When my daughter was a toddler, she often said she was a monkey. Why? Because she really, really loved bananas. You couldn’t correct her, or she would tear up as though you had ripped out her heart and stomped on it.
Because my daughter (and son) loved bananas, we always had a bunch lying around. Sometimes, the little monkey and her brother couldn’t get to them fast enough before they turned overripe and mushy.
So when the kids were little, I spent a lot of time experimenting with banana recipes. And one of my favorite recipes to use up overripe bananas was making these banana nut muffins.
These banana muffins are soft, moist, and not-too-sweet. The sugar is kept low, the texture is light, and the recipe uses basic pantry staples. You can add chocolate chips and walnuts if you like, or keep it simple.
They’re delicious and just the right size for little (and big) hands for a quick healthy snack.
What You Will Need to Make Banana Muffins
To make these banana nut chocolate chip muffins, gather the following ingredients:
- Ripe bananas: 3 to 4 large, fully ripe bananas with lots of brown spots. The riper, the better.
- Granulated sugar, salt, vanilla extract: For sweetness, flavor, and aroma.
- Melted butter: Adds much-needed buttery richness.
- All-purpose flour and baking powder: The base of the batter and leavening agent to help the muffin rise.
- Egg: Helps bind everything together.
- Pumpkin pie spice: A mix of cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, allspice, and cloves. It’s mostly cinnamon and gives baked goods that adds warmth and a little complexity. You can substitute with simply ground cinnamon.
- Chocolate chips and nuts (optional): Semi-sweet or dark chocolate chips are my preferred chocolate chips, as the slight bitterness complements the sweetness nicely. However, you can opt for milk chocolate if you prefer more sweetness. Chopped walnuts are the traditional choice, but I used cashews in this recipe since that’s what I had on hand and what my kids love.
How to Make Banana Muffins
Step 1: Preheat and smash
Preheat the oven to 350°F and smash bananas in a medium bowl with a fork or a masher.
Step 2: Mix in sugar and wet ingredients
Mix in sugar, egg, vanilla extract, and melted butter. Stir until everything is combined.
Step 3: Mix in dry ingredients
Add flour, baking powder, salt, and pumpkin pie spice. Stir until just mixed. Fold in chocolate chips and walnuts if using.
Step 4: Bake
Line a muffin tin with cupcake liners. Fill each about ¾ full. Bake for about 20 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
Step 5: Enjoy
Let them cool slightly before eating. Enjoy it warm or room temperature. These muffins are great for packed lunches, hikes and simply hidden in your purse or bag for a quick emergency snack.
Pro-Tips
- Don’t overmix the batter once you add the flour. Stir just until you don’t see any dry spots.
- These freeze well. Let cool completely, then freeze in a sealed bag or container for up to 2 months.
Related Recipes
If you liked this recipe, you might also enjoy these other banana recipes:
Description
Soft, moist, and not-too-sweet, these banana muffins are the perfect way to use up overripe bananas. Add chocolate chips or walnuts if you want, or leave them out for a simple treat. This recipe makes 12 muffins.
- Preheat oven to 350°F.
- Make the batter: In a medium mixing bowl, add bananas and smashed thoroughly with a fork or potato masher. Add sugar, egg, vanilla extract, and melted butter. Mix until well combined. Add Add flour, baking powder, salt, cinnamon or pumpkin pie spice. Add chocolate chips and walnuts if using. Mix until just incorporated.
- Bake: Line cupcake or muffin trays with liners. Fill liners 3/4 full with batter. Bake until toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean (about 20 minutes).
Notes
If using salted butter, reduce 1/2 teaspoon salt in recipe to 1/4 teaspoon.
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 20 minutes
- Category: Dessert, Breakfast, Snack
- Method: Oven
- Cuisine: American, Hawaiian