Bananas, bananas, bananas, we go crazy for bananas! We love this banana chocolate chip muffin recipe, because it’s so simple and the results are amazing. These muffins are made with creamy bananas, oat four, and mini chocolate chips for added deliciousness. Great for a yummy treat, kids’ school snack bag, breakfast, or you can freeze them for another day.

We Love Baking With Bananas!

We love the taste, texture, and the healthy benefits from eating them. From banana date muffins and banana muffin tops to Egg-free Banana Pancakes and Banana Chia Seed Pudding we have plenty of banana-based recipes and there will be more to come, no doubt.

We also love incorporating bananas into other cakes and bakes, to add sweetness rather than flavor. Such as in these chocolate muffins with spinach and zucchini and these sweet potato and sunflower seed waffles.

And use bananas in other recipes too

They’re fantastic in smoothie recipes, helping to bulk out and add creaminess.

Did I mention frozen banana treats? This banana “nice-cream” is such a treat and can be enjoyed completely guilt-free. (It’s made just with bananas!) And the kids go wild for these frozen banana treats in the summer.

So back to this easy banana chocolate chip muffin recipe. It’s gone through a few iterations but now we feel this is the one! The kids go crazy for this fluffy, chocolaty treat.

I usually make 2 batches, and keep some in the freezer to grab them as desired. They don’t last long even when baking an extra batch. Too yummy!

We eat them for breakfast, snacks, or even dessert if the kids ask for a treat. It’s always great to have extras on hand.

How To Make The Best Banana Chocolate Chip Muffins

Choose the right bananas

We always have bananas, and it’s when they start browning that the magic happens. The peels on the bananas start to speckle, and have large brown patches on the skin. This is the banana becoming overripe.

They’re softer and sweeter and also when most kids will turn their noses up at them.

These brown-skinned, over-soft, rejected bananas are just the ones you want for baking.

And if you’re not ready to start mixing up a batch, simply pop them in the freezer for another day.

(If I want to make banana bread from frozen bananas I freeze them in their peels but for this raspberry smoothie bowl or this Banana Split Smoothie I’d peel and slice them first.)

Prep ingredients & utensils first

I always gather all my ingredients, measure, and have the muffin tin ready. This creates a quick, and easy experience when combining all the ingredients. In fact, this is how I teach the kids to bake or cook a meal. This allows you to focus on the task at hand.

Always have 2 bowls

Place your dry ingredients in one bowl. Wet ingredients will go in the other.

To this, add the bananas and mash them until all lumps are dissolved. The bananas will now be like a thick liquid. Now add the brown sugar, eggs, and vegetable oil.

Stir or mix until well combined. This will be a very quick process, no need to keep mixing if you see it’s well combined.

Don’t overmix

After the wet ingredients are combined, add the dry ingredients into the wet mixture and fold in until just combined.

Don’t over mix! This is crucial.

Over-mixing will activate the gluten and your muffins will be flat, dense and doughy, rather than light and airy.

Pour into prepared muffin tin

Pour the batter 3/4 way up the greased muffin tin or muffin liners.

For bakery-style muffins (pictured) fill the liners up to the muffin tin mark. This will make 10 muffins, rather than 12.

The bakery-style muffins are our favorite. They look amazing, and are fluffy, chocolatey, and oh so good!

banana chocolate chip muffins bakery style

Here’s some seasonal recipe inspiration:

Chocolate Chip Muffin Storage

These last well stored in an airtight container on the countertop for a few days, depending on on room temperature.

They’ll stay fresh for longer in the fridge, a week or so, or up to 3 months on the freezer.

Should I Use Oil Or Butter When Baking These Choc Chip Muffins

This is personal preference or dependent on what you have available without the need for a special trip to the thops.

I’ve experimented with both and decided that I prefer oil over butter due to the texture of the baked muffin.

I stick to using canola, or vegetable oil, and avoid stronger flavored oils like olive or coconut since I don’t want to add these flavors to the muffins.

The muffins made with oil tend to be:

light and fluffier
less dense
more moist
higher dome muffin top

Do I Need To Sift The Flour?

There are benefits to sifting the flour first. Sifting removes any hard-packed lumps as well as any debris.

This means that sifted flour is easier to mix, so when you come to combine it with the wet ingredients, you’re much less likely to over-mix. With lumps already removed, the cake batter will quickly fold together, meaning a light and fluffy bake.

As a rule, I always sift! (By pushing the flour through a sieve with the back of a spoon, rather than with a sifter.) But with careful mixing, you can get away without doing it.

Is Oat Flour Good For Baking?

Oat flour is simply whole grain oats ground into a powder/flour and it’s very good for baking. It adds an extra healthy boost of protein and fiber to recipes.

Oat flour not only adds nutritional value, but adds to the flavor and texture as well. Oat flour has a mild flavor and can add a light, fluffy texture to baked goods.

I like to use oat flour in most of my baking recipes, simply by substituting 1/3 of the quantity of all-purpose flour for oat flour.

But there are other ways you can use this flour. E.g. as a thickener in soups and sauces, cakes, cookies, and pancakes.

Want more easy snacks and treats?