These banana chocolate cinnamon muffins are the perfect breakfast treat. The banana gives that unique fragrance and flavor while making the crumb just a bit on a softer side. Chocolate does not need extra words of why we should include it in the recipe, so I’ll leave it at that. I used Valrhona Caraibe 66% for its fruity taste with somewhat nutty flavors in this recipe. I also like that it is barely sweet, so it provides that needed contrast to the bananas.
My daughter adores these muffins. So, now we are in the habit of making them over weekends to enjoy with a hot cup of coffee/tea and a good book—a perfect start to the day.
A Note On the Ingredients
I reduced the amount of butter in this recipe to make the muffins a bit more on a healthier side. Basically, the texture of the bananas replaces the need for additional butter.
The recipe was tested with various combinations of flours and leavening agents (e.g., sourdough discard). The winning combo uses pastry flour with some more nutty and earthy flours like whole rye and farro flours. Using the sourdough discard in this combination of flours works great as well. However, the combination of the sourdough discard and all-purpose flour results in a too dense and chewy muffin, so definitely not a winner IMO.
Muffin Batter – Key Essential Facts
- Eggs should be at room temperature to enable easier mixing.
- Butter should be at room temperature (min 18ºC/65ºF) and pliable. Use high-quality unsalted butter since it provides a rich, creamy and flavorful muffin.
- Always sift your dry ingredients to remove any clumps and to air the flour a bit.
- Brown sugar will help retain the moistness of the muffin, and it also prevents the development of gluten, yielding a more tender muffin.
- Don’t overmix the batter; else, you are in for some dense and chewy muffins.
How to Make Banana Chocolate Cinnamon Muffins
The process to make these banana chocolate cinnamon muffins has several steps:
- Sift all the dry ingredients into one bowl and mix all the wet ingredients into another bowl.
- Cream butter and sugar until fluffy – This will enable even distribution of fat and sugar in the final batter. Also, it will incorporate a lot of air, making the muffin crumb lighter.
- Add the wet ingredients to the fluffed butter and mix well.
- Add the sifted dry ingredients and mix until about 50% is incorporated – this will prevent overmixing.
- Add the chocolate and finish mixing until no dry bits of flour are visible. Careful not to overmix.
- Scoop and bake – I find that I get the most even distribution if using an ice cream scoop. Also, it is quite quick.
Storing the Muffins
The banana chocolate cinnamon muffins are best on the day of the bake. However, they keep very well for several days in an airtight container.
Other Muffin Recipes
Banana Chocolate Cinnamon Muffins
Equipment & Tools
- Stand mixer with the paddle attachment
- Muffin baking tray lined with muffin paper cups
- 2 Medium mixing bowl
- Large spatula
- Large ice cream scoop optional
INGREDIENTS
DRY INGREDIENTS
- 148 g pastry flour
- 32 g whole farro flour
- 32 g whole rye flour
- 2½ tsp baking powder (aluminum free)
- ¼ tsp baking soda
- ½ tsp salt (Himalayan)
WET INGREDIENTS
- 100 g butter (unsalted, room temperature)
- 102 g light brown muscovado sugar
- 288 g bananas (~3, very ripe)
- 123 g whole eggs (2 eggs, room temperature)
- 60 g sour cream
- 1 tbsp whole milk
- 59 g yogurt – full fat Greek style
- 2 tsp vanila extract (pure)
INCLUSIONS
- 92 g chocolate, coarsely chopped (Valrhona, Caraibe 66%)
- 12 tsp almonds (sliced)
INSTRUCTIONS
- Gather all the ingredients and preheat the oven to 180ºC/356ºF.
- Sift all the dry ingredients into a mixing bowl.
- Using the stand mixer with the paddle attachment, cream the butter and sugar, on medium speed, until fluffy and very pale – about 5 minutes.
- Meanwhile, mash the bananas with a fork until creamy consistency and combine with all the other wet ingredients. Mix until well incorporated.
- Scrape the bowl of a stand mixer and add the wet ingredients. Mix on medium speed until well incorporated.
- With the mixer on low speed, add all the dry ingredients. After a couple of revolutions, add the chocolate and mix until no dry bits are visible – Note 1.
- Using the ice cream scoop, divide the muffin batter evenly into the prepared muffin baking tray. Level the batter with a spatula.
- Sprinkle sliced almonds over each muffin.
- Bake for 25 minutes at 180ºC/356ºF. Muffins are cooked when the toothpick inserted in the middle of the dough part comes out clean (ignoring the melted chocolate).
NOTES
- Incorporating chocolate about halfway into the final mix ensures that the dough is not overmixed.
