With buttery, crisp tops, tender, moist crumb, and gooey chocolate bits, these chocolate chunk banana muffins are sure to be a breakfast hit. These muffins strike the perfect balance between sweet and subtle banana flavor and rich chocolate notes. You won’t be able to stop at just one.
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
- The perfect amount of sweet banana flavor.
- A touch of melty chocolate and walnut crunch in every bite.
- Buttery, crisp tops and sides…without a ton of butter (seriously, just 1/4 cup!)
- Delightfully moist crumb.
- Lower in fat because we use Greek yogurt and unsweetened applesauce in place of more butter/oil.
- Mouthwatering grab-and-go breakfast or snack.
Ingredients
- Bananas – use ripe bananas that are yellow in color with a few brown spots. They will be sweeter and creamier.
- Pure maple syrup – natural sweetener that adds a subtle hint of maple flavor to the muffins. Use pure maple syrup, NOT pancake syrup. We prefer grade A amber maple syrup.
- Unsweetened applesauce – helps cut back on the butter needed and adds some natural sweetness.
- Greek yogurt – We prefer to use whole milk Greek yogurt for extra moistness and richness, but you can also sub in light Greek yogurt or another variety of yogurt, like coconut, cashew or almond milk yogurt. Just note that we have not tried this recipe with plant-based yogurts.
- Butter – a little butter (just 1/4 cup!) goes a long way in giving these muffins buttery flavor, moist crumb, and a crispy exterior. We tried these muffins with oil and did not achieve the same crisp tops and therefore do not recommend substituting.
- Eggs – binding agent that adds to the texture and lift of these muffins.
- Vanilla extract – for subtle vanilla sweetness.
- Whole wheat flour – whole wheat flour works great in muffins without affecting the flavor or texture significantly. It’s less processed than all-purpose flour and adds a little extra fiber, protein, and vitamins and minerals.
- Baking soda – leavening agent.
- Cinnamon – cozy spice that brings out the banana flavor.
- Salt – enhances the other flavors in the muffins.
- Chocolate chunks and walnuts – melty dark chocolate chunks and crunchy walnuts are the perfect mix-ins for these muffins.
Tips for Making Chocolate Chunk Banana Muffins
- Use ripe bananas – for perfectly sweet, smooth texture and the right touch of banana flavor, use bananas that are perfectly ripe. Look for bananas that are yellow in color with some brown spotting. Green or lightly yellow bananas are unripe and will be more bitter, while dark or deeply spotted bananas have a very strong banana flavor that can be overpowering.
- Don’t overmix the batter – for light and fluffy muffins, mix the flour mixture into the wet ingredients until just a few streaks or bumps of flour are left. Over-mixing will result in denser, tougher muffins.
- Use muffin liners or cooking spray – to help prevent the batter from sticking to the sides and bottom of the muffin tins.
- Cool muffins on a wire rack – Leaving the cooked muffins in the hot muffin tin too long allows moisture to collect and results in soggy muffins. To avoid this, cool the muffins in the muffin tin on top of a wire rack for 10 minutes before transferring to a cooling rack to finish cooling.
How to Make Chocolate Chunk Banana Muffins
Preheat the oven to 350℉. Lightly mist a muffin tin with cooking spray or fill with disposable muffin liners. Set aside.
In a medium bowl combine the whole wheat flour, baking soda, salt, and cinnamon. Mix with a fork to distribute and set aside.
In a large stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, add the bananas and mix on medium-high speed until mashed and smooth. You should have about 1½ cups of mashed banana.
Add the maple syrup, applesauce, melted butter, Greek yogurt, eggs, and vanilla extract. Stir until combined. With the mixer on low speed, add the flour mixture and mix until just incorporated. Fold in the chocolate and walnuts.
Divide the batter among the muffin tins, filling until almost full. You should yield 12-13 muffins, depending on how full you fill the muffin tins and if you add additional chocolate and walnuts as a topping.
