These are the best banana chocolate chip muffins! They're made with brown butter for a wonderful nutty flavor, aren't too sweet, have a super soft and moist texture, and are loaded with chocolate chips and a chocolate ganache. And the best part? They're SO easy to make and come together in less than an hour!
Read the full blog post below for detailed notes, tips, tricks, photos and videos.
Jump to:
Why are these the best banana chocolate chip muffins?
The internet is full of banana bread and banana muffin recipes - so what makes these muffins so special? A few things:
- They're made with brown butter. This step takes just a few extra minutes, but delivers tenfold in results! Brown butter has a wonderful nutty, caramel-like aroma and flavor, and complements the banana flavor perfectly
- They use brown sugar only. This makes the muffins much more moist and tender in texture, while complementing the caramel notes from the bananas and brown butter
- They are not overly sweet. The recipe uses less than a cup of added sugar, and relies more heavily on the sweetness from the bananas
- They have a hint of coffee. Sure, you can skip it, but it adds a really nice subtle flavor!
- They are ultra moist and tender without being dense. Some banana bread / muffin recipes go too far and turn out kind of heavy. This one gets it just right - the muffins are very moist while still feeling light and fluffy!
- They are LOADED with chocolate. These muffins have chocolate chips and a chocolate ganache filled center. This was inspired by the viral Olympic double chocolate muffins, and is such an easy way to elevate the basic muffin!
- They are really easy to make. The batter comes together with just a hand whisk and one bowl, and takes practically no time or effort to make
Jumbo muffin tray
These muffins are "jumbo" sized, which I believe all muffins should be (otherwise they're more like cupcakes, aren't they!?). Here is a jumbo muffin pan on Amazon, with each muffin cup being slightly over 3" in diameter.
You can line the muffin cups using jumbo muffin liners, or make your own using parchment paper! Cut the paper into large squares, then make cuts along the diagonal lines leaving a circle in the center that is roughly the size of the base of the muffin. Press in using the bottom of a glass and the paper should take the shape of the muffin cup.
Tips to perfect this recipe
This is a really simple recipe, but I do want to share a few tips to help you get these muffins just right:
- Use a weighing scale. This will yield more accurate results than measuring cups, especially for the flour and sugars
- Make sure your bananas are VERY ripe! We want lots of bruises and very soft bananas, as they will have the most flavor in them
- Leave some chunks in the mashed bananas. This helps add a nice texture to the muffins
- Sift in the dry ingredients. This will remove lumps from them and make it easier to fold them in
- Don't overmix the batter. Use gentle folding motions to mix in the dry ingredients, and stop as soon as they are combined. Overmixing can make the muffins rubbery
- Use good quality chocolate. You can use chips (I did) but if you want molten chocolate in the middle, chopped chocolate bars or chunks will work best
- Don't overbake. Take the muffins out of the oven as soon a a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out with light, moist crumbs attached
- Eat the muffins warm! I recommend microwaving them for a few seconds before eating them to get the most out of their texture
Video tutorial
Here is a short video tutorial for this recipe that I recommend watching:
Process with photos
The detailed recipe is provided in the recipe card at the bottom of this post, but let's go over the steps with photos to help you visualize everything.
Brown the butter. Then whisk it with the brown sugar for 1-2 minutes:
Add the eggs, vanilla and coffee, and whisk until smooth and creamy:
Add the mashed bananas and sour cream and whisk in:
Then, fold in the dry ingredients until just combined:
Lastly, fold in the chocolate chips or chopped chocolate:
Divide the batter evenly between 6 jumbo muffin cups, and top off with more chips:
Bake the muffins. Let them rest for 10-15 minutes, then fill with ganache in the middle:
Serve and enjoy!!
Frequently asked questions
Yes, you can use white sugar instead of brown, but brown sugar will give the best flavor and texture.
This recipe has been developed specifically for brown butter, which has less moisture than melted butter. Therefore, I don't recommend using regular melted butter
You can replace the sour cream with greek yogurt, or make your own sour cream at home using my easy recipe.
Bananas ripen the fastest when left in a cool, dark place like a cabinet in a paper bag. If you need an even quicker fix, remove the peel and place the bananas in the oven at 250F for 5-10 minutes.
