It’s interesting times we are living in. The majority of the country and parts of the world are self-isolating due to the coronavirus pandemic. So it’s a great time to stay at home and bake some yummy goodies. Like these chocolate chip banana bread muffins! They are fluffy and delicious with just the right amount of sweetness. It’s a perfect, comforting antidote to all the anxiety that has been circulating. This recipe is also refined-sugar free, using coconut sugar and made using whole wheat flour. So less guilt all around!
Banana Bread Muffins
Banana bread is an awesome baked good to make when you have ripe bananas lying around that are about to go bad. I like making them in muffin form as they cook evenly and quickly in only 20 minutes. They also get nice and fluffy and are the perfect serving size. Makes sure that you only use bananas that are extremely ripe. It should be dark and spotty all around.
Substitutions
For this recipe, I recommend sticking with whole wheat flour. It gives the banana bread a nice earthy texture. However, you may make a few subsitutions.
- Vegan Butter: I used Earth Balance vegan butter in this recipe, but you may use melted coconut oil or any mild oil of choice.
- Coconut Sugar: Coconut sugar is a natural sugar derived from the coconut palm sap. It is a lower-glycemic sugar option. However, you may substitute for cane sugar or swetener of choice.
- Plant Milk: This is really optional. You may sub any plant milk of choice or just use water to thin out the dough.
- Toppings: I used chopped walnuts and Trader Joes dark chocolate chips, which are vegan. You may add in your favorite toppings.
How to make flax egg
Flax egg is an easy vegan binding alternative.
1 flax egg = 1 tbsp ground flax + 2.5 tbsp water.
Simply combine the ingredients and allow them to sit for at least 10 minutes until gummy.
Vegan Chocolate Chip Banana Bread Muffins
Ingredients
Dry Ingredients
- 1½ cup whole wheat flour
- ¾ tsp baking powder
- ¾ tsp baking soda
- ½ cup coconut sugar or sweetner of choice
- 1 tsp cinnamon powder
- 1 tsp ground allspice powder
- 1 pinch salt
Wet Ingredients
- 1 flax egg (1 tbsp ground flax with 2.5 tbsp water)
- 2 very ripe bananas smashed
- ¼ cup plant based milk as needed
- ⅓ cup coconut oil or vegan butter melted
- 1 tbsp maple syrup for extra sweetness
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
Optional Toppings
- ¼ cup dark chocolate chips
- ¼ cup chopped walnuts
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F and lightly grease a 12-slot muffin pan
- In a small bowl, prepare the flax egg by combining 1 tbsp ground flax with 2.5 tbsp water. Allow it to sit for 10 minutes.
- In a bowl, combine dry ingredients: flour, baking soda and powder, allspice and cinnamon, coconut sugar and a pinch of salt.
- Separately, prepare the wet ingredients: 2 bananas mashed with a fork, oil or vegan butter, vanilla extract and flax egg.
- Mix the wet ingredients together with the dry ingredients until well combined. The batter will be pretty thick. Add 1/4 cup of plant milk or water as necessary. Add 1-2 tbsp more plant milk if necessary but it's ok if the batter is a little thick, that's how it's supposed to be.
- Evenly distribute the batter in the muffin tray. You may optionally add a few chocolate chips on top.
- Fold in the chocolate chips and optional nuts.
- Bake in the oven for 20 minutes. Using the toothpick test, check to see if the toothpick or fork comes out clean. If not, bake for an additional few minutes.
- Allow to cool for 5-10 minutes before carefully removing.
Notes
- Bake times can vary from 18-22 minutes depending on how much liquid was added. 20 minutes worked well for me.
- Muffins stay well for up to 3 days on the countertop in an airtight container.
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