Banana Chocolate Chip Muffins

You know the old adage that breakfast is the most important meal of the day? As much as we agree, sometimes life is too hectic to fit a full meal into our morning routine. That’s why we love starting our day with a quick breakfast we can easily grab before we’re out the door.
These banana-chocolate chip muffins have all the indulgence of a dessert packed into a breakfast-approved package. Instead of the rich, buttery base of a classic banana bread, these muffins use plain whole-milk yogurt as the primary source of fat. The yogurt also lends a lightness to balance the naturally sweet bananas and the brown sugar. It’s basically a breakfast parfait in muffin form!
And because we strongly believe chocolate makes everything better, we stir in some chocolate chips before these muffins make their way to the oven. The type of chocolate you should use depends on your preference. Our team finds that bittersweet chocolate makes these muffins feel more breakfast-appropriate, but you can use any chips with a range of 45% to 70% cacao.
We also opted to make this recipe without muffin liners. As much as we love the decorative quality of the fluted paper, allowing the batter to have direct contact with the pan leaves you with a delightfully caramelized exterior.
The best part about this recipe? You can make them ahead of time and have moist, sweet muffins all week. The addition of vegetable oil helps them retain their moisture for far longer than butter. All you need to do is place the cooled muffins in an airtight container or resealable bag lined with a paper towel. From there, they can be stored at room temperature for up to 4 days or in the fridge for up to 1 week.
Made these? Let us know in the comments below.
Ingredients
Cooking spray
- 1 1/2 cups
(180 g.) all-purpose flour
- 1 tsp.
baking soda
- 1/2 tsp.
kosher salt
- 3
ripe bananas, mashed
- 1/2 cup
(110 g.) packed light brown sugar
- 1
large egg
- 1/2 cup
plain whole-milk yogurt
- 1/4 cup
vegetable oil
- 1 tsp.
vanilla extract
- 1/2 cup
semisweet or bittersweet chocolate chips
Directions
- Step 1Place a rack in center of oven; preheat to 375°. Grease a standard 12-cup muffin tin with cooking spray. In a medium bowl, whisk flour, baking soda, and salt.
- Step 2In a large bowl, whisk bananas and brown sugar until no lumps of sugar remain. Add egg, yogurt, oil, and vanilla and whisk until combined.
- Step 3Fold in dry ingredients until no streaks of flour remain, then fold in chips. Fill prepared cups with 1/4 cup batter each.
- Step 4Bake muffins until puffed, golden brown on top, and a tester inserted into the center comes out with a few moist crumbs attached, 22 to 25 minutes.
- Step 5Let cool slightly in tin. Using a butter knife, carefully lift muffins from tin and transfer to a wire rack. Let cool completely.
- Step 6Make Ahead: Muffins can be baked 1 week ahead. Once cooled, transfer to an airtight container or paper towel-lined resealable bag. Store at room temperature up to 4 days or refrigerate up to 1 week.