Chocolate Banana Muffins

Wow is all we can say about these chocolate banana muffins! They’re dark chocolaty with a light crunch on top and a moist interior.

Imagine: a bite that’s perfectly chocolaty, crunchy on the top and moist on the inside. Yes, these chocolate banana muffins are calling you! They’re the perfect texture, not too rich and just sweet enough. This recipe happened by chance when I was searching for a banana bread recipe using two bananas. We turned our Chocolate Banana Bread into muffins and topped it with crunchy turbinado sugar. Now, these muffins have become one of our favorite banana recipes…ever.

Made with just 2 bananas!

Ever had only 2 solitary bananas with peels blackening on your counter? The other day, I had this exact problem (if you could call it that!). Most banana bread and muffin recipes call for 3 to 4 bananas, like our Healthy Banana Muffins. All you need is 1 cup of mashed bananas to make these muffins: which is usually about what we have leftover.

Ingredients for chocolate banana muffins

These muffins turns out rich and chocolatey, with just the right texture and flavor. They remind me of a muffin I used to get as a kid at my favorite salad bar: so they’ve got the nostalgia factor, too. Here’s what you need for these chocolate banana muffins:

1 cup mashed bananas: 2 large or 3 small
Butter
Flour
Brown sugar (& turbinado sugar, for sprinkling)
Egg
Dutch process cocoa powder (or regular)
Baking soda, vanilla & salt

What’s Dutch process cocoa powder?

The cocoa powder in these chocolate banana muffins is special: it’s Dutch process cocoa powder. This type is like a dark chocolate version of cocoa powder. It’s been treated with an alkali to make it pH neutral, which gives it a darker color and milder flavor. Why use it here? It’s the key to making these muffins ultra chocolaty.

Where to buy it? You should be able to find dark chocolate or Dutch process cocoa powder at your local grocery store, next to the regular cocoa powder. You can also find Dutch process cocoa powder online. Here are the two brands we’ve used and liked: Hershey’s Special Dark Cocoa Powder or Ghiradelli Dutch Process Cocoa Powder.

Want a few recipes to use up a jar of it? Try Healthy Chocolate Pudding, Bliss Bites, or our Flourless Chocolate Cake.

Sprinkle with turbinado sugar (or brown sugar)

The best part about these chocolate banana muffins? The lightly crunchy tops! Turbinado sugar is raw sugar with large, light brown crystals. It’s less processed than refined white sugar and tastes more like brown sugar. It’s great for topping baked goods because the large crystals make a nice crunch and a glittery look.

If you don’t have turbinado sugar on hand, that’s ok too! Simply use a light sprinkle of brown sugar. It won’t have quite the same sparkle but it still tastes good.

Step them up with chocolate chips

Now: we love these chocolate banana muffins as they are. They’re just sweet enough and taste like a moist, dark chocolate cake. But if you’re one of those people who wants muffins that taste like a cupcake…add some chocolate chips to the batter! It would take them into rich, double chocolaty territory. Or, you could sprinkle them on the top.

Keep this in mind if you do add chocolate chips to the batter. When you go to test doneness with a toothpick, if you hit a chocolate chip it will look artificially gooey. Try pricking with the toothpick again to find a spot without a chocolate chip (or use your best judgement on doneness).

How to store muffins

What’s the best way to store these chocolate banana muffins? It depends on how long you think they’ll be around. Here’s what we recommend:

1 day: Leave the muffins on a cooling rack and cover with a clean, dry dish towel. This helps the texture of the topping intact.
Up to 4 days: Place a paper towel in the bottom of a sealed container, then place the muffins in and place a paper towel on top. The paper towels absorb any moisture, which helps to retain the topping texture.
Longer than 4 days: Freeze these muffins in a sealable container and store up to 3 months.

This chocolate banana muffins recipe is…

Vegetarian. For vegan, use coconut oil and a flax egg (see below).