Moist Banana Chocolate Chip Muffins

My Bakery-Style Chocolate Chip Muffins and Double Chocolate Chip Muffins are so popular, that I had to give you a banana recipe that is equally worthy of being in a pastry case at a bakery! These wonderful Banana Chocolate Chip Muffins are so incredibly soft and moist with tall golden brown tops and lots of chocolate chips, because: chocolate makes everything better! I promise you've never had a banana muffin like this before. If you prefer your banana muffins without chocolate, you should try my super moist and fluffy Banana Oatmeal Muffins.

WHY THIS RECIPE WORKS

• Moist banana muffins - these muffins are SO moist and light thanks to thoughtful proportions of wet and dry ingredients. They are best enjoyed warm but they're also nice and soft even while cool!
• Soft and fluffy texture - they have a fluffy, bouncy texture with a crumb that's not too open, but not too fine. It's amazing how fluffy they are while still being so moist and that's a result of a good balance of mashed banana, egg and flour.
• Easy to make - this recipe is super simple to make with a bowl and a whisk! No mixer required.
• Dark chocolate chips - I use mini chocolate chips because they will distribute more evenly throughout the batter so that you get lots of bits of chocolate in every single bite.
• Bakery style quality - these muffins bake up with a high muffin top just like a bakery-style muffin. Be sure to read the tips below to learn how to achieve that peaked muffin top.

INGREDIENTS FOR BANANA CHOCOLATE CHIP MUFFINS

• Ripe banana - bananas that you should use for making muffins should be really spotty and very ripe. That means they are at their sweetest and will make moist muffins. I know that many people like to make muffins with frozen bananas, but I do not recommend it. Frozen bananas lose a lot of moisture and their cell structure breaks down during the freezing process so that they can't lend as much structure to the batter. This can lead to a gummy layer forming in the muffins or loaf. I also find that the flavor changes during freezing.
• Granulated sugar - simple granulated sugar keeps these muffins moist and helps develop the golden brown top. Adding it to the flour helps to prevent gluten formation for super soft muffins.
• Brown sugar - I prefer light brown sugar to add a bit of caramel-like subtle molasses taste, but the banana flavor still shines.
• Sunflower oil - oil will give these muffins a very soft texture and help them to rise tall. I prefer sunflower oil for its clean taste, and you can also use canola oil or vegetable oil.

• All purpose flour - regular unbleached all-purpose flour works great for open-textured muffins. If you have bleached cake flour, then you can replace half of the unbleached all-purpose flour with cake flour and it will actually give you an even more exaggerated muffin top. That's because bleached flour absorbs moisture more readily and sets more quickly.
• Sour cream or yogurt - sour cream or full fat yogurt lends acidity to react with the baking soda and also pleasant tanginess to balance the sweetness. As the acid reacts with the baking soda, it also creates the nice open crumb structure that muffins should have.
• Pure vanilla extract - vanilla will round out the banana flavor. I like this Madagascar Bourbon Vanilla extract.
• Dark chocolate chips - I love using mini dark chocolate chips in my muffins, but you can use regular if that's all you can find. Semi-sweet works great.

STEP BY STEP INSTRUCTIONS

This recipe is simple to prepare and you can make it with a regular wire whisk!

• STEP 1). Combine dry ingredients. In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon (optional) and salt until evenly blended.
• STEP 2). Combine wet ingredients. In a large bowl, mash the banana with a fork until smooth. Stir in brown sugar, then add sour cream, eggs, oil and vanilla and whisk until combined.
• STEP 3). Add dry ingredients to wet ingredients. Add dry ingredients all at once and stir together gently with a wooden spoon until just combined. Do not over-mix. A few small lumps are just fine.
• STEP 4). Fold in chocolate chips. Add the chocolate chips and fold them in gently.
• STEP 5). Scoop the batter. Use an ice cream scoop or large spoon to divide the batter evenly among lined muffin cups, filling them right to the top.
• STEP 6). Sprinkle! Top each muffin with a few mini dark chocolate chips. Don't be shy with those chocolate chips because they will spread out as the muffins rise in the oven.
• STEP 7). BAKE. Bake for 5 minutes. Then, with the oven door still closed, reduce the oven temperature to 350°F and bake for another 13-15 minutes until a skewer inserted into the center comes out clean despite any melted chocolate chips. Let muffins cool for 5 minutes in the pan and then transfer muffins to a cooling rack. They're best served warm!

EXPERT BAKING TIPS

• Use very ripe bananas. ones that are well spotted. These bananas will have the most sweetness as the carbohydrates have converted into simple sugars.
• Avoid using frozen bananas if possible. Once you freeze bananas, the starches become damaged and can't hold their water which is why you notice a lot of water leakage after you thaw frozen bananas. That means that they will not be able to perform their structure-building properties the same way anymore. You will get lighter, fluffier baked goods if you opt for fresh ripe bananas.
• Mash the banana well. Ensuring the banana is mashed smoothly will extract the most sugars out of it and help it incorporate smoothly into the batter for an even crumb texture.
• Do not over-mix. Just fold in the flour gently until well combined, but no need to mix vigorously. Just mix until no streaks of dry flour remain. Any lumps will continue to get worked out as you scoop the batter into the muffin pan.
• Sift the dry ingredients. Sifting the flour will eliminate any lumps and separate all of the flour particles which means it will incorporated into the wet ingredients more easily and more quickly. This will minimize the amount of mixing required so that you ensure the muffins are soft.
• Do not reduce the sugar. the right amount of sugar will make these muffins moist because it binds water so that it doesn't evaporate excessively during baking.
• Do not over-bake. Over-baking will most definitely lead to dry muffins. Make sure you check with a skewer for doneness or press the tops - they should spring back.

RECIPE FAQ

STORING & FREEZING

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