Banana Walnut Chocolate Chip Muffins Recipe

Chocolate chip banana nut muffins are a great way to use up old and spotted bananas. All you need are three medium or two large bananas to make this recipe.

If you’ve read my posts on banana bread, banana cake, or banana pancakes you know that I’m always looking for new ways to use up old bananas.

You may be surprised to learn that the difference between muffins and cupcakes is actually up for debate. In fact, every time I make muffins, my family argues about what makes a muffin a muffin and a cupcake a cupcake.

Healthy Sourdough Banana Chocolate Chip Muffins

I used to think that muffins are very large and much denser than cupcakes, but I’ve also had muffins that weren’t as big or heavy.

So, what makes a muffin a muffin and a cupcake a cupcake? Frosting. Yup, that is the only consistent difference. Cupcakes have frosting and muffins don’t.

I also read that muffins have a quick bread type of batter, whereas cupcakes use cake batter. While this makes sense, I’ve seen all kinds of batters used for cupcakes, so I’m not sure I buy it.

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The one exception to this is brown sugar. Brown sugar should be packed down, and then any excess should be scraped off as well.

Ever wonder why measuring spoons often come with a set of measuring cups? I used to. I didn’t see why we need a set when we could have one large measuring cup.

After a quick search, I had my answer. I discovered that the large measuring cup is used for liquids, whereas the set is used for dry ingredients.

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First, you pour the flour or cocoa in, next you shake it around to get it level, and then you add more.

By shaking it, you are causing the powder to settle, and when you add more, you end up using more than called for.

It also removes any lumps that can get into the batter and be hard to break up later, or be missed altogether before baking.

Banana Espresso Chocolate Chip Muffins

Oil cakes tend to bake up taller with a better crumb. They also stay moist and tender far longer than recipes made with butter.

I use neutral oils like canola oil, safflower oil, and vegetable oil. However, it’s not unheard of for oils with stronger flavors, like olive oil or coconut oil, to be used.

If you want to convert your butter recipes to oil recipes, check out my baking with oil – butter to oil conversion chart.

Banana Nut Chocolate Chip Muffins

Sugar may seem very basic if you’ve baked before, but I’ve been asked about it in the past – so I’ll explain.

White sugar (sometimes called granulated sugar, table sugar, or white granulated sugar) is made of either beet sugar or cane sugar, which has undergone a refining process.

It is commonly used in chocolate chip cookie recipes, and it’s rare for a recipe that calls for brown sugar not to also call for white sugar as well.

Banana Chocolate Chip Muffins

When a recipe calls for “brown sugar” but doesn’t specify what type (light or dark), it is referring to light brown sugar.

In my recipes, you can use whatever type of brown sugar you have on hand, whether it is dark brown sugar, light brown sugar, or demerara sugar – which is very common in Israel.

Honey can be two or even three times as sweet depending on the honey, so for every 1 cup of sugar, you can use 1/2 to 2/3 cup honey.

Chocolate Chip And Walnut Banana Bread Muffins Recipe

Since honey adds liquid, you need to remove some to balance it out. For every cup of honey, remove a 1/4 cup of liquid.

Also, it burns faster than granulated sugar, so you want to lower the baking temperature by 25 F or 14 C. In addition, check it early and often to avoid burning or overbaking.

Vanilla pod has been used for flavoring since the Aztecs, and was introduced to Europe by a Spanish conquistador, along with cocoa.

Perfect Banana Chocolate Chip Muffins!

Vanilla paste is generally a specialty item. It is a thick paste that contains a blend of the scraped-out vanilla pod seeds and vanilla extract.

You can use it as you do vanilla extract and it will leave flakes of vanilla bean like you see in vanilla bean ice cream.

The short answer is “no.” While a side-by-side comparison shows that baking with eggs at room temperature makes a better crumb, it’s not otherwise noticeable.

Mini Banana Chocolate Chip Muffins » Hummingbird High

Eggs do three things in most recipes: they help bind the ingredients together, act as a mild leavening agent, and they add moisture.

Eggs can be substituted with 1/4 cup of unsweetened apple sauce per egg. This means for recipes calling for 2 eggs, you’d need 1/2 cup of unsweetened apple sauce.

