WFMW: The Best Banana Chip Muffins

This recipe is my favorite way to use up old bananas.  I found it on All Recipes, and made a few modifications to make it healthier and tastier (IMO).

Mocha Chip Banana Muffins

Source:  adapted from this recipe

Wet Ingredients:

1/2 cup butter (one stick), softened
1/2 cup natural, unsweetened applesauce
1 cup white sugar
1 large egg
3 ripe bananas
1 Tbsp instant espresso powder dissolved in
1 Tbsp hot water
1 tsp vanilla extract

Dry Ingredients:

1 cup all-purpose flour
1 cup whole wheat flour (I use *white* wheat)
1/4 cup old-fashioned Quaker oats, coarsely ground up
1/4 tsp salt
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
1 Tbsp whole ground flaxseed meal

3/4 to 1 cup semisweet chocolate chips (or 6oz/half a bag of mini chocolate chips)

Steps:

1. Preheat oven to 350.
2. Combine wet ingredients in mixer and mix on medium speed for 2 minutes.
3. Combine dry ingredients together in a separate bowl, then add to wet ingredients.  Blend until flour is mixed.
4. Add chocolate chips and stir by hand to mix.
5. Line cupcake/muffin tin or mini-muffin pans with liners, spray lightly with cooking spray and spoon mixture in.
6. Bake ~25 minutes for cupcakes or ~15 minutes for mini-muffins.
7. Cool 5 minutes before devouring.

Yield:  15 to 18 cupcake sized muffins or 66 to 72 mini-muffins

Notes:

I prefer to make the mini-muffins.  They are just the right size to pop in your mouth and oh so delicious.  I discovered my Oxo cookie scoop is just the right size for scooping into the mini-muffin tins.  It makes getting them scooped a breeze.   I also think the mini-muffins tins are easier for clean-up.  Because they are smaller, I just stick in my dishwarsher and they don’t take up much room.

I put 1/4  c. oats in my mini-food processor and pulse for a few seconds. They don’t have to be completely pulverized, just broke up a bit.  If you don’t have a processor, you could use a blender or even a mini-chopper.

Using applesauce in lieu of extra butter or oil makes them healthier and nice and moist.

The original recipe called for using instant coffee, but the mocha flavor wasn’t coming through.   Using espresso powder gives the mocha a stronger taste, but it is still pretty faint – my kids don’t notice or complain.  You could increase the amount of espresso or skip it, depending on your preference.

This post is linked up to the Works For Me Wednesday blog carnival,  hosted by We Are That Family.