These are your classic banana nut muffins, but WAY better because they have those gorgeous bakery dome tops and are so soft, AND I threw chocolate chips in there too because plain wasn’t doing enough for me (and is plain ever? Not really!).
Quick note before we get into it: I swapped the all-purpose flour for self-rising, dropped the baking soda, and cut the baking powder down to 1 teaspoon since self-rising flour already has leavening built in. Kept the salt the same as most other muffin recipes. If you’re using this recipe with regular all-purpose flour, you’ll want to go back to baking soda plus the full amount of baking powder or these won’t rise right and give you that bakery lusciousness.
The dome on these comes from starting the oven hot. 425°F for the first 5 minutes, then drop it to 350°F to finish baking. That’s a part of the whole system to bakery style. The hot start forces the batter up fast before it sets, so you get that tall bakery-style top instead of something flat and sad, and no one wants that! Don’t overmix the batter too. I say this every time because it matters every time, overmix and the batter of any kind of cake or muffin will be dense instead of light! No bueno! Fold until the flour streaks are basically gone and stop. Lumps are fine, I promise. While I am on this train of thought, 2 more action items — Use bananas that are properly overripe, black spots and all welcomed, since that’s where the flavor is. Yellow bananas will leave these tasting flat. And lastly, fill the muffin cups almost to the top, more than you’d normally do, so there’s enough batter to actually dome. And if you want the shiny craggy look on the sides like the ones from a coffee shop, skip the liners and grease and flour the tin instead (although my parchment paper method is pretty dang handy).
For the mix-ins, I did walnuts and chocolate chips together, but pick your personal favorite combo. Nuts alone, chocy chips alone, both. Feel free to also sprinkle a few extra on top before baking so they toast and look the part! Made these? Don’t forget to share and tag me @herbyeater on TikTok or Instagram. 🙂
Bakery Style Banana Nut Chocolate Chip Muffins
Equipment
- 12-cup muffin tin
- Muffin liners (or nonstick spray)
- Large mixing bowl
- Medium mixing bowl
- Whisk
- Rubber spatula
- Ice cream scoop or 1/4-cup measure (for even portioning)
Ingredients
Dry:
- 2 cups 250g self-rising flour
- 1 tsp 5g baking powder
- 1/2 tsp 3g salt
- 2 tsp 2g cinnamon
Wet:
- 3 medium overripe bananas mashed (about 1 1/2 cups / 340g)
- 2/3 cup 140g coconut sugar
- 1/3 cup 75g melted coconut oil, slightly cooled
- 2 large eggs
- 1 tsp 5g vanilla extract
- 1/4 cup 60g plain yogurt or milk
Mix-in:
- 3/4 cup 85g chopped walnuts or pecans, plus extra for topping
- 1/2 cup chocolate chips no sugar added, or 70% or darker
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 425°F (220°C). Line a 12-cup muffin tin with liners or grease well.
- In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, salt, and cinnamon.
- In a large bowl, mash the bananas until mostly smooth with a few small lumps.
- Whisk the coconut sugar, melted coconut oil, eggs, vanilla, and yogurt into the mashed banana until combined.
- Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and fold together with a spatula until just combined; a few streaks of flour are fine. Do not overmix!
- Fold in the chopped nuts & chocolate gently.
- Divide the batter evenly among the muffin cups, filling each to the top. Sprinkle extra chopped nuts over each one if preferred.
- Bake at 425°F for 5 minutes, then, without opening the oven, lower the temperature to 350°F (175°C) and bake for another 14–16 minutes, until a toothpick comes out clean.
- Cool in the tin for 5 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.
Notes
The hot-start method in step 8 is the real trick, as that initial blast of high heat makes the batter rise fast before the structure sets, which is what gives you the tall domed top instead of a flat one.
Fill the muffin cups nearly if not all the way to the top (not the usual 2/3 rule) so there’s enough batter mass to dome properly.
Don’t overmix the batter, as overmixing develops gluten and gives you a dense, peaked-but-tough top instead of a light, craggy one.
Room-temp muffin tin, cold batter: scoop the batter cold and get it in the oven quickly for the best rise.
Skip paper liners in favor of a light grease-and-flour if you want that shiny domed muffin-shop crust on the sides too. Substitutions:
Swap coconut oil for melted butter if not dairy-free. For nut free, please omit nuts and add an extra 1/2 cup chocolate chips, or leave just plain! Keeps in an airtight container at room temperature for 3 days, or freeze for up to 2 months.