The reason applesauce makes a good binder is that it’s high in pectin. Pectin is a naturally occurring starch in fruits and berries that acts as a thickening agent and stabilizer in food.

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Using baking soda instead of baking powder can give your recipe a terrible metallic taste, while using baking powder instead of baking soda leaves your baked goods looking flat.

It does this by creating carbon dioxide when it reacts to an acid, such as cream of tartar, lemon juice, yogurt, buttermilk, cocoa, and vinegar.

When the carbon dioxide is released, it causes the familiar texture and crumb in pancakes, cakes, quick breads, soda bread, and other baked and fried foods.

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Baking soda works well with sourdough because sourdough is acidic. When combined, it makes a lighter product with a less acidic taste, since baking soda is alkaline.

The first time it’s activated is when baking powder gets wet, which is why you cannot prepare some batters ahead of time to bake later.

The second time is when the baking powder is exposed to heat. This happens when the batter is being baked or fried.

Moist Banana Chocolate Chip Muffins

Since baking powder already contains an acid, it’s most often used when a recipe does not call for an additional acidic ingredient or too little of one.

Some recipes call for both baking powder and baking soda when the carbon dioxide created from the acid and baking soda is not enough to leaven the volume of batter in the recipe.

You may have already guessed the answer since baking soda is used to make baking powder, and you need more baking powder per cup of flour. But I’ll tell you anyway.

Bowl Banana Chocolate Chip Muffins (v/gf)

That’s why you will more often than not see recipes that only call for baking soda rather than recipes that only call for baking powder.

To test baking powder, pour 3 tablespoons of warm water into a small bowl, add 1/2 teaspoon of baking powder, and stir.

To test baking soda, pour 3 tablespoons of white distilled vinegar into a small bowl, add 1/2 teaspoon of baking soda, and stir.

Choc Chip Banana Muffins

Oat flour is made from whole oats that have been ground into a powder, which can easily be done at home.

Substitute 1 cup of all-purpose flour for 1 1/3 cup Oat Flour. To make 1 cup of oat flour, blend 1 1/4 cups of oats in a food processor until finely ground.

Increase 15 to 25°F. Since leavening and evaporation happen more quickly, the higher temperature helps set the structure of baked goods before they over-expand and dry out.

Recipe: Banana Chocolate Chip Crumb Muffins

However, the baking at higher temperatures means products are done sooner, so decrease by 5-8 minutes per 30 minutes of baking time.

This is because when humidity is extremely high (think 70 percent or more), baking ingredients like flour, sugar, salt, baking powder, and baking soda soak up moisture from the air.

To help counterbalance the additional moisture your dry ingredients soak up from the air, try reducing the amount of liquid in the recipe by about one-quarter.

Chocolate Walnut Banana Muffins

If the batter or dough looks too dry once all the ingredients are mixed together, add an additional liquid tablespoon at a time until you have the desired consistency.

If flour and sugar are stored in the refrigerator or freezer rather than in a cupboard or pantry, they are better protected from humidity.

To avoid overbaking, continue testing for doneness every couple of minutes for breads, quick breads, cakes, cupcakes, and muffins. Cookies, on the other hand, need to be checked every minute.

Banana & Chocolate Chip Muffins Recipe

To help lower humidity levels on humid summer days, air condition the room for at least an hour before you start baking.

Let muffins cool fully. Transfer the muffins to an airtight container lined with a paper towel. Place a second paper towel on top of the muffins before sealing.

If using a zip-top plastic bag, line both sides of the bag with paper towels and remove as much air as possible before sealing the top of the bag.

Banana Walnut Chocolate Chip Protein Muffins

Freeze for up to 2 months. They will still be safe to eat after two months, but their quality begins to degrade.

Some of the links below are affiliate links, which means that if you choose to make a purchase, I will earn a small commission. This commission comes at no additional cost to you.Filled with chocolate chips and fresh bananas this warm treat can be enjoyed by your family on any given day. Not only is this quick and easy to make but only requires a few pantry staples.

FLOUR For this recipe we use all purpose flour. You can also substitute up

Maple Walnut & Banana Chocolate Chip Muffins