Bake muffins for 18 to 20 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the middle comes out mostly clean with a few moist crumbs sticking to it. Remove from the oven and allow the muffins to partially cool for 10 minutes in the muffin tray. Transfer the muffins to a cooling rack to finish cooling (this will prevent soggy muffin bottoms). Serve and enjoy!
How to Store
Before storing your muffins, be sure to allow the muffins to cool completely on a wire rack. This will help prevent excess moisture from collecting.
Line an airtight container with paper towels and transfer the muffins to the container in a single layer. Place another layer of paper towel over the top of the muffins and seal. Store at room temperature for 4 days or in the refrigerator for up to 1 week. *please note that refrigerating muffins will remove moisture and result in drier muffins than storing at room temperature. Reheat in the microwave for a few seconds or enjoy at room temperature or cold.
To freeze, remove the muffins from their liners. Individually wrap each muffin with plastic wrap and place in a freezer Ziploc bag for optimum freshness. Squeeze excess air from the bag before sealing and freeze for up to 3 months. You can thaw frozen muffins by warming them in the microwave for 30 seconds to 1 minute or by thawing them overnight in the refrigerator.
Frequently Asked Questions
These muffins are cooked when a toothpick inserted into the center comes out with just a few moist crumbs sticking to it, but no wet batter streaks.
Chocolate chunk banana muffins last up to 4 days at room temperature, up to 1 week in the refrigerator, or up to 3 months in the freezer when stored in an airtight container.
For the best fluffy muffins, don’t overmix the batter. When combining the wet and dry ingredients, just combine until incorporated (it’s okay to see a few streaks or bumps of flour).
Adding Greek yogurt, buttermilk, or oil/butter help keep muffins moist. Pumpkin and applesauce are also great non-dairy options for creating a moist crumb in baked goods. Our recipe uses a combination of Greek yogurt, applesauce, and melted butter to add moisture to the muffins while maintaining crisp edges and tops.
Check out our other muffin recipes
- Chocolate zucchini muffins
- Healthy pumpkin muffins
- Chocolate banana muffins
- Healthy apple cobbler muffins
- Healthy cranberry orange muffins
Let us know what you think about our recipe for chocolate chunk banana muffins by dropping a comment, star rating, and/or sharing on Pinterest/social media! We really appreciate your help in sharing and rating our recipes, as it allows us to continue to bring delicious and healthy recipes to our community!
Chocolate Chunk Banana Muffins
Equipment
- Stand mixer with paddle attachment
Ingredients
- 1¾ c whole wheat flour (or sub all-purpose flour)
- 1 tsp baking soda
- ½ tsp salt
- ½ tsp cinnamon
- 4 medium bananas or 3 large bananas (about 1½ cups mashed)
- â…“ c pure maple syrup (NOT pancake syrup)
- ¼ c unsweetened applesauce
- ¼ c unsalted butter, melted and cooled to room temperature (plant-based or regular)
- ¼ c whole milk Greek yogurt
- 2 large eggs
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- ½ c milk or dark chocolate chunks or chips (plus more for topping, if desired)
- â…“ c walnuts, coarsely chopped (plus more for topping, if desired)
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350℉. Lightly mist a muffin tin with cooking spray or fill with disposable muffin liners. Set aside.
- In a medium bowl combine the whole wheat flour, baking soda, salt, and cinnamon. Mix with a fork to distribute and set aside.
- In a large stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, add the bananas and mix on medium-high speed until mashed and smooth. You should have about 1½ cups of mashed banana.
- Add the maple syrup, applesauce, melted butter, Greek yogurt, eggs, and vanilla extract. Stir until combined. With the mixer on low speed, add the flour mixture and mix until just incorporated. Fold in the chocolate and walnuts.
- Divide the batter among the muffin tins, filling until almost full. You should yield 12-13 muffins, depending on how full you fill the muffin tins and if you add additional chocolate and walnuts as a topping.
- Bake muffins for 18 to 20 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the middle comes out mostly clean with a few moist crumbs sticking to it. Remove from the oven and allow the muffins to partially cool for 10 minutes in the muffin tray. Transfer the muffins to a cooling rack to finish cooling (this will prevent soggy muffin bottoms). Serve and enjoy!
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