These moist, Banana Chocolate Chip Muffins are topped with (streusel) crumb toppings and drizzled with vanilla icing. Perfect for snacks.
We all know that making tasty baked goods requires more than the right recipe. Banana Muffins are a perfect example. Ask ten friends or family members about their favorite part of the muffin.
You’ll probably get a different reply from each person, from brown sugar topping to spices like cloves and cinnamon!
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It would take too much time to make a treat to order. So how do you go about making the banana muffins that are sure to please nearly everyone’s taste buds?
Two helpful hints are:
- Use ripe bananas in the mix.
- Properly store or freeze the muffins once they’ve cooled.
Muffins Vs Cupcakes
I love good over the top muffins and for me, they taste more savory rather than sweet. The texture is normally drier and a bit denser compare to cupcakes.
When you mention cupcakes, expect them to be sweet considering they're miniature cakes - they are more of a dessert, not a breakfast item.
But where do you draw the line between cupcakes and muffins, or how do you distinguish a cupcake and a muffin? It's the frosting.
Cupcakes are topped with creamy frosting that makes them taste super sweet.
However, the muffins can be drizzled with a thin glaze or streusel toppings. For me, a muffin is small quick bread while a cupcake is a small cake.
I’ve noticed that my local stores sometimes have only green bananas on the shelf. Part of the reason is that bananas are one of the few fruits that continue to ripen after they are picked.
Because of the distance between the plantation and the market, their harvest time is before the peel starts turning yellow or golden.
How to ripen bananas quickly
There are three popular methods for reducing the ripening time needed so the banana is ready when you are.
1 Microwave in Minutes!
The yellow peel doesn’t always indicate a soft banana inside. Use a fork to poke holes in unpeeled bananas. Then put them on a paper towel in the microwave.
Zap them on high for 30 seconds. Repeat the process until the flesh is soft. Unpeel, scoop the fruit into a bowl, and mash.
2 Hasten to Ripen Using the Oven.
The bananas will be ready in just a couple of hours. Set the temperature at 300° F. Separate each and place unpeeled bananas on a baking sheet lined with parchment or silicone.
- Leave some space between the fruit and bake for 30 minutes. If they aren’t soft enough, bake an additional 15 minutes.
- Don’t worry about the peel turning black – that’s normal. You just want the inside to be mushy enough for the recipe.
- Let the bananas cool on the baking sheet before working with them.
3 Ripen Bananas by Putting them in a Closed Paper Bag.
Ethylene gas from the peels makes the fruit ready to use for baking in two to three days.
Why sift the flour?
Sifting will aerate the flour hence, creating a lighter, easier to mix into other ingredients when forming a cake batter or dough. It also helps to remove lumps that can get into the batter.
Let's be honest. If you're not a frequent baker, your flour must be sitting in the paper sack and is hiding in the pantry for months. Once they're exposed to air, most flours tend to form clumps.
It is essential to transfer them to an airtight container and give them a big stir using a wooden spoon.
How to keep chocolate chips from sinking to the bottom?
You must be wondering why these chips (or nuts, fruits, etc) sink in baked goods.
- One reason is "gravity", it's as simple as that, that's why chocolate chips or any other add-ins for the baking sink to the bottom when they are too heavy to stay suspended in the batter.
Reasons for a thin batter
- It's over-mixed -- (just mix the batter until well-combined)
- The batter gets too warm, like in a hot kitchen -- (simply keep your kitchen as cool as you can)
What should you do?
Step 1
Add 1 or 2 tablespoon of flour ( or cocoa powder) from the recipe on your chocolate chips. Coating them helps a bit to overcome the chips from sinking straight to the bottom.
But don’t expect a dramatic difference using this method.
Step 2
Another option is to try using the "mini" chocolate chips instead because they're much lighter compared to the chunkier ones.
This means, if they don't weigh as much they're unlikely to sink.
Step 3
Try sprinkling mini chocolate chips on top of your muffin batter (or whatever you're baking) before you place them in the oven.
Remember, these chips aren't infused into the mixture, which means they won't sink as far as once the baking process starts.
