FOR THEM, NOT ME, I PROMISE | MY EASY CHOCOLATE CHIP BANANA BREAD MUFFINS

hey! I posted this photo of my favorite easy peasy chocolate chip banana muffins on instagram, and got a couple requests for the recipe. I'm not sure why I tend to only make this in the fall? 

But it never fails, I usually have 2 sad bananas left at the end of the week… and it really pains me to throw food away, so this recipe is both a blessing and a curse since surely I don't need the extra sweets and calories. But I do love making them for the rest of my little brood… Plus, this is the only way I can get the munchkin to eat bananas. They can be breakfast, or sometimes I cut them in half and put them in her little treat compartment of her bento (lunch) box (get a similar lunchbox here if you are interested).  At any rate, here's the recipe, which only requires two bananas. I use this recipe, but cut the sugar in half since I add a half cup of mini chocolate chips, which essentially melt into the batter and a handful of the large Ghiradelli chocolate chips which melt in your mouth:-)

Chocolate Chip Banana Bread 

Makes 1 full-sized loaf or 2 small loaves or 12 muffins

Preheat the oven to 350.

In one bowl, combine:

1/2 stick (4-5 tablespoons) butter, softened
2 eggs
2 or 3 very ripe bananas
1/4 cup sugar

Use a potato masher to squish the banana and mix the ingredients together. It is alright for there to be small chunks of banana in the batter, but you want most of the banana to be reduced to mush.

In another bowl, combine:

1 1/3 cup all-purpose unbleached flour
3/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon (optional)

Combine the wet and dry ingredients and mix until the ingredients are blended together. If you like, stir in a handful of chocolate chips(about a half a cup) is about right. 

Some additional ingredients to consider: here, such as chopped walnuts or pecans, dried cherries or apricots.

Pour the dough into greased baking pans and bake until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Small loaves take around 30 minutes, a normal-sized loaf takes around 50 minutes.

Remove from the oven. This bread is great warm, but it is excellent cold too.

After they have cooled for 5 or 10 minutes the loaves/ muffins  can be removed from the pan to cool. 

**adapted from this recipe which can also be found in the 1997 Revision of , The Joy of Cooking

Enjoy!

xxB

you should totally follow us on Instagram and Twitter:-) totally.