Feeling the urge to whip up a comforting Saturday morning treat? One that will fill the house with the delicious scent of fresh baking? These easy, classic chocolate chip banana muffins are the perfect thing! Soft and fluffy on the inside with a sweet, slightly caramelized top, these muffins won’t get a chance to cool before little fingers are reaching for them! Enjoy!
I don’t know anyone who doesn’t love chocolate chip banana muffins fresh out of the oven. When I was a little girl, I knew it would be a great day when I could smell my mom baking before I even woke up. Muffins were one of her go-to’s on a Saturday morning, and now it is one of mine!
Many years later, when I was working at a local coffee shop, I was in charge of baking fresh muffins for the customers every morning. I loved this part of my job! And my efforts were rewarded when customers would line up for the exact moment the steaming muffins came out of the oven. This Chocolate Chip Banana Muffin recipe was one of their favourites!
Naturally, I had to share it with you all, along with some hints to help ensure a perfectly-baked muffin.
Before you begin your chocolate chip banana muffins…do this!
Be sure to pull your ingredients out of the fridge before you bake to give them a chance to come to room temperature. This helps the ingredients blend evenly and ensure a soft, fluffy muffin.
If you forget to do this, you can accommodate by setting your eggs in warm water for a few minutes, and microwaving your milk for about 30 seconds to warm up slightly.
Remove lumps for fluffy chocolate banana muffins
No one likes a muffin with clumps of flour or brown sugar in it! Whisking your dry ingredients helps lighten up your batter and helps remove the lumps. Break up any brown sugar lumps with your fingers and a whisk before adding your wet ingredients.
**Tip ** If your brown sugar is rock hard, stick it in the microwave for 10 seconds or so, just until it softens enough to spoon easily! Easy! (We store our brown sugar in a glass jar which makes this easy to do. Looks pretty on the shelf, too!)
Mash those bananas!
The best bananas for baking are the ones on the verge of ending up in the compost bin. The dark brown spots and lines mean the banana has hit it’s maximum sweetness, and will be perfect in Chocolate Chip Banana Muffins!
If you are not baking immediately, don’t throw away your old bananas! Stick them in the freezer (peeled or unpeeled) for future use. We have a bag of bananas in our freezer, and just take them out to thaw completely before baking.
Mash bananas with either a fork or potato masher until they resemble scrambled eggs. This ensures they are well-distributed in the muffin.
So important!
Over-mixing muffins is a surefire way to end up with a deflated treat!
Add wet ingredients to dry ingredients, and mix only until just combined! I find using a rubber spatula the most effective for this, and I use a folding technique to make sure I’m not mixing too vigorously. Stop as soon as the flour is incorporated. This makes the difference between a high, fluffy muffin, and a wonky, flat muffin!
Size matters.
If you want really big, fluffy Chocolate Chip Banana Muffins, fill those muffin cups right up! I use an ice cream scoop to help make this a quick and easy job with less mess. If you are worried about the muffins blending together as they bake, fill every other tin (see photo).
I did my first batch this way, but after seeing they didn’t blend together, I filled all 12 spaces in my next pan.
Filling them to the top may lead to a slightly longer cooking time for some muffins. Stick a toothpick in the center of a muffin at the end of the cooking time to test for doneness. If it comes out with batter still on it, return the muffins to the oven for a few minutes and test again.
In the end…
Baking should be an enjoyable experience. It may take a few tries, but with these hints you will be able to whip up a beautiful batch of Chocolate Chip Banana Muffins in no time! Relax and enjoy the process! Your family will thank you for it, and you have a treat to go with your next cup of tea.
Here’s my favourite classic Chocolate Chip Banana Muffin recipe!
Chocolate Chip Banana Muffins
Ingredients
- 2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 cup packed brown sugar
- 1 1/2 tsp baking powder
- 1 tsp baking soda
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 2 eggs, large size
- 1 cup buttermilk
- 1 tsp pure vanilla extract
- 1/3 cup canola oil
- 3/4 cup chocolate chips
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 375 F (190 C). Grease or line a 12 cup muffin pan.Bring eggs and buttermilk to room temperature.
- In large bowl, whisk together flour, brown sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.
- In separate bowl, whisk together eggs, buttermilk, and vanilla. Whisking well, add oil in a slow stream until fully incorporated.
- Pour over dry ingredients.
- Sprinkle over chocolate chips.
- Using rubber spatula, fold batter to mix just until flour is fully incorporated. Don’t over mix batter!
- Spoon batter into greased muffin cups.
- Bake for 20 to 25 minutes or until tops are firm to the touch. Let pan cool on rack for a few minutes before removing muffins to rack to cool.
Notes
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Ice Cream Scoop (I’ve linked a set of 3 here. I think it’s a good idea to have a few sizes for different recipes! Larger size for muffins, the smaller ones for cookies and truffles, etc.)
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Enjoy this recipe? What is your favourite muffin recipe? Let me know in the comments below!
Thanks so much for letting me share these little hints with you!!
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