Bananas are healthy, nuts are healthy, but more often than not, banana nut muffins are unfortunately full of sugar. Of course, they are delicious, but there is a time and place for everything and when bananas are so naturally sweet, there really is no need to add a bunch of processed sugar to make your muffins delicious…
In addition to the natural sweetness that overly ripe bananas develop, these muffins are also “sweetened” with honey or maple syrup, some apple sauce and lots of dark chocolate making them perfectly sweet and beautifully moist. If you are looking for a great banana nut muffin recipe to use as a quick, filling breakfast or smart dessert then you should definitely bake yourself up a batch of these banana hut muffins.
Let’s get started…
Begin by peeling 2 large overly ripe bananas and placing them in a large bowl. Use a stiff fork to mash the bananas smooth and then add a large egg, 2/3 cup of apple sauce, 1/3 cup of honey or maple syrup, 3 tablespoons of a neutral oil and a teaspoon of vanilla extract in with them.
Mix until everything is fully combined and then add 1 1/3 cups of all purpose flour, 1 teaspoon of baking powder, 1/2 teaspoon of baking soda, 1/2 teaspoons cinnamon, 1/4 teaspoon of salt and 1/2 cup of roughly chopped walnuts.
Mix until the batter is just combined and the walnuts are evenly distributed and then fold in 2/3 cup of dark chocolate chunks…
Add cupcake liners into a standard sized cupcake tin and divide the batter between the 12 cavities, which should make each one just below full.
Bake the muffins in a 375 degree oven for about 20 minutes or until a toothpick will come out of the center of a muffin clean.
In order to keep these muffins moist and fluffy, avoid over baking them. Pull them out as soon as they feel lightly set in the middle and transfer them onto a cooling rack.
These muffins have a light, fluffy, moist texture with little hints of banana, crunchy walnuts and plenty of dark chocolate chunks. These muffins are flavorful and are a great balance between breakfast and healthy dessert. Chocolate can be a breakfast food, right?
Now that we are on the subject, let’s talk about the dark chocolate for a little bit…
While these banana nut muffins are healthy and free of processed sugar, the addition of dark chocolate makes you completely forget about how healthy these muffins really are. They taste decadent, rich and oh so satisfying.
If you are into healthy muffins full of dark chocolate with no added sugar and loads of wonderful texture then these muffins are for you!
Healthy Banana Nut Dark Chocolate Muffins
Ingredients
- 2 large very ripe bananas (about 1 1/2 cups mashed)
- 1 large egg
- 2/3 cup of apple sauce
- 1/3 cup of honey or maple syrup
- 3 tablespoons of a neutral oil
- 1 teaspoon of vanilla extract
- 1 teaspoon of baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon of baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon of ground cinnamon
- 1/4 teaspoon of salt
- 1 1/3 cups of all purpose flour
- 1/2 cup of walnuts, roughly chopped
- 2/3 cup of dark chocolate chunks
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 375 degrees
- In a large bowl, mash 2 large very ripe bananas until smooth
- Add 1 large egg, 2/3 cup of apple sauce, 1/3 cup of honey or maple syrup, 3 tablespoons of a neutral oil and a teaspoon of vanilla extract and mix until fully combined
- Add 1 1/3 cups of all purpose flour, 1 teaspoon of baking powder, 1/2 teaspoon of baking soda, 1/2 teaspoons cinnamon, 1/4 teaspoon of salt and 1/2 cup of roughly chopped walnuts and mix until just combined
- Fold in 2/3 cup of dark chocolate chunks until evenly distributed
- Line a standard sized muffin tin and divide the batter between the cavities filling them close to full
- Bake the muffins in a 375 degree oven for about 20 minutes or until a toothpick come out of the center of a muffin clean
- Transfer the muffins onto a cooling rack to cool
- Store leftovers at room temperature in an airtight container