You can use these methods to combat the sinking issue.
Why use ripe bananas?
Bananas get sweeter as they ripen due of their starch is broken down into sugar hence overripe bananas make muffins delicious by adding sweetness and moisture; thus they are easier to mash than fresh bananas.
Keep the fresh, tasty goodness by storing up to three days in an airtight container.
How ripe should the banana be?
How ripe, how dark should we let bananas go? Overripe bananas are absolutely necessary to the success of baking banana muffins, banana bread, or even banana cakes.
This means, the darker the color the better or at least they are loaded with black or brown freckles.
Baking with Oil
Using oil makes the banana muffins super moist considering that ripe bananas have already their strong flavor, so using the butter is not that necessary.
Type of oil to use
The most common ingredient being used for baking is vegetable oil. However, some of the recipes I encountered don't specifically mention what kind of vegetable oil to use when baking.
The fact is, you can use any kind of vegetable oil as they are liquid fats with similar consistency that yield the same texture.
The only distinction is the flavor when it comes to baking (but in cooking, the difference is the smoking point).
The important point here is to use vegetable oil that has a neutral flavor or as close to no flavor at all in order not to overpower the recipe you're baking.
You don't want your oil to add its own flavor to your dish.
Examples of neutral oils are canola (my go-to oil for baking) and safflower oil.
How to store them
Make sure to let the muffins cool down completely before storing them.
Place the muffins in an airtight container lined with the paper towel and put another paper towel on top of the muffins before sealing.
If an airtight container is not available, you can use a Ziploc bag and line both sides with paper towels.
Remove as much air if possible before you seal the bag and store at room temperature and consume them within 4 days.
How to freeze them
It’s easy to freeze banana muffins once they’ve cooled down.
- Wrap each muffin with cling film, place them in ziplock bags, and freeze.
- Thaw at room temperature or nuke in the microwave and serve warm.
Once frozen, they're consumable for up to 2 months but after that, their quality starts to degrade.
Extra Tip: Muffins should be removed from their pans almost immediately so they don’t get soggy and have condensation. Or just prop them up a bit so air gets to the bottom of the muffins.
Ingredients
- 1 and ⅔ cups plain flour
- ½ cup brown sugar
- 2 teaspoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 4 ripe bananas
- ½ cup vegetable oil
- ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
- 2 eggs
- 1 cup mini chocolate chips
For The Crumb (Streusel) Toppings:
- ⅔ cup brown sugar
- ¼ cup all-purpose flour
- ¼ teaspoon cinnamon
- 2 tablespoon butter softened
For the Vanilla Icing:
- 1 ½ cups confectioner sugar
- 2 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 2 tablespoon milk
Step by step instructions
For the Muffins
Step 1
In a bowl, use a fine-mesh sieve or strainer to sift the flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and ground cinnamon. Sift together using a whisk to combine the dry ingredients. Set aside the flour mixture.
Step 2
In another bowl containing chocolate chips, add in 2 tablespoon of the flour mixture and mix well to coat chocolate chips with flour. This will prevent them from sinking to the bottom when baking.
Step 3
Place the ripe bananas in a bowl. Roughly mash them, leave them chunkier. Add in vegetable oil, vanilla extract, and eggs. Whisk to combine.
Step 4
Add in flour mixture and mix well. Do not over mix to ensure fluffy muffins. Pour in chocolate chips and flour mixture, mix just until everything is fully combined
Step 5
Distribute batter evenly into 12 muffin cups. Crumble the streusel topping over the muffin batter.
Step 6
Bake at 375 F for 20-25 minutes or until an inserted toothpick comes out clean. Cool on a rack.
For the Crumb (Streusel) Toppings
Step 7
In a small bowl combine the brown sugar, all-purpose flour, and cinnamon. Add in the butter and mix.
Step 8
Crumble this streusel topping over the muffin batter.
For the Vanilla Icing:
Step 9
Combine the vanilla icing ingredients and mix well. Drizzle over prepared banana muffins.
