Small batch banana dark chocolate chip muffins with cinnamon and coconut is the best way to use two overripe bananas. Perfectly moist muffins for grab and go make ahead breakfast or a snack for one or two.
Tips and Tricks
How many muffins does this recipe make? This recipe is a small batch of muffins so it makes eight regular sized muffins from a standard muffin tin.
Can you double this recipe? Yes! If you double this recipe, it will make 15-16 muffins, depending on how much you fill the baking liner. A doubled recipe can also be made into a 9×5 loaf of banana bread, but cooking time will vary.
How do you store cooked muffins? Store cooked muffins at room temperature, covered for about three days. If you want them stored for longer, store them in the fridge for up to a week or in the freezer for up to three months. If freezing the muffins, be sure to wrap them tightly before storing in an airtight plastic bag.
What do you serve these muffins with? These muffins are great as a quick grab and go, make ahead breakfast. You can eat these as a snack at your desk or with some yogurt. Really, any breakfast food will go great with the muffins. They are also a tasty afternoon snack with some coffee or tea as a treat between lunch and dinner.
Bananas
How ripe do the bananas need to be to make muffins? The riper your bananas are, the sweeter they are. They will also be easier to mash because they will be softer. Look for bananas with brown spots (the more the better!) and use those. If you use ripe but not overripe bananas, the muffins may not be as strongly banana flavored or as sweet, wait a few days to make them if you can.
Can you make this with ripe bananas? If you use ripe but not overripe bananas, the muffins may not be as strongly banana flavored or as sweet, wait a few days to make them if you can. Often, when my bananas are overripe and I don’t feel like muffins, I’ll peel them and then freeze the banana. This makes it easier to just make muffins whenever the feeling strikes.
How do you know that your bananas are ready to use to bake? You want to use overripe bananas for this recipe. These bananas will have brown spots and begin to get soft to the touch. Do not use green bananas but yellow bananas can be used in a pinch, although it may change the sweetness of the bread.
Method
How do you make banana muffins from scratch? Preheat the oven to 325 F. In a small bowl, add together and mix the milk and vinegar, set aside. In a large mixing bowl, using a hand or stand mixer on low, combine butter and sugar. Next add the egg, vanilla and milk mixture and mix until combined. Add both bananas and mix together using the mixer. A few lumps of bananas is perfectly acceptable. To the large mixing bowl, add in the flour, baking soda and powder, cinnamon and salt. Continue to mix on low until the batter is just combined and be careful not to overmix. Switching to a wooden spoon, fold in coconut flakes and chocolate chips until incorporated throughout. Gather a standard muffin tin and add eight muffin liners. Scoop batter into the eight muffin liners about ¾ of the way up the liner, making sure each one is filled evenly. Bake for 22-25 minutes until golden brown and reach an internal temperature of 200 F. Allow to cool for 5-10 minutes in the pan and then remove to a metal rack to finish cooling.
How do you know when muffins are done cooking? The muffins will be golden brown on top, and appear fully set on the outside. Double check with a toothpick into the center of a few muffins, if any wet batter comes out, add a few minutes of cook time. The muffins are done when moist crumbs come out on the toothpick and/or an internal temperature of 200F is reached.
How much do you fill the muffin liners with batter? Fill the muffin liners about ¾ of the way up the liner, maybe a little more. It is important that all of the muffin liners are filled evenly to ensure even baking.
Substitutions
Can you add nuts to this recipe? Yes, if desired you can add roasted walnuts or pecans to the muffins in the same step as the coconut and chocolate chips.
Can you leave out the chocolate chips or coconut flakes? Absolutely, they are there for added flavor. If you’re out of those ingredients or don’t like them, leave one or both out of the recipe.
Do you have to use muffin liners? I do because it is easier to remove them from the muffin pan but if you don’t have any, simply spray the pan lightly with cooking spray and proceed with the recipe.
Inspired by Cook It Real Good’s Buttermilk Banana Bread Recipe
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Small Batch Banana Chocolate Chip Muffins
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons milk
- 1 teaspoon white distilled vinegar or lemon juice
- ½ stick melted unsalted butter
- ⅓ cup packed dark brown sugar
- 1 large egg
- ½ teaspoon vanilla
- 2 overripe bananas peel removed
- ¾ cup + 2 tablespoons all purpose flour
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon baking powder
- ¾ teaspoon ground cinnamon
- Pinch kosher salt
- ½ cup unsweetened dried coconut flakes
- ½ cup dark chocolate chips
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 325 F.
- Mix milk and vinegar together in a small bowl and let sit. The milk will curdle a little but that’s normal and what we’re looking for. If you have it, you can substitute buttermilk instead.
- Add 8 muffin liners to a standard size muffin tin and set aside.
- In a large mixing bowl, using a hand mixer or stand mixer on low, mix together the melted butter and brown sugar. Once mixed together, add in the egg, vanilla, and milk + vinegar (or buttermilk) and mix well.
- Add in the bananas and mix until most of the lumps of bananas are gone. It is okay to leave a few lumps in there for texture, but if your bananas are very ripe, there may be no lumps, that’s okay too.
- Into the mixing bowl, add in flour, baking soda, baking powder, cinnamon and salt and mix with the mixer until just combined. Be careful not to overmix.
- Switching to a wooden spoon, fold in coconut and chocolate chips until incorporated throughout the batter.
- Once completely mixed, spoon batter into the 8 muffin liners. Fill each liner up almost to the top, a little more than ¾ of the way up the liner. To make this process less messy, I use a cookie scoop or small measuring cup. Make sure all the muffin liners are filled evenly to ensure they bake evenly.
- Bake for 22-25 minutes or until golden brown on top and fully set on top. The internal temperature should be 200 F and a toothpick inserted will result in moist crumbs.
- Allow to cool for 5-10 minutes in the pan and then carefully remove and place on a wire rack to fully cool before eating.
- Muffins can be stored at room temperature, covered for up to 3 days or in the fridge covered for up to 1 week. If desired, freeze for up to 3 months. Allow to defrost on the counter before eating.
Notes
- This recipe only makes 8 regular sized muffins, if you use a larger or smaller muffin pan, cooking time will be different.
- Make sure your bananas are overripe and have brown spots.
- 2 tablespoons buttermilk can replace milk and white distilled vinegar.
- Muffins are done when a toothpick can be removed cleanly with only a few moist crumbs.
- Store muffins at room temperature, covered for up to 3 days or in the fridge for 1 week.
