Superb banana muffins recipe

  My mother taught me a lot about cooking and nutrition, but she did not impart any of my love for bananas. The fact that my mother made sure not to force her hate of bananas on us when we were growing up makes me incredibly grateful.

I always keep bananas on my counter because I adore them. The problem is that I always buy too many bananas, and they really do have a sweet spot when they are best consumed. You understand what I'm talking about when I say that the ideal banana is no longer green but isn't too dark and has no spots. I always have a few overripe ones because I overbuy. I Wait till I have enough to bake these easy and delectable banana chocolate chip muffins before storing these in my freezer.

Four fun facts about these muffins:

1. When I was a private chef for a very large family I used to make these at least once a week to use up the overripe bananas and I would make them in all different sizes (because who can say no to a mini-muffin?) 

2. I started selling baked goods in 2015 and this was the first muffin flavor I sold. 

3. The photo above was shared on Food and Wine magazine's Instagram page

4. You can add chopped nuts or dried fruit instead of or in addition to the chocolate chips and you can add shredded zucchini to the batter for an extra boost of nutrients how to is at the bottom of the recipe! 

Banana Chocolate Chip Muffins

1 1/2 cups flour (all-purpose, whole wheat, or spelt)

3/4 tsp salt

1 tsp baking powder

1 tsp baking soda

1 tsp cinnamon 

3 bananas, mashed

1 tsp vanilla 

1/2 cup sugar (white or brown

1 large egg

1/4 cup oil 

1 cup mini chocolate chips plus 2 Tbs for topping 

Chopped walnuts (optional) 

Preheat oven to 350°F/180°C 

Line a muffin tin (any size) with liners or spray with non-stick cooking spray 

In a large bowl whisk together the dry ingredients until combined. Add the wet ingredients and stir until just combined. Fold in the chocolate chips and walnuts if using. Scoop into prepared muffin tin filling 1/2 way and top with more chocolate chips 

Bake until golden. 10-13 minutes for mini, 15-18 for standard size, 22-25 for jumbo. 

Allow to cool for 5 minutes in the pan and then cool on a rack. 

Keeps in an airtight container for 3 days if you don't eat them all before then. These muffins freeze beautifully. Simple defrost by popping them in the microwave for a few seconds. 

Yield 

24 mini 

12 standard

6 jumbo

This can also be made in a loaf pan bake for 35-40 minutes. 

Zucchini and Banana Muffins 

In addition to the ingredients and preparation instructions above, mix in 2 cups of peeled and shredded zucchini (about 3 medium zucchini) when adding the dry ingredients.  

Depending on the size of the muffin, extend the baking time by a few minutes.