Perfect Banana Chocolate Chip Muffins
Perfect Banana Chocolate Chip Muffins
These Banana Chocolate Chip Muffins are moist and flavorful, with rich chocolate chips and a crunchy streusel topping. They’re a delicious way to use overripe bananas!
Banana Chocolate Chip Muffins
These Banana Chocolate Chip Muffins are moist and flavorful, with rich chocolate chips and a crunchy streusel topping. They’re a delicious way to use overripe bananas!
If you’re like many of us, you might find yourself with a bunch of overripe bananas, speckled with brown spots, sitting on your kitchen counter. Instead of letting them go to waste, why not transform them into something delightful? These Banana Chocolate Chip Muffins are the perfect solution, especially when you’re not in the mood for banana bread.
These muffins are a real treat, thanks to the addition of chocolate chips, which always seem to make everything better. The streusel topping adds a delightful crunch, enhancing the texture and making each bite irresistible. The bananas keep the muffins super moist, and the sweetness from the chocolate chips is perfectly balanced.
What sets this recipe apart is the use of sour cream in the muffin batter. Sour cream not only amplifies the banana flavor but also contributes to a tender crumb, making these muffins exceptionally soft and flavorful. It has become a staple in many of my banana baking recipes lately, adding a slight tang that complements the sweetness perfectly.
If chocolate chips aren’t your preference, feel free to substitute them with walnuts or pecans. Adding nuts to both the batter and the topping will give the muffins an extra layer of texture and richness. For the best flavor, I recommend roasting the nuts briefly in the oven before incorporating them into the mix.
Get ready to enjoy these delicious, moist, and flavorful Banana Chocolate Chip Muffins—an ideal way to make the most of those overripe bananas!
▪️Ripe Bananas – Overripe bananas are vital to getting the best flavor. If your bananas have brown spots and you’re not keen on eating them as they are, use them in banana muffins or bread. You can store them in the freezer for up to three months and use them whenever possible.
▪️Sour Cream + Milk – The addition of sour cream’s tang enhances and complements the banana flavor in these muffins. As for the milk, the recipe is flexible to accommodate different dietary preferences. You can use any type of milk, be it dairy or plant-based, for this recipe. Even options like oat milk work perfectly fine.
▪️All-purpose – Use all-purpose flour for the muffins and the streusel topping. Ensure an extra quarter cup + 1 tablespoon of flour for the streusel topping.
▪️Egg – One whole egg at room temperature. I always like to use a free-range organic egg (certified humane certified farm).
▪️Brown Sugar + Granulated sugar – The use of brown sugar is not just a sweetener, it’s a secret ingredient that creates a soft texture and complements the banana flavor in your muffins. Both granulated sugar and brown sugar are also used for the streusel topping, adding a delightful crunch to your muffins.
▪️Unsalted Butter – Unsalted brown butter is ideal for this recipe. Melt it and allow it to cool to room temperature. You’ll also need two extra tablespoons of melted butter for the streusel topping. Streusel is optional but adds great texture and flavor to the muffins.
▪️Chocolate Chips – You can opt for a high-quality chocolate bar and chop it yourself or use store-bought chocolate chips. Semi-sweet chocolate works well, and you can add walnuts or pecans if you prefer. There are no strict rules to follow!
Preparing your muffin pans correctly ensures the effortless removal of your beautifully baked muffins.
▪️ Choosing the Right Pan is a crucial step in your baking journey. Opt for high-quality pans like USA PANS/NORDIC/WILTON, renowned for their even baking, to ensure your muffins are perfect.
▪️ Line the Muffin Tray – The choice is yours whether you prefer the convenience of a muffin/cupcake liner or the creativity of making your own with parchment paper. If you’re going liner-free, a light greasing and flouring of the pan will prevent any batter from sticking.
OR
▪️ Grease and flour the tray – Use a pastry brush or paper towel (even your clean fingers) to grease the crevices of the pan thoroughly with melted butter, shortening, or non-stick baking spray. Be sure to cover all the nooks and crannies. After greasing, dust the pan lightly with flour, tapping out any excess. This extra layer of protection ensures that your muffins will be released seamlessly.
▪️ Digital scale –The secret to precision in baking lies in a digital scale. This tool can revolutionize your baking, ensuring the most accurate results. I swear by mine, using it to measure almost all of my ingredients. You can easily find one at your local supermarket or online stores like Target or Amazon for around $20 USD.
▪️ Cookie Scoop – Using a scoop or a 1/4 measuring cup to evenly scale your batter is always helpful in providing even baked muffins
▪️Oven Temp – At least 30 minutes into your batter’s resting time, preheat your oven to 400°F. An oven thermometer is necessary to ensure your oven is heating accurately. Apart from the kitchen scale, it’s probably the best money you can spend on general baking. Home ovens are off by 15°, sometimes 25°, and even more.
▪️Oven Rack Placement – For the most even bake, position your oven rack in the middle of the oven. If you’re familiar with any hot spots in your oven, adjust the rack to avoid overbaking and over-browning your muffins.
▪️Wire Cooling Rack – Investing in a wire cooling rack is another kitchen tool I highly recommend. Having a wire rack will decrease the cooling time of your muffins, save you from soggy bottoms, and reduce the stress of finding a place to set your piping hot muffin trays straight out of the oven.
