Bakery Style Banana Nut Chocolate Chip Muffins
Classic banana nut muffins with a domed bakery-style top and chocolate chips, sweetened with coconut sugar instead of refined sugar and left dairy free (not vegan).
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
Bakery-style top tips:
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.
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.