I love make-ahead breakfasts. I bake something on a lazy Sunday afternoon and I get to hit the snooze button all week long.
These muffins are the ultimate to-go breakfast: a sweet, chocolatey muffin with the fruity goodness of bananas and just a hint of espresso, which brings out the chocolatey flavor even more. Because chocolate is part of a balanced breakfast, obviously.
I added sweet banana chips for a little crunch, especially because I don’t care for nutty muffins, but they’re totally optional if you don’t have 2 hours to bake them.
Banana Chocolate Muffins
Ingredients
Instructions
Preheat the oven to 425°F.
In a medium bowl, smash 4 bananas. Whisk in the oil, milk, eggs, salt, and vanilla.
In a separate large bowl, whisk together the flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, brown sugar, and espresso powder.
Use a wooden spoon to create a well by pushing the dry ingredients (from step 2) away from the center of the bowl. Then pour the wet ingredients (from step 3) into the well. Stir with the wooden spoon until a lumpy batter forms, being careful not to stir too much. Stir in walnuts, if desired.
Spray a muffin tin with cooking spray. Divide the batter among the cups of the muffin tin and put the muffins in the oven. As soon as they’re in, turn the temperature down to 375°F and bake for about 30 minutes.
Starting the oven at the hotter temperature of 425°F will make your muffins fluff up on top, but we don’t want them to burn or cook unevenly.
Cool the muffins. Eat them plain or go crazy by adding whipped cream, candied banana slices (recipe follows), and a sprinkle of decorative sugar.
Enjoy.
Sweet & Crunchy Banana Slices
Ingredients
Instructions
Peel the banana(s). Using a mandolin slicer or very sharp knife, slice the banana(s) on the diagonal into very thin ovals. I highly recommend a mandolin slicer, because slicing evenly is critical for even cooking in this recipe.
Use a baking sheet lined with a silicon baking mat or parchment paper sprayed with cooking spray. Lay the banana slices flat. Mix the lemon juice and water together and brush or lightly sprinkle onto the bananas.
Mix the kosher salt, cocoa, and espresso powder and sprinkle lightly over the slices. The salt will help to dehydrate the bananas for a crunchy texture, and creates a salted caramel flavor when they’re done.
Bake at 250°F for one hour, then carefully flip the slices. Bake for another 30 minutes, then test for doneness by removing one slice from the oven. If it hardens when it cools, you’re done! If it’s still soft and leathery when it cools, keep the bananas in the oven for another 20 minutes, then check again.
Cool completely to allow bananas to reach ultimate crunchiness. Then, enjoy! These are delicious as alternative chips or make a beautiful topping for breakfasts and baked goods.