Banana and Chocolate Chip Muffins

Looking back on all of my baking adventures, I would have to say that muffins are probably my favorite food to bake. With a good basic muffin recipe and so many different variations, you can never go wrong when it comes to baking these little gems. They’re always nice to have in the house just in case you’re craving a sweet or if you need a quick breakfast that is wholesome, filling and comforting.

Another item I also love to have in the kitchen at all times is a bunch of bananas. They act as a wonderful complement to our yellow walls and perfect to have on hand for both eating and baking. When they’re nice and yellow I love to cut them up and add them to my bowl of cereal. When they’re turning brown and looking like they’ve seen better days, I either toss them in my refrigerator and save them for baking or mash them up and make a quick bread or muffins…as was the case on Sunday.

Sometimes, there is no better combination than bananas and chocolate so I decided run a little experiment and put this flavor combo to work in my classic banana bread recipe. I mashed up the bananas and folded the chocolate chips into the light and fluffy batter. I was a little nervous about the bake time since the bread recipe calls for one hour. I put the muffins in for 12 minutes and they didn’t resemble muffins at all. I added six minutes to the timer and went back to check on them. They puffed up a little but still showed signs of struggling. I added another four minutes to the clock…and then another three minutes…and voila! After about 25 minutes of baking, I pulled these deliciously moist muffins out of the oven and enjoyed each and every bite.

Banana and Chocolate Chip Muffins

Ingredients:

• 3 or 4 ripe bananas, smashed
• 1/3 cup melted butter
• 1 cup sugar
• 1 egg, beaten
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• Pinch of salt
• 1 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
• 1 cup milk chocolate chips

Directions:

1. Preheat over to 350 degrees and grease a muffin tin.
2. With a wooden spoon, mix the butter into the smashed bananas in a large mixing bowl.
3. Mix in the sugar, egg and vanilla.
4. Sprinkle in the baking soda and salt over the mixture and mix in.
5. Add the flour and mix until incorporated.
6. Fold in the milk chocolate chips.
7. Pour mixture into a greased muffin tin, filling cups 3/4 full.
8. Bake for approximately 25 minutes.
9. Cool in tin for a a few minutes and then remove from tin and cool completely on rack.

What is your favorite type of muffin?