Chocolate Peanut Butter Banana Muffins

Chocolate peanut butter banana muffins are moist, tender, and full of flavor. Made with banana, peanut butter, cocoa, and chocolate chips, these muffins are also gluten-free (but you wouldn't even know!).

These flourless muffins are the perfect trifecta of flavors - they're made with chocolate, peanut butter, and banana. They're so moist, flavorful, and soft, you wouldn't even realize there's no flour in them!

You only need a handful of ingredients to make these muffins - ripe bananas, peanut butter, cocoa powder, maple syrup, eggs, and some leavening. Optionally, add chocolate chips for little pockets of melty chocolate throughout.

Chocolate peanut butter banana muffins make a fantastic breakfast with your morning coffee. If your kids love these flavors too, they make a great after school treat! Banana mini muffins are another popular option for snacking.

Ingredients and substitutions

• Bananas - For this recipe, you'll need two medium bananas. Try to use bananas with no green on the skin. Overripe bananas will have a moderate amount of brown spots on the outside.
• Peanut butter - Natural peanut butter or regular peanut butter will work in this recipe. Or, use crunchy for a little extra texture in your muffins.
• Eggs - Eggs add structure and moisture to your batter, and also help your muffins rise in the oven.
• Maple syrup - Sweetens your muffins. Can be substituted with honey, granulated sugar, or brown sugar.
• Cocoa powder - Adds chocolate flavor to your muffins. I've only tested this recipe with natural cocoa powder, so I can't say how dutch cocoa powder would turn out.
• Baking soda - Used to help your muffins rise in the oven. Cannot be substituted with baking powder, the two are not interchangeable.
• Salt - Enhances the flavor of your muffins.
• Chocolate chips - Optional, but add nice melty pockets of chocolate throughout your muffins. Can also be substituted with peanut butter chips or white chocolate chips.

Do bananas need to be ripe for banana muffins?

Very ripe bananas are best for making banana muffins and banana bread. They are softer, sweeter, and easy to incorporate with other ingredients. While banana bread can technically be made with fresh bananas, you'll get the best result from overripe bananas.

How can you tell if bananas are ready for banana bread?

• Brown spots/streaks (no green)
• Very soft inside
• No visible mold
• Do not smell rotten

How to ripen bananas quickly

Want to ripen bananas quickly? Place your bananas in a brown paper bag and fold closed. Leave them on the counter for 24-48 hours. I use this method when buying fresh bananas at the store, knowing I'd like to make muffins or bread in a few days.

Or, set your oven to 300 degrees Fahrenheit, line a baking sheet with parchment paper, and lay out your unpeeled bananas. Bake for 15-30 minutes, or until skins look shiny and black.

The secret to moist muffins

• Don't overbake - My biggest tip for ensuring your muffins turn out moist? Carefully watch your muffins in the oven as they bake. Don't worry as much about the baking time - ovens all run differently, and your oven may run hotter than my oven (meaning your muffins will be done faster). Overbaking is the number one reason why baked goods turn out dry.
• Don't substitute ingredients - There are so few ingredients in this recipe that I don't recommend substituting any (except the chocolate chips). Reducing particular ingredients or substituting with lower fat options can make your muffins turn out dry.
• Use an instant read thermometer in one of your muffins - quick breads (like muffins) are done when they reach about 200 to 205 degrees Fahrenheit in the center. Thermometers aren't just for meat, you can use them on baked goods too!
• Allow your muffins to cool completely before removing wrappers or slicing. Cutting into a hot muffin releases steam (moisture) that when cooled, will be dry.
• Store muffins in a tightly sealed container on the counter top. After day 2, your muffins will feel noticeably less moist.
• I suggest freezing extra muffins you won't eat within two days. This way, these muffins are frozen fresh with as much moisture as possible.
• Have a leftover dry muffin? Cover with a damp paper towel and microwave for up to ten seconds. This helps steam the muffin and add a bit of moisture.

Storing muffins

Once your muffins have completely cooled to room temperature, store any extras in a tightly sealed container at room temperature for 3-4 days.

Muffins can also be frozen for up to 3 months in a tightly sealed, freezer safe container. Thaw frozen muffins on the countertop for 30 minutes to bring to room temperature.

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