Banana Chocolate Chip Walnut Muffins

Name: Banana Chocolate Chip Walnut Muffins
Prep time: 15 min
Cook time: 25 min
Total time: 40 min
Ingredients: 1 cup mashed bananas (about 2 large bananas (use very spotty, brown bananas)); ¼ cup coconut sugar; ¼ cup nut butter; 1 egg (room temp); ½ tsp vanilla extract; 1¼ cup almond flour; 2 scoops vanilla protein powder (see notes); 1½ tsp baking powder; 1 tsp cinnamon; ¼ tsp salt; ¼ cup chopped walnuts; ¼ cup chocolate chips (I used dairy-free semi-sweet chocolate chips)

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This easy recipe for Banana Chocolate Chip Walnut Muffins has a perfect balance of banana flavor, chocolate, and crunch from chopped walnuts. Whip up these gluten-free and dairy-free muffins for snacks, desserts, or a sweet breakfast everyone will enjoy!

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Cozy Muffins To Wake Up To
Ingredients
How To Make Them
Top Tips
FAQ
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Cozy Muffins To Wake Up To

2020 was many things, but to me, it was also the era of banana bread. While everyone was stuck at home, it gave them more time to cook so recipes for banana bread were highly sought after. These chocolate banana walnut muffins have always been a household favorite so of course, I had to share them with the world when they were needed most!

For this comforting Banana Chocolate Chip Walnut Muffins recipe, I mixed overripe bananas with almond flour, coconut sugar, and a touch of nut butter. This combination makes the muffin ultra soft and moist on the inside. Walnuts add a crunchy texture that pairs beautifully with the flavor of ripe bananas and chocolate chips. No shortage of texture here!

Are They Healthy?

You’ll see that these muffins are made with healthy ingredients including almond flour, coconut sugar, and no dairy ingredients at all. I’ve also added protein powder to the batter to make it a high-protein banana muffin. This makes it a great breakfast or snack to keep you satisfied. Serve them cold or room temperature any time of the day!

Why You'll Love Them

Great for anyone who is following a gluten-free or dairy-free lifestyle.
A fun way to use up any overripe bananas you may have.
This versatile recipe can be a snack, dessert, or as a sweet part of your breakfast.
They use coconut sugar making them refined sugar-free.

Ingredients

These healthy Banana Chocolate Chip Walnut Muffins use paleo-friendly ingredients that are easy to find!

Overripe bananas: You’ll need bananas that are ripe as they add a naturally sweet flavor and help keep the texture moist on the inside.
Coconut sugar: Helps add additional sweetness without any refined sugar.
Nut butter: Gives the muffins their moist texture on the inside.
Egg: A room temperature egg helps bind the ingredients together and helps them set while baking.
Vanilla extract: Infuses the muffins with a light vanilla flavor.
Almond flour: A gluten-free substitute for all-purpose or wheat flour.
Vanilla protein powder or collagen peptides: Adds protein, texture, and flavor to the muffins. My favorite brand is Nuzest because it doesn't give me stomach problems and it's vegan.
Baking powder: Helps the muffins rise and fluff.
Cinnamon: Gives these muffins a light warming flavor.
Salt: Balances the flavors in the muffins and helps to activate the baking powder.
Chopped walnuts: Gives the muffins a great nutty flavor and crunch.
Chocolate chips: Adds sweet chocolaty flavor to the muffins.

How To Make Them

The best part about these muffins? They're incredibly easy to make and only require 40 minutes from start to finish.

Prepare for baking. Preheat the oven to 350°F and line a muffin tin with muffin liners. Or you can grease the inside of the muffin cups with cooking oil or coconut oil.
Mix the wet ingredients. In a large bowl, mash the bananas together with coconut sugar, nut butter, egg, and vanilla extract until ingredients are fully combined.
Mix the dry ingredients. In a separate bowl, add in almond flour, protein powder, baking powder, cinnamon, and salt and whisk together until fully combined.
Form the banana muffin batter. Fold the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients until just combined, then gently fold in the walnuts and chocolate chips until evenly distributed.
Bake. Scoop the prepared muffin batter into the prepared muffin tins until each is ¾ths full. Sprinkle with additional chocolate chips or walnuts if desired. Bake for 20-25 minutes or until an inserted toothpick comes out clean. Let cool for 5-10 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to finish cooling.

Top Tips

Make sure your bananas are ripe enough before using them in this recipe. An overripe banana has mostly brown skin and is soft to the touch. Overripe bananas are very sweet and break down easily, giving the muffins a natural sweetness and smooth texture.
Do not overfill the muffin liners as the batter will rise and could spill over. Fill them ¾ of the way full. This can be made easier by using an ice cream scoop.
Let the muffins cool completely before serving as it gives the muffin time to set at room temperature which makes it stay together better.
It’s best to use muffin liners in this recipe to make sure the muffins do not stick to the pan. If you don’t have muffin liners, grease the muffin tin very well and dust with flour before adding the batter.

Storing Leftovers

To store Banana Chocolate Chip Walnut Muffins, put them in a plastic bag or airtight container, seal and store them at room temperature for 3-4 days to keep them moist. You can also store them in the fridge, where they'll last 5-6 days.

Can I Freeze It?

If you want to freeze them, wrap each muffin in plastic wrap. Then place them in freezer-safe zip-top bags and freeze for up to 3 months. Thaw at room temperature on the countertop or fridge before serving.

Make It In Advance

If you’re making these muffins ahead of time; bake, cool, and store them in an airtight container 1-2 days ahead of time to keep the maximum freshness.

Muffins on a cooling rack with a glass of milk

Variations

If you don’t want to use protein powder, substitute with an additional ¼ cup of almond flour.
Turn these muffins into banana bread by pouring into a greased loaf pan and baking for 45-60 minutes or until cooked through.
Dried fruit makes a great addition to these muffins. Try folding in some raisins, dried cranberries, golden berries, or currants.
Make them even more chocolatey by adding a few tablespoons of unsweetened cocoa powder to the muffin batter.
Fold in dried coconut for texture and flavor.
For paleo banana walnut muffins, use dairy-free chocolate chips and avoid peanut butter.
To make these dairy-free, read the ingredients in the protein powder (if you're using it) and chocolate chips to avoid any dairy products.

FAQ

Can I use coconut flour instead of almond flour?

Unfortunately, no. Almond flour and coconut flour are two different textures and bake two different ways. Almond flour is best for this recipe.

How do I keep my banana muffins from becoming too dense?

If your muffins are too dense, it may be because the batter was overmixed. For best results mix everything until just fully combined.

Are walnut chocolate chip banana muffins healthy?

This depends on your definition of health. They can be a very healthy addition to gluten or dairy-free diet, especially when made from scratch as they have much less sugar.

Do I need to add protein powder or collagen to these muffins?

This ingredient is entirely optional! You can replace the protein powder with ¼ cup of plain almond flour instead.

Looking For More?

Baking is always comforting and exactly what I need after a long day. If you're like me and need a little TLC this weekend, try these recipes:

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