These banana muffins have become one of my ALL TIME favorite treats around the house…and this is coming from someone who could only manage the taste of bananas in her smoothies just a few short years ago.
The best part about these muffins (aside from being delightfully addictive)? They actually aren’t that bad for you! The muffins are naturally sweetened with the banana and pure maple syrup, and the use of almond flour makes it gluten free!
(But if you’re anything like me, you can’t resist sprinkling in some chocolate chips for good measure.)
I’m a big fan of using honey or pure maple syrup as natural sweeteners in baked goods, because they don’t have the added sugar or any other unnamable additives for that matter. My go-to syrup lately has been a local producer who makes organic, pure maple syrup here in Ohio. Milligan’s Maple…go check them out!
The maple syrup gives the muffins a little extra sweetness, without the overwhelming amount of added sugar you’d find in most banana bread recipes. That way your end result is still AMAZING, but so much better for you!
And if these muffins don’t already sound tempting enough, they are tremendously easy to make! Trust me…if I can bake them, anyone can. (I’m actually a pretty terrible baker, so this is a big accomplishment for me. But shhhh, don’t tell anyone!)
How to make the best gooey banana bread muffins:
First you want to mix your dry ingredients in a large mixing bowl and set aside. Don’t forget the cinnamon, it is a MUST HAVE. Take you bananas and gently smash (sounds like an oxymoron, but you want it to be chunky) until it resembles some sort of baby food. Lol yummmmm.
Add vanilla and syrup to the smashed bananas and gently stir to combine. Take your wet ingredients and pour into dry ingredient mixing bowl. Add one egg and mix until all ingredients are combined.
If you wish to add chocolate chips, fold them into the batter before dishing out into the muffin pan. There should be enough batter to fill all the molds to just below the top. If feeling fancy, top with extra banana slices, chocolate chips, and drizzle extra syrup or honey!
Bake for 30 min, then start working on a second batch because they go super fast!
Gooey Chocolate Chip Banana Bread Muffins
Ingredients
- 2.5 cups almond flour
- 1 tsp baking soda
- 1 tsp baking powder
- 1 tsp cinnamon
- 4-5 ripe bananas
- 3 tbsp pure maple syrup
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 1 egg
- 1/2 cup dark chocolate chips, or cacao nibs
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F and grease a 12-cup muffin pan.
- In a large mixing bowl, mix together almond flour, baking soda, baking powder, and cinnamon using a fork.
- In a separate, smaller mixing bowl, take 4 ripe bananas and gently smash using a fork or potato masher. You want your bananas to still be chunky. Add vanilla extract and syrup. Gently stir to combine.
- Take wet ingredients and pour into dry ingredient mixing bowl. Add egg and mix to combine everything.
- Fold in chocolate chips.
- Add batter to greased muffin pan. Fill to just below the top.
- Top with extra banana slices, syrup, and or chocolate chips.
- Bake for 25-30 min. Test at 25 min using a toothpick or small knife to gently poke through the center of one of the muffins. If the toothpick/knife comes out clean, remove muffins from oven.
- Let cool before removing from muffin pan.
