These double chocolate banana muffins taste like a treat, but they’re made with coconut oil, whole wheat flour, honey, and naturally sweet mashed bananas. Enjoy all of the rich chocolate flavor and moist texture of chocolate cake, but in a slightly healthier whole wheat muffin.
For an extra special treat, you can even try them with a peanut butter swirl! See below.
Let’s go ahead and call these a healthier version of regular double chocolate muffins. Today’s recipe was originally published in 2016, and it remains on regular rotation. I’m bringing it back from the archives with new photos and clearer instructions… because no one should miss out on these!
Here’s Why You’ll Love These Double Chocolate Banana Muffins
- Made from basic ingredients
- Super moist with rich chocolate flavor
- Quick and easy, just like regular banana muffins & pumpkin muffins
- A more wholesome version of these double chocolate muffins
- Uses whole wheat flour for a nutritional boost
- A delicious way to use up your spotty bananas
- Dairy free if using dairy-free chocolate chips
Ingredients You Need & Why:
- Bananas: Bananas naturally sweeten the muffins. Make sure you’re using super brown speckled bananas—the riper, the better. The chocolate flavor overpowers the banana, so you can expect a chocolate-forward taste with hints of sweet banana in the background.
- Honey: Honey finishes up the sweetening job. Feel free to swap maple syrup or agave in its place.
- Egg: An egg helps to bind the ingredients together.
- Coconut oil: You can always rely on oil to keep your baked goods moist, especially when they’re made with drying ingredients like whole wheat flour and cocoa powder.
- Vanilla extract, salt, baking powder, & baking soda: Flavor and rising essentials.
- Whole wheat flour: I like to use whole wheat flour when I can, particularly when I make healthier versions of my favorite treats, like this whole wheat banana bread.
- Cocoa powder: Cocoa powder takes the place of some of the flour in the recipe.
- Chocolate chips: Chocolate chips add some texture throughout. Plus, more chocolate!
Here’s how:
Melt 1/4 cup (about 62g) of creamy peanut butter (or use runny natural peanut butter) and spoon 1 teaspoon of it onto each muffin before baking. Using a knife or a toothpick, gently swirl it around into the batter. Top with a few peanut butter chips (optional).
These are a really fun treat! Kids and adults go nuts for that peanut butter swirl and no one ever realizes they’re whole wheat.
And if you can’t get enough of this flavor combination, try my peanut butter banana muffins next—with or without chocolate chips! Or if you’re heading into the fall season, these chocolate pumpkin muffins are always a favorite.
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 425°F (218°C). Spray a 12-count muffin pan with nonstick spray or line with cupcake liners. Set aside.
- In a medium bowl, mash the bananas up using a fork.* Try to mash up any large lumps. Once mashed, whisk in the honey, egg, coconut oil, and vanilla extract until combined. Set aside.
- In a large bowl, whisk the flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, baking soda, and salt together. Pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients and whisk until everything is combined. Fold in the chocolate chips, reserving some for the tops of the warm muffins.
- Spoon the batter evenly into each cup or liner, filling each all the way to the top.
- Bake for 5 minutes at 425°F (218°C); then, keeping the muffins in the oven, reduce heat to 350°F (177°C) and continue baking for another 15–17 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. The total time these muffins take in the oven is about 20–21 minutes, give or take. (For mini muffins, bake 11–13 minutes at 350°F (177°C) the whole time.)
- Press any remaining chocolate chips into the tops of the warm muffins. Allow the muffins to cool for 5 minutes in the muffin pan, and then transfer to a wire rack to continue cooling, or enjoy warm.
- Muffins stay fresh covered at room temperature for a few days, then transfer to the refrigerator for up to 1 week.