Related recipes
Full Recipe
Banana Chocolate Chip Muffins
Pin RecipeIngredients:
- 1 and ⅔ cups plain flour
- ½ cup brown sugar
- 2 teaspoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 4 ripe bananas
- ½ cup vegetable oil
- ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
- 2 eggs
- 1 cup mini chocolate chips
For The Crumb (Streusel) Topping
- ⅔ cup brown sugar
- ¼ cup all purpose flour
- ¼ teaspoon cinnamon
- 2 tablespoon butter softened
For the Vanilla Icing
- 1 ½ cups confectioner sugar
- 2 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 2 tablespoon milk
Watch the Video:
Instructions:
For the Muffins
- In a bowl, use a fine-mesh sieve or strainer to sift the flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and ground cinnamon. Sift together using a whisk to combine the dry ingredients. Set aside the flour mixture.
- In another bowl containing chocolate chips, add in 2 tablespoon of the flour mixture and mix well to coat chocolate chips with flour. This will prevent them from sinking to the bottom when baking.
- Place the ripe bananas in a bowl. Roughly mash them. Add in vegetable oil, vanilla extract, and eggs. Whisk to combine.
- Add in flour mixture and mix well. Do not over mix to ensure fluffy muffins. Pour in chocolate chips and flour mixture, mix just until everything is fully combined
- Distribute batter evenly into 12 muffin cups. Crumble the streusel topping over the muffin batter.
- Bake at 375 F for 20-25 minutes or until an inserted toothpick comes out clean. Cool on a rack.
For the Crumb (Streusel) Topping
- In a small bowl combine the brown sugar, all-purpose flour, and cinnamon. Add in the butter and mix.
- Crumble this streusel topping over the muffin batter.
For the Vanilla Icing
- Combine the vanilla icing ingredients and mix well. Drizzle over prepared banana muffins.
Notes:
Nutrition Information:
Please note that all nutrition information are just estimates. Values will vary among brands, so we encourage you to calculate these on your own for most accurate results.
Remodel says
Looks so good. I will have to show my wife this. I love banana bread type deserts. This should kick it up a notch! Thank you so much. Can't wait to try it. THANK YOU!
Leros says
Waw your muffins look ah-mazing! I have to save this recipe to try when I get good bananas.
Stephanie Whipple says
I'm so excited to try these banana muffins. I just got my bananas ripen and they are ready for baking.
Evelyn, PathofPresence says
I don’t bake much but this easy to follow recipe and ooozing glaze on top inspires me to go and bake these delicious banana chocolate chip. It is sure to be the hit for breakfast (and beyond).
Sean says
I really want to try making these! My go-to muffin is usually blueberry (boring, I know). I love the tips on how to ripen bananas quickly, those are very helpful!
Reesa Lewandowski says
Oh I am saving this to make for the next time i have ripe bananas! I love how delicious this sounds!
Meagan Badore says
Banana and chocolate are one of my favorite flavor combinations. These look like a delicious way to start the day!
Tomi C says
I love chocolate chip muffins and I love banana muffins, I've just never had the two together. Sounds like a tasty mash up.
Heather says
Banana and chocolate is such a yummy combination! The mornings are harder as we get closer to summer vacation. But these will be worth getting out of bed for!
Sondra Barker says
This looks so fresh and yummy! I'll have to try making these.
xo, Sondra
Cusineandtravel.com
Larry says
Looks delicious! I will have to pass those tips on to my wife on how to ripen them quicker. Great suggestions.
genny says
This is one of the recipes I want to try for the next meeting to celebrate my son's birthday.
Dollhouse Goddesses says
As soon as we are done with our fitness challenge we will add these to our list of YUMMY things to try!
Dana M says
Wow.. I like the presentation of these banana muffins. Made me crave for more.. and inspired me to go to the market to grab some bananas and let them ripen. Thanks for sharing.
Juliet C Lund says
My family loves banana bread as well.. and these muffins are to die for. I could eat 4 of these in one sitting. lol
Brittany says
I want these so badly! Will have to try this recipe. Banana bread is one of my favorites and muffins are so fun to make!!!
