chocolate chip banana muffins

Chocolate makes everything better!  A statement that I always believe to be true.  When my sister and I were little, our mom would put chocolate chips in healthy foods to get us to eat them.  It worked!  And I'm sure it will work for other picky kids, and some picky adults too!  I still put chocolate chips in many different recipes.

My mom has been making these chocolate chip banana muffins for as long as I can remember.  We are not sure where the original recipe came from; what I am going to post is mom's adaptation to some unknown original recipe.  

Ingredients: 

1 egg

3/4 cup packed brown sugar

1 1/3 cups mashed bananas.  use a fork to mash the bananas.

1/2 cup chocolate chips.  You can also substitute chopped nuts or raisins, but who would want to do that?

1/3 cup veggie oil

1 teaspoon vanilla 

3/4 cup white flour

3/4 cup whole wheat flour

1/2 cup wheat bran 

2 teaspoons baking powder

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1 teaspoon cinnamon 

1/4 teaspoon salt

Start Cooking: 

1.  Pre heat oven to 375 degrees.  Grease 12 regular size muffin tins

2.  In a medium bowl mix together egg and sugar.  Then add bananas, oil, and vanilla.  Mix well.

wet ingredients

3.  In a large bowl, mix remaining ingredients(dry ingredients).  

dry ingredients

4.  Pour banana mixture into the dry ingredients and gently fold.  DO NOT over mix!!!  If you over mix, your muffins will be tough, dry, and chewy(eew!).  

wet and dry mixed together

5.  Spoon the batter into the greased muffin tins.  Bake for 15-20 minutes.  Mine normally take about 18 minutes.  Muffins will be golden brown when done.

6.  Let cool for a few minutes in the muffin tin, then turn out onto a cooling rack to finish cooling.  

finished muffins!

Tips and Hints:

1.  DO NOT over mix the batter!!! I know I said it before, but this is the key to good muffins!  

2.  Can't eat them all before they go bad?  These muffins freeze really well.  Cool completely, then freeze.  Thaw out when you are ready to enjoy! 

Enjoy!