Bananas: easy breakfast muffins

If every year’s New Years resolution is to eat healthier (among other things), overconfidence in the produce section of the grocery store is usually a result. The voice in your head says yes, I’ll eat salad for lunch every day this week, or broccoli is great and filling for dinner, to I’ll just have a banana for breakfast.

I’m more of a fan of bananas as a snack during the workday, but still, there’s always the last one in the bundle that’s turning yucky brown by the time Friday rolls around. But it turns out; overripe bananas freeze beautifully, and once thawed, come out soft and almost liquid – perfect for baking. And if there’s real bananas in baked goods, they have to be healthy, right?

I’ve been eating these banana chocolate chunk muffins for years – the recipe I adapted below is based on one from my pre-school cookbook – and they’re the perfect combination of breakfast and dessert. Small and chocolaty, they’re super portable for breakfast during your commute, or while you’re perusing emails upon arrival at the office.

I halved this recipe (and only used two bananas), decreasing the potency of the banana flavor, and adding a teaspoon of cinnamon for some warmth. And for extra chocolate-ness, I used Trader Joes semi-sweet chocolate chunks, instead of your typical semi-sweet chocolate chips.

Enjoy!

Banana Chocolate Chip Muffins

Ingredients:

3/4 cup sugar 3/4 stick unsalted butter, melted 1 cup mashed overripe bananas (about 2) 2 large eggs 1 1/3 cups all-purpose flour 1 1/4 teaspoons baking soda 1/2 teaspoon salt 1 cup mini chocolate chips (6 ounces)

Directions:

1. Preheat the oven to 350° . In a large bowl, combine the sugar, melted butter, bananas and eggs; mix thoroughly. In a medium bowl, whisk the flour with the baking soda and salt. Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and whisk until the batter is evenly moistened. Stir in the chocolate chips.
2. Spoon the batter into the prepared muffin cups (I used a non-stick muffin pan and cooking spray instead of these). Bake for about 20 minutes, until a toothpick inserted in the center of the muffins comes out with a few moist crumbs attached. Let the muffins cool for 10 minutes before turning them out onto a rack to cool completely.