Chocolate Chip Banana Muffins

My kids LOVE mini muffins! We eat them at breakfast, as a snack during the day, or on trips. They are healthy and easy to eat for everyone. The key to a great banana muffin or banana bread is really ripe bananas. It makes the flavor strong and the bread sweet. I like to freeze my bananas so that I can use them when I'm ready. 

You can put your bananas directly into the freezer when ripe and then peel them when your ready to make the bread, which is what I used to do and it makes for very cold hands and it's kind of gross because they are very mushy. 

Now I just peel them and throw them in a gallon freezer bag or Tupperware container and pull them out as needed. This also works great for making Banana Swirl. (Daniel Tiger recipe of just blending frozen bananas, kind of like a banana ice cream, but much healthier) 

This recipe is simple, easy, delicious, and doesn't require a mixer. (Although works perfectly with a mixer if you prefer) Just good ol' fashion fork or whisk to mash and mix up the bananas and eggs and a spoon for rest of the batter. Even better, you can make it all in one bowl, so less mess to clean up later. 

The best bananas are those that are over-ripe (equal or more brown than yellow, and banana is squishy on the inside). If your bananas aren't ripe enough you can always put them in a paper bag and fold down the top and in a day or two they should be perfect. (this trick also works for avocados)

Banana Bread Recipe

• Prep time: 10 minutes
• Cook time: 10 mins muffins or 55 mins loaf
• Yield: Makes 30 mini muffins or one loaf

INGREDIENTS

• 2 to 3 very ripe bananas, peeled
• 1/3 cup melted butter
• 1 large egg, beaten
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• Pinch of salt
• 3/4 cup sugar (1/2 cup if you would like it less sweet, 1 cup if more sweet)
• 1 1/2 cups of all-purpose flour
• 1/3 cup of mini chocolate chips

Directions

• Preheat oven to 350. Use non-stick pan or butter to avoid sticking. (Use 4X8 pan for loaf)
• In mixing bowl, mash bananas until smooth, and mix in melted butter.
• Stir in beaten egg and vanilla extract.
• Mix in baking soda, salt, sugar, and Flour 
• Fold in mini chocolate chips and optional walnuts
• Pour mixture into prepared pan. Bake mini muffins for 10 minutes, or loaf for 55 minutes. You can always test the center with a toothpick to see if it comes out clean or when you tap the center it holds its form. 
• Remove from oven and let cool. I store our extra muffins in a Ziploc bag or container. 

Let me know if your kids love it as much as mine do!