Michelle Christie www.macswomen.com says
You did a really nice job showcasing the muffins. I love both of the main ingredient so I will be trying these.
Cathleen @ A Taste of Madness says
You are right. I would probably say the brown sugar topping is my favourite part.. and I didn't even try it yet! But you can never go wrong with banana muffins.
Elizabeth O says
Oh my, these look incredible. The recipe looks really easy to follow and quick to make too. Definitely one to try. Great job.
Alice Megan says
These look delicious I bet they tasted just as good too!
Ally says
These banana muffins look to die for! Especially with the icing on top, this seems like the perfect treat to make for mother's day!
Natalie says
Yes yes and YES to these banana muffins. I love the banana flavored desserts and when you pair it with chocolate it's just too hard for me to resist. Love the topping. It makes muffins look so yummy.
Cassie Marie says
These sound so old, I’ll be making them tonight!
mydeliciousmeals says
These look so good with that icing drizzled on top... Definitely going to try these sometimes.
Sandhya Ramakrishnan says
I love muffins for breakfast, snack or dessert. Banana muffins are one of my favorite and adding chocolate chips is such a great idea. Love the texture of your muffins.
Marisa Franca says
We always seem to have an excess of bananas in the freezer. I've often said they seem to clone themselves while in there. This is a wonderful recipe for them. Bananas and chocolate chips are a great combination.
swathi says
My kids wants chocolate chips in their dessert, I made chocolate chip muffins, but didn't added banana. I like the way you added banana into the muffin.sure it taste delicious.
Catherine says
Your muffins look absolutely beautiful with the streusel and drizzle on top. I have to make these next time when my bananas get too ripe...such a nice change from banana bread too.
Nati says
This is such a great GREAT recipe! I don't have to worry to gt ripen bananas, they are always this way at home! In fact every Saturday I go to the green market and get way too many bananas, everybody in the family likes them when they are still firm. But there are alwayr 3 r 4 by Monday start ripen and NOBODY wants them, which end up to waste. What a great way not to waste more food! Thank you!!
PB says
Wow that’s one of the yummiest thing I saw this morning and are so tempting.. will be perfect for family gatherings
Khushboo M says
My banana muffins never turn out great and I found your tip to be very helpful. Would love to try it next weekend 🙂
Lisa Rios says
These look AMAZING. I love banana and chocolate together - it's a match made in heaven, so these will be perfect for me
Esther C says
I tried these using the browned spotted bananas and they are so good! I'm cooking these again for our Cinco de Mayo church gatherings.
Bernice A says
I so love banana muffins!! and yours look so moist and fluffy. Cant wait to try this out, Yes!
Indu says
I love eating lots of bananas and loads of chocolate. Now I have your muffins recipe using the combo of both my favorite items. Cannot wait to try your muffins.
Daisy says
Oh my goodness banana muffins are my absolute favorite!!!! This recipe looks super delicious! I can’t wait to make it!
Preet says
Wow! This one's a winner.This looks so delightful and tasty. I would love to try making this My boys would both probably DIG this!
kumamonjeng says
These little cup cakes are so tempting! What a great photographer you have. I must take note to use ripe banana to add extra sweetness and moisture.
Mika says
I've tried making banana bread before but never made muffins. The recipe is quite similar, thanks for making it so easy to follow. I'll definitely try baking these.
http://www.mikaesque.com
Gloria says
You know while I was cleaning house today....I thought I need to make some muffins. These are perfect for an afternoon snack, .... but I would eat them for breakfast. Now you have my mouth watering....and looking for ingredients.
Veena Azmanov says
Love the flavors you have here in these banana muffins. The streusel topping sounds delicious. Muffin is the first thing on my mind when I have ripe bananas. Sounds yum.
Claudia Lamascolo says
Banana and chocolate are my favorite ice cream, dipped or pancakes and now I am sure this muffin will be my new favorite!
Pavani says
Baked treats with bananas are always welcome in my family. I end up with the last couple of ripe bananas that no one wants to eat and look for recipes to use them up. Your banana chocolate muffins look so soft, fluffy and delicious. My kids will LOVE these 🙂