Double Chocolate Banana Muffins

Double Chocolate Banana Muffins are a delicious and easy treat that everyone will love. They’re perfect for any time of day and are a great way to use up overripe bananas. Sweet, chocolatey goodness perfect for a snack or dessert!

If you’re looking for a sweet and satisfying snack that’s easy to make and packed with flavor, you can’t go wrong with double chocolate banana muffins. These muffins are perfect for breakfast, as a mid-day snack, or even as a dessert. Plus, they’re a great way to use up overripe bananas that might otherwise go to waste.

In my house, my kid’s favorite snack has been my homemade banana bread recipe up until now. Chocolate is always a winner so these double chocolate muffins have recently taken the lead as a favorite snack.

I make a dozen in two days they disappear just like magic!

Ingredients You’ll Need

• Whole wheat flour – adds a little fibre to the mix but all-purpose flour will work just as well.

• Cocoa powder – a key ingredient that gives this double chocolate muffin recipe its’ chocolately goodness.

• Sugar – to sweeten things up but it also gives stability to the muffin mix as it rises.

• Baking powder – the leavening agent that gives the muffins their rise.

• Salt – adds flavor but also activates the baking powder.

• Egg – adds richness and structure.

• Ripe bananas – you want the bananas to be a little overripe with brown spots. Bananas get sweeter as they ripen so bananas with brown spots will be at their sweetest.

• Vanilla – because all good baked goods have vanilla in them somewhere.

• Vegetable oil – or any oil that is mild in flavor. This will help to keep the batter light, moist and airy.

• Applesauce – adds moisture and a little sweetness to the batter to replace some of the oil. I prefer to use plain applesauce that is sugar-free and find that the applesauce cups give my kids for lunches are a perfect size.

• Yogurt – Adds some density as well as moisture and richness to the batter. Any yogurt will work but keep it plain. In this recipe, plain Greek yogurt is my preference because it is a little thicker and adds a little more protein.

How To Make Double Chocolate Banana Muffins

1. Start by preheating your oven to 350°F.
2. Then prepare your muffin tin by greasing it lightly. You can use muffin liners but I am not a big fan of them. I find half the time that the liners stick to the muffins and pull away half my muffin. You can grease the liners to prevent this from happening but if you do this, what is the point of the liner?
3. In a large bowl add all of the dry ingredients except for the chocolate chips. Set the bowl aside.
4. Next, add the bananas to a medium bowl and give them a good mash with a fork to break the bananas up into smaller mushy pieces.

5. Once the bananas are mushed add the rest of the wet ingredients to the bowl and give it a good mix to make sure it is well blended and the oil is incorporated well.
6. Then pour the wet ingredients into the larger bowl with the dry ingredients and mix well.
7. Once the batter is mixed add in the chocolate chips and mix until they are evenly mixed throughout the batter.

8. Now it is time to fill the muffin tins. To do this I like to use an ice cream scoop. The scoop is the perfect size to fill the muffin cups and if you have an ice cream scoop with the little scraper thing it helps to use it to drop the muffin mix into the tins easily.
9. Once the muffin cups are filled, bake them for about 20 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Remove them from the oven and let them rest in the muffin cups for about 5 minutes before removing and enjoying.

How Full Should You Fill A Muffin Cup?

You only want to fill your muffin cups about 3/4 of the way full, never right to the top.

As the muffins bake, they will start to rise and if the cups are filled too high with batter they will ooze out over the top of the muffin cups and make a flat mess and never take shape. Giving them a little space allows them to rise properly to get a more muffin top shape.

Don’t Throw Away Your Ripe Bananas

Ripe bananas have so many uses that it would be a shame to toss them.

When bananas in our house are ripe I just throw them in the freezer and thaw them when I need them. Be warned though, bananas in the freezer get ugly. They turn dark brown and get a little shrivelled. They may look rotten but they aren’t.

Why Do Bananas Turn Brown in The Freezer?

Bananas turn black when they’re frozen because the water found in the banana peels turns into ice crystals. As the bananas freeze these ice crystals expand and cause cells in the banana skin to rupture. When the skin cells rupture they release a chemical called polyphenols which cause the skin to brown.

How To Keep Bananas From Browning?

To keep bananas from browning it is best to peel them and then freeze them. It is the skin that is browning, not the bananas. So if you remove the skin and then freeze them in a tightly sealed container you can avoid the browning process altogether.

This is a good thing to do if you often use bananas in smoothies bowls or smoothies because the soft yellow banana color will be preserved and you won’t risk your smoothies looking disgusting or discolored.

Are Bananas Good For You?

• Bananas are a powerhouse of nutrients which include potassium, calcium, manganese, magnesium, iron, folate, niacin, riboflavin, and B6.
• They are high in both soluble and insoluble fiber which help slow digestion helping you feel fuller for longer periods.
• Bananas are a good source of potassium which is helpful in regulating your heartbeat, and blood pressure and is said to keep your brain alert

For more great reasons to eat bananas check out this article from NDTV Food.

Storing and Freezing

Once the muffins are completely cool you can store them on the counter for up to 3 days in a tightly sealed container.

If you want to save them for longer, freeze them in a tightly sealed container only after completely cooling for up to 2 months and thaw in the microwave or on the counter for an hour or so before enjoying them.

More great muffin Recipes

• Whole Wheat Pumpkin Banana Muffins
• Gluten-free Lemon Blueberry Muffins
• Maple Oatmeal Muffins
• Denver Omelette Muffins