PRO TIP/ KITCHEN HACK
Utilizing a convection oven: it is prudent to make a conscious adjustment by reducing the oven temperature by 25°F, accompanied by a corresponding reduction in baking time, as convection ovens tend to hasten the baking process.
Create the Streusel – In a medium-sized bowl whisk or stir the flour, brown sugar, granulated sugar, and salt. Drizzle melted butter over the dry ingredients and use a fork to toss and claw the ingredients together until combined but still clumpy. Do not over-mix the streusel or it will become more like a paste. Toss together until the mixture is clumpy, no longer dry and the flour is completely absorbed. Scatter the streusel over the muffins.
1. Prepare your muffin tray –
2. Melting Butter and Sugar – Instead of creaming, butter is melted in a saucepan or double boiler and added with sugar, and sometimes with syrups or chocolate, depending on the recipe.
3. Cooling Before Combining – The mixture is then allowed to cool before the eggs are beaten with an electric hand mixer or whisk until light and fluffy.
4. Sifted Dry Ingredients – Finally, sifted dry ingredients are folded gently, often alternating with liquid ingredients like milk or buttermilk. The goal is to mix just enough to incorporate the ingredients while maintaining the airiness of the batter. For the last addition of dry ingredients, use a rubber spatula to fold until the last streak of flour disappears.
IMPORTANT: Don’t Overmix! You want to combine the cake batter without going overboard. Watch out for over-mixing, which can leave you with a disappointingly tough cake. On the other hand, under-mixing isn’t the way to go either. Not enough gluten development will leave a sloppy mess.
5. Prep Add-ins – Toss the chocolate chips in flour before adding them to the batter to prevent them from sinking to the bottom.
6. Resting the batter—Let the muffin batter rest for an hour at room temperature, and cover it with a lid or a clean kitchen towel. This will allow the flour time to absorb moisture evenly and further develop the flavors in the liquids.
7. Preheat the oven—Halfway through the remaining 30 minutes, I will preheat the oven with a rack in the middle to 400°F.
8. Dividing the batter, adding the streusel: With a large cookie scoop, evenly distribute the batter between the lined/greased muffin cavities. Sprinkle the streusel evenly over the muffins.
9. Bake and check doneness—Bake the muffins at 400°F degrees Fahrenheit for 18 minutes. When a toothpick or a cake tester is inserted into the center, it should be clean with no loose crumbs attached when removed from the muffin.
10. Cooling the muffins—Once the muffins are done baking, remove them from the oven and allow them to cool inside the muffin tray for 2 to 3 minutes before using a knife to remove the muffin and its liner and transfer it to a wire rack to continue to cool for at least 30 minutes before beginning to drizzle the glaze.
PRO TIP/ KITCHEN HACK
Touch Test: This involves delicately pressing on the cake’s surface; if it bounces back and resumes its original form, it’s a clear indication that it’s ready to be removed from the oven. More Baking Needed: if the cake feels moist, fails to spring back, or bears an indentation, it necessitates additional baking time.
Toothpick: Poke a toothpick into the edge/center of the cake, when you remove the toothpick there should be no crumbs attached. More Baking Needed: if the toothpick is wet or has any batter stuck to it, continue baking and checking the cake every 2 minutes with the toothpick until it is pulled out clean with no crumbs.
Cool Completely— Before wrapping, ensure your muffins are completely cool to the touch to prevent condensation, which can make them soggy.
Plastic Wrap— Use several layers of plastic wrap to seal the muffins, covering all surfaces tightly. This barrier is crucial to protect the muffins from air, which can stale them.
Airtight Container—If you prefer less plastic, Place the muffins in an airtight container. This container will protect the muffins from being crushed and from any odors in your fridge or pantry.
Refrigerate—Store muffins in an airtight container. This will prevent them from absorbing any odors and keep the frosting or filling from melting or going bad. Keep muffins away from humid spots in your fridge to prevent them from becoming soggy. Before serving, let the muffins sit out at room temperature to ensure they aren’t too firm from the cold. This will help bring out the flavors, which tend to be muted when cold.
Freeze—Before serving, let the muffins thaw in the refrigerator overnight and then sit out at room temperature to ensure they aren’t too firm from the cold. This will help bring out the flavors that tend to be muted when cold.
Do my ingredients need to be at room temperature? At room temperature, eggs, butter, and other dairy ingredients form an emulsion that traps air. The trapped air expands when baked in the oven, creating a fluffy baked muffin. Room-temperature ingredients bond easily since they are warmer, creating a seamless and evenly textured batter. A smooth batter results in a uniformly textured baked good. On the other hand, cold ingredients do not incorporate together as easily, often resulting in clumpy, chunky, dense, and flat muffins.
Under-mixing / Muffins are too soft, crumble, or sink. Under-mixing the batter limits the bonds of the flour proteins responsible for creating the gluten that supports the muffin’s structure. Without enough gluten, the muffins cannot hold their shape, which results in a soft, crumbly muffin.
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Kia Ora, and welcome to Good Day To Bake. My name is Courteney and here in this corner of the internet, you can find my collection of favorite recipes created in small batches, perfect for singles, couples, and cozy households – all of which can be increased to larger portions. You can learn a little more about me here
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