Healthy Banana Chocolate Chip Muffins
Delicious and fluffy Whole Wheat Banana Muffins are the perfect and balanced breakfast. Low-added sugar, a splash of chocolate chips and hearty whole wheat makes these muffins both filling and super tasty.
Ingredients
- 2 cups very ripe bananas {~3 medium-sized bananas}
- 2 eggs {room temperature}
- 1/2 cup plain Greek yogurt
- 1 tsp pure vanilla extract
- 3 tbsp butter {melted}
- 1/4 cup milk {room temperature}
- 2 cups whole wheat pastry flour
- 2 tbsp vital wheat gluten
- 1/4 cup sugar
- 1 tbsp baking powder
- 2 tsp baking soda
- 1/2 tsp sea salt
- 1/4 cup chocolate chips optional
Equipment
Instructions
- In a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, mix the bananas until mostly smooth.2 cups very ripe bananas
- Add the eggs, Greek yogurt, butter, vanilla, and milk, and mix to combine.2 eggs, 1/2 cup plain Greek yogurt, 1 tsp pure vanilla extract, 3 tbsp butter, 1/4 cup milk
- In a separate bowl, thoroughly mix the dry ingredients, excluding chocolate chips.2 cups whole wheat pastry flour, 2 tbsp vital wheat gluten, 1/4 cup sugar, 1 tbsp baking powder, 2 tsp baking soda, 1/2 tsp sea salt
- With the mixer on low/stir, add the dry ingredients, and mix until barely combined. There may be a bit of flour mixture left unincorporated; that's ok.
- Remove the bowl from the mixer, and fold in the chocolate chips with a spatula, gently making sure all the dry ingredients are fully incorporated.1/4 cup chocolate chips
- Set the bowl aside and let it rest for 5-10 minutes.
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
- Place cupcake liners in a muffin pan, or grease the muffin pan. Fill each section of the muffin pan three-quarters full with the batter.
- Bake for 15 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Allow to cool in the pan for 10 minutes, and then remove and place on a cooling rack.
Notes
To store the muffins, allow to fully cool and transfer to an air-tight container. Whole wheat goodies tend to dry out a bit faster than their white flour cousins. They'll be just fine for about two/three days on the counter. Any longer than that, and I would freeze them.
Allow whole wheat mixes to rest a bit after making them. Do you remember being a kid and taking the biggest bubble bath ever? When you'd use your hand to scoop the bubbles, the suds would make a very distinct crackling sound, right? That is what your batter should sound like when you scoop into it. By allowing the mix to rest for 10 minutes after creating it, you let the glutens do their sciencey thing and produce air bubbles. Those bubbles are the difference between a fluffy muffin (gross) and a dense piece of hardtack.
The natural sweetness of the bananas means very little sugar is needed to make these delicious. You could do without, but after so many variations of this recipe, I found a scant 1/4 cup of organic sugar was a perfect balance.
If you don't have buttermilk, simply mix a splash of white vinegar into regular milk, stir and let sit for a few minutes. I use a ratio of 1 tsp vinegar to 1 cup of milk. This recipe would call for 1/4 tsp of vinegar to 1/4 cup of regular milk.
Nutrition Facts
Healthy Banana Chocolate Chip Muffins
Amount Per Serving (1 muffin)
Calories 126
Calories from Fat 36
% Daily Value*
Fat 4g6%
Saturated Fat 2g13%
Cholesterol 24mg8%
Sodium 152mg7%
Potassium 229mg7%
Carbohydrates 21g7%
Fiber 2g8%
Sugar 8g9%
Protein 4g8%
Vitamin A 113IU2%
Vitamin C 2mg2%
Calcium 52mg5%
Iron 1mg6%
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.