banana chocolate chip muffins

winter, tax-season and grant-application-season have all overlapped and lately i've spent much more time at my computer than in the studio. muffins are not only a perfect desk-snack while i go through my receipts, they are also a perfect procrastination task! they're actually quite quick to make and they use up (some of) the brown bananas i've stashed in my freezer through the year.

this is my mom's recipe that we've been making for years. they are best when they're just out of the oven and the tops are still crisp and the chocolate is melty. pair them with a cup of coffee, some cheddar cheese and a few fresh raspberries on the side for a real chef's-kiss combo. they also freeze well for future snacking.

ingredients:

• three bananas mashed - the browner the better*
• 1/3 cup vegetable oil
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 1 tsp salt
• 1 egg
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 1 1/2 cups all purpose flour
• 1/2 tsp baking soda
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 1/2 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
• 1/2 cup chopped walnuts (optional)

recipe:

1. preheat oven to 350 degrees and grease muffin tin or line with paper muffin cups
2. in a large mixing bowl, mash peeled bananas with a fork. If they are soft enough you can mash them with your electric beaters.
3. add oil, sugar, salt, egg and vanilla and beat until combined
4. using a fine mesh sieve, sift in flour, baking soda and baking powder
5. add chocolate chips and/or walnuts and using as few strokes as possible fold the wet and dry ingredients together until there are no more dry spots
6. scoop batter into muffin tins. optional: you can add some extra chocolate chips or walnuts to the top of the muffins before you bake them
7. bake for 15-10 minutes until tops are golden and a toothpick comes out clean.
8. transfer to a cooling rack to cool

this recipe makes about twelve muffins, depending how generously you fill the tins. the batter can also be baked in a loaf tin, but the baking time will be closer to 50 minutes. the muffins will last about five days in an airtight container on the counter or for several weeks in the freezer

note about bananas:

banana muffins or banana bread is a perfect way to use up brown bananas. the browner they are, the sweeter they will be in the baking. most recipes ask for three bananas so i peel the brown ones and freeze them in sets of three in ziplocks or tupperwares. when i'm ready to make muffins i just take out a set of three pre-peeled bananas and let them defrost. they will be sort of gross and brown and swimming in their juices when they melt, but don't be deterred. just mix in the whole mess and they will be delicious!