These chocolate chip espresso banana muffins are moist and fluffy like chocolate chip banana bread in muffin form! They are packed with rich banana flavor and pools of melty chocolate, making them a delicious grab-and-go breakfast treat.
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Why You'll Love This Recipe
- Perfect for banana and coffee lovers. Banana and coffee is a truly delicious and underrated flavor combination. There's a cafe in Chicago that serves a banana milk mocha, which was the inspiration for this recipe.
- There's melty chocolate in every bite. I loaded the batter up with dark chocolate chips so there's pools of chocolate in every pocket of these muffins.
- They're super tall and bakery-style! Using plenty of baking powder and resting the batter before baking makes these banana muffins spring tall and beautifully domed in the oven!
- You don't need any special equipment. That's right, you don't even need an espresso machine since these are made with instant espresso powder.
Looking for more easy muffin recipes? Try these mini banana muffins, banana chocolate chunk muffins, or blueberry chocolate chip muffins!
Ingredient Notes
- The key ingredient here is extra ripe bananas. Soft bananas that are totally brown or have brown speckles have the sweetest banana flavor.
- The unsalted butter is browned for extra nutty flavor. Then, the espresso powder is dissolved in the hot butter. Make sure it's hot so the coffee fully dissolves! You can substitute instant coffee or 2 shots of espresso.
- Oil makes the muffins even more moist. I like olive oil to complement the bitter espresso, but canola and vegetable oil also work well.
- I like to use a mix of granulated sugar and light brown sugar for sweetness and a subtle molasses flavor that complements the bananas well.
- Buttermilk adds moisture, richness, and a slight tang, which helps create a tender crumb. Making your banana muffins with sour cream or greek yogurt works too.
- All purpose flour gives the muffins their structure, while baking powder creates air bubbles in the batter, making the muffins rise sky high.
- I used chopped dark chocolate for gooey chocolate pockets throughout the muffins, but dark or semi-sweet chocolate chips (and even mini chocolate chips) work too.
For the full ingredient list and measurements, see the recipe card below!
Expert Baking Tips
- Measure your flour correctly. I always recommend weighing your ingredients in grams with a kitchen scale for the best results, especially the flour. If using measuring cups, fluff up the flour before spooning it into your cup, then swipe off the excess with a knife.
- Rest the batter. Baking powder activates in liquid, so by letting the muffin batter rest at room temperature for about 30 minutes, it is able to get a head start. The batter starts to rise a little in the bowl before rising again to its full height in the oven. You'll be able to see how fluffy the batter gets when you scoop it!
- Line every other muffin cup. Having a space between each muffin lets the hot air reach evenly around the muffins, causing the muffin tops to spring higher and more evenly as they bake.
Step by Step Instructions
Step 1: To brown the butter, melt it in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Once it melts, keep cooking for 3-4 minutes, stirring occasionally until the milk solids in the butter turn golden brown and the butter has a nutty aroma.
Step 2: Immediately pour the butter into a heatproof bowl, including all the brown bits, and whisk in the espresso powder. Let the mixture cool for 5 minutes.
Step 3: While the butter cools, mash the bananas in a large bowl with a fork, then whisk in the butter mixture and oil.
Step 4: Stir in the sugars until well combined, followed by the eggs and vanilla extract. Then stream in the buttermilk.
Step 5: Fold the flour, baking powder, and salt into the wet ingredients until just a few dry pockets remain. Then fold in the chocolate until just combined so you don't deflate the batter!
Step 6: Let the batter rest on the counter while you preheat the oven to 425ยฐF. Then line a muffin tin with 6 cups, leaving every other one empty. Use a cookie scoop to fill each paper liner to the top and sprinkle more chocolate on top.
Step 7: Bake the muffins for 5 minutes in the center of the oven at 425ยฐF so they rise quickly, then reduce the heat to 350ยฐF, baking for 15-18 minutes so they don't burn. They're done when a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
Step 8: Let the muffins cool in the muffin pan for 5 minutes, then transfer them to a wire rack and cool to room temperature.
Storage
Store the espresso banana muffins in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days.
Muffin tops can get soggy, so make sure they're completely cool before storing. You can also place a paper towel in the container with them to soak up any extra moisture.
Frequently Asked Questions
Yes, just make sure to thaw them completely and drain off the extra liquid before mashing and adding them to the batter.
If your bananas aren't ready just yet, you can ripen them quickly in the oven! Place them on a lined sheet pan and bake unpeeled at 300ยฐF for 20-30 minutes or until the skins turn black. Let cool completely, then squeeze out the fruit!
Unfortunately no. Regular milk doesn't have the same acidity as buttermilk, which we really need to make the muffins rise and give them an ultra tender texture.
More Muffin Recipes to Try
๐ Recipe
Chocolate Chip Espresso Banana Muffins
Equipment
- 1 12-cup muffin tin with paper liners
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Ingredients
- 85 grams unsalted butter
- 2 tablespoons espresso powder
- 300 grams overripe bananas about 3 whole bananas
- 57 grams olive oil
- 200 grams granulated sugar
- 50 grams brown sugar
- 2 large eggs room temperature
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 120 grams buttermilk room temperature
- 300 grams all purpose flour
- 3 teaspoon baking powder
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 200 grams chopped dark chocolate or chocolate chips
Instructions
- Add the butter to a medium saucepan and melt it over medium heat. Once melted, continue cooking, stirring or swirling the pan frequently. The butter will foam, then the foam will subside as the milk solids sink to the bottom.
- After about 3-5 minutes, the milk solids will turn golden brown and the butter will smell nutty and toasted. Watch closely during this stage, as browned butter can burn quickly.85 grams unsalted butter
- Immediately pour the browned butter into a heatproof bowl, making sure to scrape in all the brown bits from the bottom of the pan. Whisk in the espresso powder while the butter is hot so it dissolves completely. Let the mixture cool for about 5 minutes, until warm but no longer hot.2 tablespoons espresso powder
- While the butter cools, mash the bananas in a large bowl with a fork until mostly smooth. Whisk in the browned butter mixture and olive oil until fully combined.57 grams olive oil, 300 grams overripe bananas
- Stir in the granulated sugar and brown sugar until well combined, then whisk in the eggs and vanilla extract. Slowly stream in the buttermilk, whisking until well combined.200 grams granulated sugar, 50 grams brown sugar, 2 large eggs, 1 teaspoon vanilla extract, 120 grams buttermilk
- Gently fold in the flour, baking powder, and salt just until a few dry streaks remain. Fold in the chocolate until just combined, being careful not to overmix.300 grams all purpose flour, 3 teaspoon baking powder, 1 teaspoon salt, 200 grams chopped dark chocolate
- Let the batter rest at room temperature while you preheat the oven to 425ยฐF. Line a muffin tin with 6 paper liners, leaving every other cup empty to help the muffins bake evenly. Fill each liner all the way to the top using a cookie scoop, then sprinkle extra chocolate on top.
- Bake the muffins on the center rack at 425ยฐF for 5 minutes to help them rise quickly. Reduce the temperature to 350ยฐF and continue baking for 15-18 minutes, until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean or with just a few moist crumbs.
- Let the muffins cool in the pan for 5 minutes, then transfer them to a wire rack to cool completely.
Notes
- Storage: Place the cool muffins in an airtight container. Store them at room temperature for up to 3 days. For longer storage, refrigerate them in a sealed container up to 1 week.
- Freezing: Freeze the muffins on a lined baking sheet for 2 hours or until frozen solid, then transfer them to an airtight container or freezer bag. They can be frozen for up to 3 months. Thaw at room temperature or in the microwave before eating.
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