Yes, you can skip the chocolate ganache and bake these as regular banana chocolate chip muffins.
Yes! You can turn these muffins into a banana chocolate chip bread and bake in a loaf pan for ~45-50 minutes. I love this loaf pan from USA Pan!
Yes, you can use this batter to make smaller muffins or cupcakes; just make sure to reduce the baking time.
Yes, these muffins are great to bake ahead of time. You can keep them at room temperature in an airtight container for up to 2 days, or in the fridge for up to 1 week. Make sure to microwave for a few seconds before eating!
Related recipes
If you like this recipe, also check out the following!
The Best Banana Chocolate Chip Muffins Recipe
- Total Time: 1 hour
- Yield: 6 jumbo muffins
Description
Soft and moist brown butter banana chocolate chip muffins loaded with chocolate chips and a chocolate ganache filling
Ingredients
Banana Chocolate Chip Muffins:
- ½ cup unsalted butter (113g)
- ¾ cup light brown sugar, packed (150g)
- 2 eggs
- 1 tsp vanilla
- 1 tsp instant coffee + 1 teaspoon hot water (optional)
- 3 large extra ripe bananas, mashed (about 400g)
- ½ cup sour cream (120g) or sub greek yogurt
- 1 ¾ cups all purpose flour (227g)
- 1 tsp baking powder
- ½ tsp baking soda
- ½ tsp salt
- 1 cup chocolate chips, chunks or chopped choc of choice (200g); I like to use semi-sweet
Chocolate Ganache:
- ½ cup dark or semi-sweet chocolate chips (100g)
- ⅓ cup heavy cream (80g)
Instructions
- Pre-heat oven to 375F (conventional / no fan) and line a jumbo muffin tray with parchment paper or muffin liners. The parchment liners should rise slightly above the surface of the tray to allow the muffins to have height
- Melt the butter in a nonstick saucepan and stir over medium-low heat until it melts and turns brown and fragrant. Do not over cook as it can burn
- Add the brown butter to a bowl along with the brown sugar. Whisk for 1-2 minutes; it will look grainy and that's ok
- Wait 3-5 minutes so the butter isn't too hot. Then add the eggs, vanilla and instant coffee mixed with hot water. Whisk for 1-2 minutes until the mixture becomes really smooth and caramel-like
- Add the mashed bananas and sour cream and whisk until combined
- Sift in the flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Gently fold until the dry ingredients are just combined
- End by folding in the chocolate chips / chunks
- Divide the batter evenly between the muffin cups, and top off with more chocolate chips (optional)
- Bake for ~27-30 minutes until a toothpick inserted in the middle of a muffin comes out with light, moist crumbs (no wet batter)
- While the muffins are baking, make the ganache. Heat the cream until it just starts to boil, and pour over the chocolate in a bowl. Cover and wait 5 minutes, then stir until a smooth ganache forms. Let the ganache cool down at room temperature, it should thicken up
- Once the muffins have cooled down (they should still be slightly warm but not hot), transfer the ganache into a piping bag with a round tip. Carefully lift each muffin, puncture in the middle with the piping tip, and fill generously with ganache. Some ganache will ooze out of the top, which is what we want
- Serve and enjoy! These muffins are best eaten warm when the ganache and chocolate chunks are not firm
Video Tutorial
Notes
See FAQs in the blog post above for ingredient substitutions, and read the tips to get these muffins perfect
- Prep Time: 20 min
- Cook Time: 30 min
- Category: Dessert
- Cuisine: American
Fareeha says
I tried this recipe but in a loaf instead of muffin pan, and it came out sooooo good! This is a fool proof recipe! Not to be missed. The brown butter adds such a distinct nutty and caramel flavors! Definitely give it a try 😀
Sameenah says
Oh and I used a regular 12 cup muffin tray and baked for about 18-20mins at 180 degrees Celsius.
Sameenah says
Also I used a 12 cup muffin tray and baked it for 18-20 mins
Fareesha Nisha says
Amazing recipe. Have made it twice and about to make it for the third time. The overall flavor is unlike any other banana chocolate chip muffin that I have ever had. Thank you Zoha for this delicious recipe.