes, or until done by the toothpick test above.

5 comments:

  1. I have some black bananas in my freezer just waiting to be baked into something:) Sounds yummy!

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  2. Sue, lol :) I had a friend once who told me that when all the bananas in her freezer start falling on her when she opens the door, she knows it's time to covert them into something ;)

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  3. I made this today, and they are delicious! However, we made them sugar-free [yes, that includes the chocolate chips!] so it was even more wonderful! We only used one banana though, for a subtle taste, and put in extra milk to make up for the moisture. Awesome, easy, recipe! Thank you!

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  4. @Christine, Yay! I'm so happy they worked out for you! :)

    ReplyDelete

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