Chocolate chip and banana muffins

I go through banana phases. Some days I find myself really craving them and then others, I am positively off the idea of them. My one bananary (is that a word?) achilles heel is a nice banana loaf with a cup of tea.

My Mum used to make a killer banana loaf and I've discovered a fab recipe for a banana cake with cream cheese frosting but it's a time intensive recipe so I don't make it often and only for special occasions.

I've recently found that my youngest has developed my on/off relationship with bananas, and whilst he'll scream the shops down till I buy some he'll then completely ignore their presence in the fruit bowl...

I haven't as yet come across a go to muffin recipe but these are sooooo good that I'll definitely stop looking for a new banana muffin recipe! Super quick to make and you could *almost* fool yourself that they're healthy if you overlook the sugar content. And chocolate chips. And butter.

Ok, maybe not so healthy but delicious all the same. And life is all about moderation...right?

Banana and chocolate chip muffins (makes about 9 muffins)

• 115g unsalted butter at room temp
• 65g caster sugar
• 65g light brown sugar
• 225g mashed overipe banana (I used 3 small bananas)
• 1egg
• 1tsp vanilla
• Pinch of cinnamon (optional)
• 75ml room temp milk (I used full fat)
• 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon bicarbonate of soda
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 240g Plain flour
• 120g chocolate chips

Method

1. Preheat the oven to 180c/350f. Grease a 12 hole muffin tray or line with muffin cases (I used cases for an easy clean up)
2. In a large mixing bowl, beat together the butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in the mashed banana, then add the egg, vanilla, and milk and mix until incorporated.
3. Add the baking powder, bicarb soda, cinnamon, salt, and flour stirring until all ingredients are incorporated. If there is lumps then don't worry, overbeating will result in a dense muffin and these lumps are normal!
4. Stir in the chocolate chips.
5. Using an ice cream scoop, scoop a mound into each muffin well (approx 2tbs of batter) sprinkle coarse sugar onto muffins if desired and let rest for 30mins before baking as this results in a taller muffin (I only learnt this trick after making this batch so these were a little bit teeny tiny!
6. Bake the muffins for 20 to 23 minutes, until a cake tester inserted into the center of one of the middle muffins in the pan comes out clean.
7. Remove the muffins from the oven, leave to cool on a cooling rack and eat immediately. I drizzled mine with a little leftover dark chocolate for extra yumminess.
8. Can be store in a container for up to 3 days. Microwave for a few secs before eating again to make the chocolate nice and gooey :)