Moist and Easy Double Chocolate Banana Muffins

Name: Moist and Easy Double Chocolate Banana Muffins
Prep time: 10 min
Cook time: 18 min
Total time: 28 min
Ingredients: ½ cup butter (melted); 2 overripe bananas; 2 eggs (large); 2 teaspoons vanilla extract; 1 ¼ cup all purpose flour (Plus 2 teaspoons, separated); 1 cup brown sugar; ½ teaspoon baking soda; ½ teaspoon baking powder; ½ cup cocoa powder; ½ teaspoon kosher salt; 1 cup chocolate chips

by Sam Adler on Oct 13, 2019 (updated Oct 29, 2022) 24 comments

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4.97 stars (28 ratings)

This post might have affiliate links, please check out my full disclosure policy.

This post might have affiliate links, please check out my full disclosure policy.

These double chocolate banana muffins are so moist, fluffy, and easy to make! With only 10 minutes to prepare and 18 minutes to bake, they are the perfect thing to bake on weekends or for when you have to use up overripe bananas!

Chocolate banana muffins on a black wire rack.

These double chocolate banana muffins are made with cocoa powder and semi sweet chocolate chips for a deep chocolate flavor. They are the perfect muffin to make when you have overripe bananas sitting on your counter.

The mashed banana in this recipe keeps the muffins moist, plus they are super easy to make! As a trained pastry chef I love baking and showing people how to bake with bananas because they add sweetness to a recipe without the use of sugar.

I literally always have overripe bananas on my counter and use them to bake these banana chocolate chip muffins, this banana chocolate chip cake, banana bundt cake, or fresh banana cupcakes.

Best tips for baking with bananas

When it comes to baking, the best bananas to use are overripe bananas.
The darker and more spotty the bananas are, the sweeter they are.
If you don’t have the time to bake but find yourself with overripe bananas, you can freeze them for another time. Just peel them and wrap them in plastic wrap and stick them in the freezer.
When baking with bananas you can cut down a little on the sugar in your recipe to make it healthier. This will also result in a more moist muffin.
To ripen the bananas quickly, place them in the peel on a parchment lined baking sheet and bake them at 300°F for 10-15 minutes until they are black.
You can still make this recipe even if the bananas aren’t spotty but they will not be as sweet.

Ingredients needed

Bananas with black spots on a light gray background — Spotted Bananas.

Ingredients for chocolate banana muffins. — Spotted Bananas.

Melted butter– Melted butter ensure that these muffins stay moist.
Bananas– You’ll need to mash these. Overripe bananas are the best to use because they are sweeter and blend better into the batter.
Eggs– Eggs act as a binder and create structure.
Vanilla extract– Vanilla adds some extra flavor to the muffin.
All purpose flour– Four is needed for cake structure.
Brown sugar– Brown sugar adds sweetness and deepens the flavor.
Baking soda & Baking powder– You need these two to allow the muffins to rise while baking.
Cocoa powder– Cocoa powder gives the muffins it’s chocolate flavor. Use a good quality powder here!
Kosher salt– Salt brings out the flavor in the muffins.
Chocolate chips– Chocolate chips give more chocolate flavor to the batter.

How to make chocolate banana muffins

You don’t need any fancy equipment or even a stand mixer to make these. The best way to make any kind of muffin is by hand because that way you have less of a chance of over mixing the batter.

Mix the wet ingredients- Start by mixing the melted butter, mashed banana eggs, and vanilla, in one bowl.

Mix the dry ingredients– In another bowl, add the flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and cocoa in another bowl and mix lightly.

Combine– Mix the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients and mix until just combined.

Add the Chocolate Chips- Dust the chocolate chips with flour to prevent them from sinking to the bottom, throw them into the batter and bake!

Bake- Line a muffin tin with muffin liners and fill with batter 3/4 of the way full. Do not overfill the liners or the batter will spill over. Preheat your oven to 425°F and bake for 8 minutes. Then lower the oven and finish baking at 350°F. This is what gives muffins their rounded dome top!

Chocolate banana muffin batter in a glass bowl. — Combine the wet and dry ingredients to form the batter.

Chocolate chips dusted with flour on a paper towel — Combine the wet and dry ingredients to form the batter.

How to make your own muffin liners

Every once in a while I will prep my muffin batter only to realize I am out of liners. So I figured out a way to make my own!

Cut parchment paper into 5×5″ squares. Use a ruler to help you measure it out.
Center each square on top of each muffin cup.
Use your fingers to lightly flick some water on top of each liner.
Find a cup that fits into the muffin cup and use it to press it down into it to create the hole.
Fill with batter 2/3rd of the way up and bake!

A ruler measuring parchment paper — Measure and cut 5×5 parchment squares

A parchment square on a muffin tin — Measure and cut 5×5 parchment squares

Recipe Tips

The secret to creating a muffin with a round top is to start baking the muffins at a high temperature, and then finishing it at a lower temperature.
Make sure to mix just until the batter comes together to ensure these muffins stay moist and fluffy. You’ll know it’s perfectly mixed when the batter is thick and you no longer see any of the dry ingredients.
Fill the muffin liners 3/4 of the way full.
To make sure your toppings don’t sink to the bottom of your muffins, lightly dust them with flour before adding them to the batter.

Recipe FAQ

What makes these muffins so moist? The melted butter and overripe bananas help keep these muffins super moist!

Can I leave out the chocolate chips? Yes totally! It doesn’t change the baking time at all

What happens if my bananas are fresh? You can still use them but they wont be as sweet. Or you can preheat your oven to 300° and bake them on a parchment lined baking sheet with the peel on for 10-15 minutes so they get black and ripened. Cool and mash!

Variations

I used a mixture of milk and semi sweet chocolate chips in this recipe but you can use any kind of add ins like:

nuts
white chocolate chips
coconut
caramel chips
milk chocolate

How to make mini chocolate banana muffins

Line a mini muffin tin with mini muffin liners. Fill 2/3rd of the way full and bake on 425° for 5 minutes then switch to 350° for an additional 7 minutes.

How to make these vegan

Yes it can be done! One of my awesome readers figured this out and loved the results so I am sharing it with you. Thank you Shanice!

To make these muffins vegan you can substitute the butter for melted coconut oil.

To make a vegan egg substitute- mix together 1 tablespoon flax meal with 3 tablespoons of water. You will need to make 2 flax meal eggs for this recipe.

Storing and freezing

Storing- Store the muffins in an airtight container or zip top bag on the counter for up to 3 days. You can also put them in the fridge but it is not required.

Freezing- These muffins freeze well! To freeze, wait for the muffins to completely cool. Then wrap them in plastic wrap and then in another freezer safe plastic bag.

Alternatively you can line them up in a freezer safe bag and squeeze as much air out of it that you can, but wrapping them one by one will lead to better results after defrosted.

To defrost:

Leave them on the counter for 1-2 hours to come to room temperature. You can also microwave them for 30 seconds at a time to warm them up and melt the chocolate chips!

For more muffin recipes try these!

Muffins Banana Chocolate

by Sam Adler on Oct 13, 2019 (updated Oct 29, 2022)

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