Banana Espresso Chocolate Chip Muffins

1 ½ C (337 g) 3 very ripe bananas, mashed
½ C (3 ½ oz/99 g) granulated sugar
¼ C (1 ¾ oz/48 g) light brown sugar
½ C (1 stick) unsalted butter, melted
¼ C (59 ml) whole milk, room temperature
1 large egg, room temperature
1 ½ C (7 ½ oz/213 g) all-purpose flour
1 t (1 g) instant espresso powder
1 ½ t (6 g) baking soda
1 t (6 g) salt
1 cup (6 oz/170 g) semisweet chocolate chips

Adjust oven rack to middle position and heat to 350° F (177° C). Spray a 12-cup muffin pan with nonstick cooking spray. Set aside.

In medium bowl, stir together bananas, sugars, butter, milk, and egg.

In second medium bowl, whisk together flour, espresso powder, baking soda, and salt. Make well in middle of dry ingredients and pour wet ingredients into well. Stir until just combined. Fold in chocolate chips. Fill each cup about three-quarters full.

Bake for 20 to 25 minutes or until toothpick inserted in center of muffin comes out clean. Rotate pan one half turn midway through baking.

Move muffin pan to wire rack and cool for 15 minutes. After 15 minutes, remove muffins from pan and let finish cooling on wire rack. Muffins can be stored in an airtight container for up to 2 days.

Makes: 12 muffins

23 Apr 18 – Followed recipe as written with no substitutions or changes. Only used 2 ¾ bananas, based on weight for 1 ½ cups, instead of 4 recommended in recipe. Four would have been overkill but we’ll see how muffins taste once made. My bananas were ripe but not overly so. I almost forgot to add egg to the weight ingredients because it was sitting over by the sink where I had cracked it. I only noticed it after I had mixed the wet and dry ingredients together. I added the egg to the batter and incorporated it with a spatula. Not sure if adding after mixing will have a detrimental effect. We’ll see. Batter filled muffin cups approximately ¾ or slightly more full. I added 3 ea chips to the top of each muffin before baking. Baked in island oven for 21 ½ minutes. Muffins checked done at 20 minutes but I decided to give them a little more time. Muffins crowned nicely and had turned a nice, but not overly light brown on top. I removed them after cooling approximately 5 to 10 minutes in pan to a wire rack to finish cooling. Muffins came out of pan easily. None stuck. I did notice the bottoms were done but very moist. The flavor, both chocolate and banana was excellent. The crumb firm but very moist. Excellent muffins.