Healthy Chocolate Banana Muffins

Chocolate lovers will rejoice with this tasty way to sneak chocolate into their breakfast routine or as a snack with these healthy chocolate banana muffins.

If I haven’t said it before, I LOVE chocolate.  

Like A LOT. 

So much so that I choose brownies over cake for my birthday – just bring me loads of chocolaty goodness please!! 

So, chocolate for breakfast?  

YES PLEASE! 

I’m always looking for an excuse to eat chocolate for breakfast and these muffins hit the spot – especially hot from the oven.  

I dare you to try not to eat one of these gooey, chocolate muffins warm from the oven. 

Ok don’t do it – just eat one right away! 

YOU WILL NOT REGRET IT! 

What Makes These Chocolate Banana Muffins Healthy? 

Chocolate for breakfast – how does that equate to healthy you ask? 

I’m glad you asked! 

To start, these muffins are sugar and grain free (and dairy-free if you use the coconut oil and use dairy-free chocolate chips). 

While I am a big fan of the gut friendly starches found in green bananas, ripe bananas actually have more antioxidant power! 

And the chocolate itself is healthy too! 

Cacao powder is a less processed form of cocoa powder which means that it has more of the health benefits chocolate is known for!

Research shows chocolate helps prevent cancer, fights free radicals, improves heart health and blood sugar, and so much more!! (read here for more info!)

Cacao also has a wide variety of minerals and vitamins in it.

So, not a bad way to start your day!  

Should I Use a Blender or a Mixer? 

The fastest, easiest way to make these muffins is to throw all of the ingredients in a blender and blend everything together.  

Presto, fast muffin batter! 

I love my Ninja blender for recipes like this!

But, not everyone has a blender or has one big enough for this recipe.

For those folks, I’ve included directions to make them in a regular mixer bowl. 

You can even use those muscles and mix the batter up by hand. 

But my favorite method is with a blender; it’s just so fast! 

Can I Make These as Regular Sized Muffins?

Absolutely!

I make a lot of mini-muffins because they are easier for my daughter to eat as a snack.

They are also the perfect size to pop in my own mouth!

But, I also make them as regular sized muffins for my husband so you can make these either way!

For mini-sized muffins, bake for 9 minutes.

For regular-sized muffins, bake for 14 minutes.

Those bake times are perfect for my oven, but you might have to adjust the times for your oven.

You want the top of the muffin to spring back and not feel gooey when you gently press on it.

Then the muffins are just right!

If you overcook these muffins, they will be a little dry.

To help recover from dry muffins, reheat with a pat of butter (or coconut oil) on top, or spread butter on the muffins when you eat them.

Can I Freeze These Chocolate Banana Muffins? 

The best time to eat these muffins is straight out of the oven. 

The chocolate chips are still warm and gooey and they are plain addictive! 

But you can only eat so many chocolate chunk banana muffins before you will start to get a tummy-ache. 

Trust me – I’ve been there!! 

So to keep these muffins fresh for a long time, you can absolutely freeze them! 

I would recommend pulling them out of the freezer the night before you want to eat them and leaving them in an airtight container on the counter.  

If you keep your house warm (like above 74 degrees), then I would probably keep them in the fridge.  

For some reason, I find that banana muffins tend to go bad quickly when they are exposed to warm temperatures. 

So you can either eat them at room temperature, or my favorite way to eat frozen muffins is to give them a little reheat in our toaster oven to melt the chocolate chips again. 

Mmmmmmm…melty chocolate… 

Healthy Chocolate Banana Muffins 

Difficulty Level: Easy 

Prep Time: 15 minutes

Cook Time: 9 minutes for mini muffins, 14 minutes for regular sized muffins

Servings: 48 mini-muffins or 24 regular sized muffins 

Ingredients: 

• 3 ripe bananas 
• 4 eggs 
• 1 teaspoon vanilla 
• ½ cup butter or coconut oil, melted 
• ¼ cup cassava flour 
• ½ cup coconut flour 
• ¼ cup cacao powder 
• ¼ cup Lakanto sugar 
• ½ teaspoon aluminum-free baking powder 
• ½ teaspoon baking soda 
• ¼ teaspoon salt 
• ½ cup sugar-free chocolate chips 

Blender Directions:

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. 
2. Prepare a 24 count mini-muffin pan or 12 count regular muffin pan with unbleached liners.
3. Add all the ingredients, except the chocolate chips, to a blender pitcher (like a ninja blender). 
4. Blend until well combined, scrape down the sides with a rubber scraper, and then pulse the blender to incorporate the scrapings. 
5. Remove the blade and stir in the chocolate chips with the rubber scraper. 
6. Use a spoon to fill the muffin cups to 3/4 full. 
7. Bake mini-muffins for 9 minutes or 14 minutes for regular sized muffins, or until the top springs back when pressed. Err on the side of being a little underdone with these, or else they will be too dry. 
8. Cool for 5 minutes in the pan before moving to a cooling rack. Drop new liners into the pan and bake the second batch of muffins. 
9. Once all muffins have cooled, store in an airtight container.  

Mixer Directions:

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. 
2. Prepare a 24 count mini-muffin pan or 12 count regular muffin pan with unbleached liners. 
3. Mash up the bananas with a fork, set aside. 
4. Use mixer to beat the eggs until frothy.  
5. Add the mashed bananas along with all remaining ingredients, except for the chocolate chips, and mix until well incorporated. 
6. Add the chocolate chips and mix just until combined. 
7. Use a spoon to fill the muffin cups to 3/4 full. 
8. Bake mini-muffins for 9 minutes or 14 minutes for regular sized muffins, or until the top springs back when pressed. Err on the side of being a little underdone with these, or else they will be too dry. 
9. Cool for 5 minutes in the pan before moving to a cooling rack. Drop new liners into the pan and bake the second batch of muffins. 
10. Once all muffins have cooled, store in an airtight container.  

Storage: 

Store on the counter for a couple of days in cooler weather or for up to a week in the fridge. 

For long term storage, keep in the freezer in an airtight container or bag. Thaw muffins as needed overnight on the counter. 

For melty chocolate chips, reheat in the muffin pan in the oven or in a toaster oven.