Oh man. These muffins are so, so good! I had some overripe bananas recently that I really needed to use up. But I really wanted brownies. Compromise is sort of my thing and this…well, this really doesn’t feel like a compromise at all! I used a really indulgent recipe that I found somewhere else and just tinkered away until had it perfect. I reduced the butter by more than half, added a little heart healthy olive oil and applesauce, swapped the white flour for whole wheat, and bumped up the banana to make these even more moist and delicious! What I ended up with is a CHOCOLATE muffin that I can eat for breakfast. The Dietitian recommends that you pair it with some plain Greek yogurt, or a schmear of peanut butter and an apple for the road. Did I mention they are so, so good?! Trust me. Make them the next time you have tree overripe bananas that you don’t want to waste (not that you would because there’s always smoothies and freezing, but I digress).
Chocolate Banana Bread Muffins
Yield 18 muffins
- 1 1/2 cups whole wheat flour
- 1/4 cup natural cocoa powder
- 1 tsp salt
- 1 tsp baking soda
- 3 large ripe bananas, mashed
- 2 eggs
- 3 Tbs butter
- 1 Tbs olive oil
- 1/2 cup applesauce
- 1/2 cup Greek yogurt
- 1 cup brown sugar
- 1/2 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips (optional)
Preheat oven to 350 degrees and prepare 18 muffin tins. Mix dry ingredients together, whole wheat through baking soda, in a large bowl. In a separate bowl, mix remaining ingredients, including brown sugar. Fold in chocolate chips. Evenly portion batter into tins and bake about 20 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean when inserted into the center of a muffin. Allow to cool for 5 minutes before removing from muffin tins. Cool completely (or eat warm) before storing in the fridge.
