These Gluten Free Double Chocolate Banana Muffins are great for kids. They serve two purposes: keeps them quiet for two minutes while eating, and gives them a healthy dose of whole grains with no refined sugars…besides a little chocolate!
It’s no secret in our house that I have a love affair with bananas. It may go slightly beyond a love affair into the realms of a stalker-like obsession with them. I must have them everyday. Everyday.
I’m not even lying when I say that my mood depends on if I’ve eaten a banana that day. Since they are a morning staple in my favorite breakfast combo (shredded wheat with sliced bananas), my day is pretty much ruined from the beginning if I do not have a properly ripened banana to slice on top. Yes, strawberries, peaches, and berries can make decent substitutions, but they still do not curb the banana addiction.
My addiction wouldn’t be so bad if I didn’t try to push it onto everybody else in the household. Ben likes bananas with his breakfast most mornings, but the girls are not fans. Emry just doesn’t like bananas at all. Most foods I force my kids to eat, or at least try, but I don’t try too hard with the bananas. Emry will literally start gagging with the mushy texture in her mouth. I still try to sneak a few bites into her fruit salads and cereal, though.
Braelyn, on the other hand, loves bananas in her own time…NOT at breakfast. It’s her staple after school snack, although she slathers them with peanut butter. I’m not sure if she is eating peanut butter with her bananas, or bananas with her peanut butter. Either way, I can at least rely on her eating a few bananas from every bunch I buy.
Regardless, even with all my sneaking and coercing my kids and Ben to help me eat bananas, I seem to always have a few that overly ripen before I can get to them. If it was any other fruit that would have to be thrown in the garbage, I may have an anxiety attack with the wasting of food. But, HELLO, overly ripened bananas just mean more goodness with all the dessert, bread, waffle, pancake, and muffin options to make.
Whenever I have overly ripened bananas on my counter top, it’s an inner struggle as to what I should make with them. No joke. I’m seriously not exaggerating here.
In fact, I have 3 bananas sitting in my kitchen right now, and I can’t decide whether it’s time for another loaf of my healthy vegan banana bread or if I should try something new like a creamy banana cheesecake (NOT healthy!). I’m leaning toward option #2. I went running and surfed for an hour and a half today. I think I deserve it.
Orrrrrr…
I could make Braelyn’s day, her being my chocolate obsessed child, and whip up a batch of these Gluten Free Double Chocolate Banana Muffins. Hmmm, fulfill my own cravings or my child’s? Let’s wait another hour and see just how selfish I want to be.
Okay, I guess it wouldn’t be that bad to make the chocolate muffins instead of cheesecake since they are pretty much delicious mini morsels of heaven. These muffins really are a satisfactory sweet without being all too sweet.
These muffins are sweetened with not only a mashed ripened banana, but also with a mixture of coconut sugar and pure maple syrup. This combo of coconut sugar and maple syrup has changed my life. I use it in almost all of my muffin and quick bread recipes. I feel as though I can enjoy these baked goods on a whole new level knowing that they are healthier and not filled with oodles of refined sugars.
I made these muffins way back in the summer when we were visiting family in Utah. They were a great snack to pack on all of our outings, especially when going to the pool or out hiking…as long as they are packed in tupperware. Kids can be rough with backpacks and then you’re eating muffin mush instead of muffin goodness!
They also doubled as a delicious treat at night, topped with a mini scoop of vanilla ice cream before…or sometimes after…the kids went to bed.
And speaking of kids, mini muffins are my mojo with littles in the house. They are the perfect portion size. Even without kids, I think I would prefer to make all my muffins mini. A standard sized muffin has just always seemed too much for me. I like that I can eat only one or two of these chocolaty pillows without feeling an ounce of guilt or a whole lot of fullness in my tummy. And plus, mini muffins are just darn cute.
These muffins are even cuter when topped with mini chocolate chips. This is my kiddos favorite part of the baking process; 5 chocolate chips for the top of a muffin, 5 chocolate chips in their mouths, and repeat. Just make sure to gently press them into the batter so they don’t fall off while the muffins rise.
As far as texture, these muffins are light and airy. I would consider them more of a cake rather than a dense muffin, which I actually prefer. When it comes to chocolate, a dense bite of chocolate can be a little too rich and overwhelming for the taste buds, especially if you are planning on eating it for breakfast.
Not only are they light and airy, but they are perfectly moist. No dry biscuit muffins here! That would be an utter tragedy!
Oh, and did I mention that these make a convenient pan size of 24 mini muffins and only take 12-14 minutes to bake??? Take that for easy! Sometimes it’s a nuisance to have to bake a bunch of muffins all at once and then try to figure out what to do with all the leftovers. With only 24 mini muffins, our family of 4 can definitely get through a batch of these within the 3 days that they stay fresh. You do the math; 6 mini muffins per person = 2 muffins per day, per person for 3 days…or maybe we’ll shoot for 3 muffins in 2 days…or maybe we’ll just binge on all 6 of our muffins in ONE day. Whatcha think???
Well, I think it’s settled. After writing about all the pros of these chocolaty banana muffins, I’m quite certain I’m headed to the kitchen to make a batch (update since writing this portion of the post: I DID make these and they are DELICIOUS!). And since they only require 1 banana, maybe I can use the other 2 for cheesecake??? Sounds like a plan!
What is your favorite flavor of muffin?
- ⅓ cup coconut oil or other cooking oil
- ¼ cup coconut sugar
- 3 tablespoons pure maple syrup
- 1 egg
- ½ teaspoon vanilla
- 2 tablespoons milk (I used 1%)
- ½ teaspoon cinnamon
- ¾ teaspoon baking powder
- ¼ teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon xanthan gum
- ¼ cup cocoa powder
- 3 tablespoons potato starch
- ¼ cup brown rice flour
- ¼ cup sweet sorghum flour
- 2 tablespoons tapioca starch
- ½ cup semi sweet chocolate chips, melted
- ½ cup mashed banana (about 1)
- mini chocolate chips for topping
- Preheat oven to 350 and line mini muffin tin with paper liners. Set aside.
- In a medium sized mixing bowl, combine vegetable oil, coconut sugar, pure maple syrup, egg, vanilla, and milk and beat on low speed until smooth. Add cinnamon, baking powder, baking soda, salt, xanthan gum, cocoa powder, potato starch, brown rice flour, sorghum flour, and tapioca starch and mix until well incorporated, scraping down sides as needed.
- Melt chocolate chips according to package directions (I put mine in microwave for 1 minute and stirred until smooth). Pour chocolate into batter and mix on low until evenly distributed. Add mashed banana and mix until smooth.
- Fill muffin liners ⅔ way full. Sprinkle tops of muffins with mini chocolate chips. Bake for 13-15 minutes or until tops of muffins spring back with touch of a finger and toothpick inserted into center comes out clean with few crumbs.
- Set on cooling rack to cool for 2-3 minutes. Remove muffins from tins and continue cooling on rack.
- Store leftover muffins in loosely covered container for up to 3 days at room temperature or in airtight container in freezer for up to 3 months.
