Can I freeze banana muffins?

Yes! These small batch chocolate chip muffins freeze pretty well. Let the muffins cool completely, then store in an airtight container in the freezer for up to 3 months. When you're ready to eat them, let frozen muffins defrost for a few hours on the counter. You can also reheat leftover muffins by popping them into a hot oven or toaster oven (we usually heat to 350° F) for a few minutes until they're warmed through!

Can I use whole wheat flour?

Yes - you can swap up to half of the all purpose flour in this recipe for whole wheat flour if you like (we don't recommend using 100% whole wheat flour as it can alter the texture and result in a denser muffin).

How are these different from the big batch banana muffins?

We made a few key tweaks to make this a successful small batch recipe as compared to our regular chocolate chip banana muffins . The biggest change you might notice is that we simplified the leavening agents: Our full muffins use both baking soda and baking powder, but because we're working with so few ingredients here - and because our egg yolk ALSO works as a leavening agent - we can get away with just baking powder in this recipe. We also streamlined the spices in this small batch version, and tested with a few different banana sizes to ensure there's a small margin of error (so these muffins will work even if your banana is a few grams lighter or heavier than the recipe calls for).

What kind of muffin pan should I use?

We used a regular cupcake pan in these photos, but you can also use a specialty jumbo muffin tin for larger muffins. (Keep in mind that if you make large banana muffins, you'll get fewer muffins in total). If you use a standard cupcake pan, you can line it with with regular paper liners; if you use a jumbo muffin pan, use a few pieces of parchment paper to line the pan (you will likely need to extend the baking time for larger muffins). You can also skip the liners entirely: just grease and flour the inside of each cup instead! Note: If you prefer to use reusable silicone liners , you may need to extend the baking time by 2-3 minutes.

How do I get bigger domed muffin tops?

For taller, more dome-like muffin tops, fill your liners extra full before baking. As written, this recipe makes 6 cupcake-sized banana bread muffins: While they're domed on top, the muffin tops don't explode out of the pan like you might see at a grocery store or bakery. If you want that super domed effect, spoon batter all the way to the top of the muffin liners before baking (just remember that you'll get fewer total muffins this way!)

Small Batch Banana Muffins with Chocolate Chips

Description

This easy banana muffin recipe uses just one overripe banana! Makes 6.

Ingredients

Scale

1 overripe banana (about 100 grams)
25 grams sugar (2 Tablespoons)
1 large egg yolk
2 Tablespoons unsalted butter, melted (28 grams)
35 grams milk (2-3 Tablespoons)
2 grams vanilla extract (½ teaspoon)
100 grams all purpose flour (about 3/4 cup + 4 teaspoons when measured correctly by scooping and leveling)
2 gram ground cinnamon (¾ teaspoon)
2 grams kosher salt (⅓ teaspoon)
5 grams baking powder (1 teaspoon)
½ cup bittersweet or semi-sweet chocolate chips

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Instructions

Heat the oven to 325° Fahrenheit. Line a muffin tin with 6 paper liners.
Peel the banana and add it to a mixing bowl. Use a fork to mash it until it's fairly smooth.
Add the sugar, egg yolk, melted butter, milk, and vanilla to the bowl with the mashed banana; whisk everything together.
Add the flour, cinnamon, salt, and baking powder. Stir until just barely combined, then add the chocolate chips. Continue stirring until you have a fairly smooth batter and no dry flour remains.
Divide the batter evenly between the 6 prepared muffin liners. (We like to use a 3-Tablespoon cookie scoop for this!)
Bake in a preheated 325°F oven for 15-20 minutes, until a toothpick inserted into the center of a muffin comes out clean. Transfer to a wire rack to cool.

Notes

Please use a kitchen scale! Measuring flour by volume (with cups) is notoriously unreliable: For best results, use a scale to measure by weight with the gram measurements provided! We use and recommend Escali kitchen scales. If you don’t have a kitchen scale, measure ingredients (especially flour, which is the most finicky) with the scoop and level method for best results.

Additions and Substitutions. Use any kind of chocolate chips you like here (we love semi-sweet or bittersweet chocolate chips). Add toasted, chopped nuts (walnuts, almonds, pecans) or a spoonful of poppyseeds to this batter if you like. Use melted coconut oil, canola oil, or vegetable oil in place of the melted butter if you prefer.

Add toppings. Dress these muffins up by adding a bit of turbinado or demerara sugar on top before baking, or make a quick cinnamon crumble to put on top (find our favorite version in our Apple Butter Muffin Recipe).

Storing Muffins. Store cooled muffins in an airtight container on the counter for up to 4 days, or in the freezer up to 3 months (we love freezing these muffins in a reusable silicone Stasher Bag!)

We tested this recipe with several different sizes of banana. If your banana isn't exactly 100 grams, that's ok - this recipe works well with bananas between 95-110 grams.