Grain-Free Double Chocolate Banana Muffins

If eating tender, moist, fluffy, ultra chocolatey muffins for breakfast is wrong, I don’t want to be right.

I spend a lot of time thinking, planning, testing, and working on creating new recipes for Baked Greens. Usually I have my life pretty well planned out, so I know what projects I’d like to work on each week, and I have a running list of recipe ideas for each month/season of the year, just to make sure I don’t forget anything.

And then, sometimes, I walk into the kitchen, see an ingredient sitting on the counter, and know I need to create a new recipe. 

I made these muffins on a day when I had already made and photographed three other chocolate recipes, and yet I walked back into the kitchen to clean up and noticed a bunch of overripe bananas on the counter; I immediately knew I needed some chocolate muffins in my life.

So, even though I had brownies, energy balls, and peanut butter cups sitting on the counter, I pulled out a mixing bowl and got to work.

Since almond flour was such a hit in these cookies, I decided to give it a go in muffins.  Sometimes grain-free or gluten-free flours can result in wacky textures in baked goods (think gummy, crumbly, dry, or dense), but I had a hunch that banana bread batter, which already has plenty of structure from the mashed banana and egg, would work beautifully with almond flour. 

The good news is, I was right. Using almond flour didn’t compromise on texture at all; in fact, I find banana bread to typically be quite dense (in a good way, but dense nonetheless), whereas almond flour kept these muffins delightfully tender and fluffy.

Needless to say, I loved them.

In fact, I ate two of them as soon as I was done taking the pictures.

They were just that good.

These aren’t just any banana muffins: they’re made with two of my favorite ingredients, maple syrup and olive oil, which both work to keep the muffins moist, sweet, and add a little something extra special in the flavor department.  There’s chocolate in the form of both cocoa powder and chocolate chips- just to be sure every single bite is sufficiently chocolatey- and a touch of vanilla, cinnamon, and salt work to balance out all that bold, dark chocolate flavor. 

And, because of all that almond flour, these little chocolate nuggets of joy are loaded with the power of almonds. Namely, plenty of protein, fiber, magnesium, and calcium. Hello, super nut. 

The best part is, these tender, fluffy, grain-free banana muffins are made with basic pantry ingredients (+ a few overripe bananas) in 1-bowl in about 30 minutes. 

Long story short, I think you’re going to absolutely love them. Bake up a batch to keep around for afternoon snacking, like I do, or add them into your weekend breakfast rotation- trust me, no one will be upset about chocolate muffins for breakfast. 

If you make this recipe, let me know how it turns out! Leave a comment below, or take a picture and share it with me on Instagram. And don’t forget to check out my Pantry Staples page to stock up on ingredients for this recipe! 

Grain-Free Double Chocolate Banana Muffins

Chelsea Colbath

Tender, moist, fluffy banana muffins made with cocoa powder and chocolate chips for maximum chocolate goodness in every bite.

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Time 30 minutes mins

Ingredients

  

• 3 medium very ripe bananas
• 1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil
• 1/3 cup maple syrup
• 1 large egg
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 1/4 cups blanched almond flour*
• 1/2 cup cocoa powder
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon sea salt
• 1/2 cup chocolate chips

Instructions

 

• 1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit. Line a muffin tin with 10 paper liners, or grease with coconut oil, olive oil, or nonstick spray.
• 2. Put bananas, oil, maple syrup, egg, and vanilla into a large mixing bowl. Use a potato masher or a fork to fully mash the bananas and combine the wet ingredients together.
• 3. Add all remaining ingredients, including chocolate chips, and stir until fully combined.
• 4. Scoop batter using a 1/4 cup measuring cup to get 10 even-sized muffins. If desired, top each muffin with an extra sprinkle of chocolate chips. Bake for 18-20 minutes, or until muffins are fluffy and cooked through. Let muffins cool in the pan for 5 minutes before transferring to a cooling rack to cool completely. Store leftovers in an airtight container at room temperature for 4 days, or in the freezer for several months.

Notes

*Be sure to use almond flour, NOT almond meal in these muffins. I buy almond flour at Trader Joe's or on Amazon, though I've seen it on the shelves at every major grocery store- sometimes in the 'natural foods' section, sometimes just on the shelves of the regular baking aisle.