With chunks of dark chocolate and a delightful crunchy topping, these chocolate banana muffins are sure to satisfy your morning cravings (and I am not one to say no to chocolate for breakfast!)
A mashup between my double chocolate banana bread and my banana pecan crumb muffins, these chocolate banana muffins have an added element of interest in the form of rye flour, which adds a subtle nutty undertone and coarser mouthfeel than a muffin made with entirely all-purpose (that said, you can certainly use all all-purpose if you want, or any other whole grain flour of your choice). It doesn’t make the muffins dense like whole wheat flour often can (in fact they are surprisingly light!) but it just makes them a bit less cake-like. And because the crunchy muffin top is most definitely the best part of the muffin, I topped these with a generous sprinkle of coarse turbinado sugar, crunchy cacao nibs, and a few more chocolate chunks for good measure.
These muffins are surprisingly light in texture, especially when you consider that they are 30% rye flour. It’s a simple batter, mixed by hand with no electric mixer required. I used melted butter for added flavor, but a light olive or vegetable oil would work here as well (as would coconut oil, I presume!)
I added chunks of dark chocolate into the batter itself (because if a little chocolate is good, more is better!) and for that reason these muffins are much better enjoyed right out of the oven while there are still puddles of warm, melty chocolate hidden inside. Don’t forget to set aside a few chunks to sprinkle on top of the muffins. It’s the same trick I often use with chocolate chip cookies, to have a few perfectly preserved chocolate chips perched on top of the final baked good. It makes for a beautiful appearance that hints at the surprises you can find inside.
As with all banana bread and muffin recipes, this one requires extra ripe bananas, ones with more brown than yellow in the peel (in other words, if you would consider eating the banana plain, it’s probably not ripe enough). I know I’ve found myself with a few of such bananas taunting me on the counter, threatening to bring all the fruit flies to the yard before I get a chance to do something with them. And it is situations such as this where these muffins are so perfect—they whip up in a jiffy, using those last 2 overripe bananas before they have a chance to go bad (seriously, there is no reason to ever let bananas go bad). In a pinch, however, know that you CAN freeze ripe bananas. In the peel, no less! Then simply peel and thaw, draining out any excess water before mashing and using in your recipe. Total Time: 45 minutes
