Whole Wheat Chocolate Chocolate Chip Banana Muffins

As if banana bread needed to be improved upon, I have a new recipe.

Actually, its my standard banana bread recipe, written on an old blue note card in scratchy script. I've actually got it memorized, but I always pull out the card anyway. Very rarely do I change up the ingredients, aside from a handful (or two) of chocolate chips, when the whimsy calls.

However, I've managed to give birth to a girl that somehow did not get the loves-banana-bread gene. Which is really odd, since it's a dominant trait in the line of my people...there isn't a sweet bread alive in which we'd turn up our noses. So, you can imagine how I've tried to turn that sweet girl over to our bread lovin' generation. But, for thirteen years she has politely declined.

Until now...

A couple weeks ago I decided to change up the standard recipe by decreasing the flour by 1/4 cup and replacing it with cocoa powder, and throwing in several handfuls of chocolate chips. Never underestimate the power of chocolate. 

I am proud to tell you that she not only likes this bread, but eats it readily. This isn't just one those things she'll eat when there is "nothing good to eat in the house." Oh, and making them into muffins is helpful too. It doesn't matter how old you are, its hard to resist a muffin; and the baking time is cut in half compared to a loaf.

Here's the recipe:

Whole Wheat Chocolate Chocolate-Chip Banana Muffins

1/2 cup butter
1 cup sugar
2 eggs
2-3 ripe bananas*
1tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp vanilla
1 3/4 cups whole wheat flour**
1/4 cup cocoa
1 1/2 cups chocolate chips (use more or less to your liking)


Preheat oven to 350 and place cupcake holders in tin. Cream butter and sugar together. Add salt, soda, vanilla, banana and eggs. Mix well. Add cocoa and flour, mix until fluffy. Stir in chips. Scoop batter evenly into prepared tin.

Bake in oven for 30-35 minutes, until toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean.

*You can pre-smash the bananas, but I don't... I just throw them in!
** Don't let the idea of whole wheat throw you off. I use this whole wheat white flour, which is white wheat, instead of red... giving you all the benefits of whole wheat with lighter flavor and texture. You really cannot tell the difference in this recipe.


Enjoy!