About This Mini Banana Chocolate Chip Muffin Recipe
These mini banana chocolate chip muffins are everything you want for breakfast: moist and flavorful like banana bread, generously studded with chocolate, and absolutely adorable! They are extra moist thanks to ingredients like sour cream and brown sugar.
And if you’re looking for a regular-sized banana chocolate chip muffin recipe, I got your back. This recipe for Small Batch Banana Chocolate Chip Muffins makes the exact same muffins, just in a regular-sized muffin pan! Be sure to check out Hummingbird High’s archive of muffin recipes for more breakfast pastry ideas.
Ingredients and Substitutions
Now that I’ve convinced you to make these mini banana chocolate chip muffins, here’s your shopping list:
Mini Banana Chocolate Chip Muffins Recipe Shopping List
- bananas
- sour cream
- pure vanilla extract
- all-purpose flour
- baking soda
- baking powder
- kosher salt
- unsalted butter
- light or dark brown sugar
- large eggs
- mini chocolate chips
And let’s talk about some of the key ingredients in the recipe:
Bananas
This recipe works best if you use incredibly ripe, spotted, and almost black bananas. The spottier they are, the sweeter and more flavorful your mini banana chocolate chip muffins will be.
Although there are many hacks available online to get your bananas to ripen faster, I like the old-fashioned way. Place the bananas in a paper bag, seal it, and place in a warm spot, untouched for a few days. The warmth will encourage the release of ethylene gas (the gas that causes fruit to ripen). The gas then collects in the paper bag to ripen the bananas faster.
You’ll need to mash the bananas for the recipe. The video below shows my favorite trick for mashing bananas quickly and easily:
@hummingbirdhigh what to do when #recipes need mashed bananas #baking #cookingtips #bananabreadrecipes ♬ original sound – hummingbirdhigh
Sour Cream
I always like to pair my banana baked goods with sour cream. I find that it makes them extra moist and flavorful. And it also gives them a subtle tangy flavor that pairs wonderfully with the bananas! If you don’t have sour cream, substitute with the same amount of creme fraîche or full fat unsweetened yogurt (Greek or regular will work in this recipe).
Brown Sugar
Most baking recipes primarily use light brown sugar in their recipe. However, I like the extra moisture and flavor that dark brown sugar gives in this recipe. But in a pinch, you can use either light or dark brown sugar.
Light Versus Dark Brown Sugar
Brown sugar is granulated white sugar with a touch of molasses to give it its signature color and flavor. Because brown sugar contains molasses, it adds more moisture to baked goods than granulated sugar otherwise would. Brown sugar is available in two varieties: light or dark. Dark brown sugar is my personal preference. Because it contains more molasses, I find it to be more flavorful.
Mini Chocolate Chips
When making mini muffins, it’s only appropriate that you use mini chocolate chips too, right?! I love mini chocolate chips because I feel like they disperse better throughout batters and give you more chocolate distribution per bite.
That being said, regular chocolate chips work just fine in this recipe too. And if you don’t have chocolate chips to spare, chop up your favorite chocolate bar into ¼- to ½-inch pieces and use that instead! I recommend using chocolate that is at least 60% cacao to really contrast with the banana flavor.
How to Make Mini Banana Chocolate Chip Muffins
Here are the basic steps needed to make mini banana chocolate chip muffins from scratch:
- Prep Your Ingredients (Work Time: <5 Minutes)
Make the wet mix by mashing the bananas and sour cream (or creme fraiche, or yogurt) together, and the dry mix by whisking together the dry ingredients. If using a digital scale, weigh out the bananas and sour cream all in the same bowl, the dry ingredients in another, and the butter and sugar in the bowl a stand mixer. This will help save you dishes! - Make the Muffin Base (Work Time: 5 minutes)
Cream together the butter, eggs, and sugar, then alternate adding the dry mix and the wet mix, followed by the chocolate chips. - Scoop the Dough into the Mini Muffin Tin (Work Time: 10 minutes)
For me, this was the most time-consuming and tricky part of the recipe. That’s because the muffin cavities are pretty small. You’ll need to scoop a generous amount of batter in each one to give them nice domes! A few key tools will make the job go by easier—be sure to check out the baker’s notes for links. After scooping the muffins, sprinkle some mini chocolate chips over each one to give them a nice finish. - Bake at a Higher Temperature (15 minutes per batch)
Most baked goods are usually baked at 350℉, but muffins are typically baked at a higher temperature because of their high fruit content. The juice and sugars from the fruit need to be cooked longer. In this case, the muffins are baked at 375℉, but it’s not uncommon for muffin recipes to baked at even higher temperatures like 400℉. The higher temperature also encourages more doming in the muffins.
Recipe Troubleshooting and FAQ
Everything you wanted to know about making mini banana chocolate chip muffins (or mini muffins in general):
How big is a mini muffin?
Mini muffins are about a quarter of the size of a regular muffin; each muffin cavity is about a n inch wide and an inch deep. While I typically use 6 tablespoons of muffin batter to make one regular-sized muffin, I used 1 ½ tablespoons of muffin batter to make one mini-sized muffin.
Where to buy a mini muffin pan?
The mini muffin pan I used for this recipe is from Williams-Sonoma’s Goldtouch nonstick line, which I love, love, love (I even recommended all their baking pans in my cookbook!). But pro-tip: you can find mini muffin pans for cheaper on Amazon. Whatever you choose, stick with a light-colored pan (like this one). Dark-colored baking pans absorb heat more quickly and as a result, have a tendency to burn baked goods.
Where to buy mini muffin liners?
Mini muffin liners are available in the baking aisle of most grocery stores; in a pinch, you can also buy some online.
How to adjust baking time for mini muffins?
Unfortunately, there is no magic formula or standard rule for adjusting the bake time of regular muffin recipes for mini muffins. It really depends on the recipe you’re making. You want to bake the mini muffins until they are domed and golden brown around the edges; a skewer inserted into the center of a muffin should come out clean. If baking a regular muffin recipe in a mini muffin tin, I would start checking for doneness about 10 minutes before the recipe’s original time.
Best Recipe Tips
A Tip About Measuring The Bananas Needed For The Recipe
- Bananas are listed in the recipe by weight, not volume or size. Why? It’s risky not to include exact measures for banana recipes. Too little banana and your baked good will turn out dry, flavorless, and maybe even soapy tasting (banana’s natural acidity helps neutralize the baking soda in the recipe, so without enough fruit, the muffins will taste like baking soda!). But too much banana and your muffins might take forever to bake or collapse in the center.
For best results, first peel the bananas, then use a digital scale to weigh the naked fruit. For those of you who need volume measurements though, this recipe needs around ⅔ cups mashed bananas, from about 1 large banana or 1 ½ medium ones.
No Mini Muffin Tin? No Problem.
- No mini muffin tin? You can make this recipe in a regular muffin pan; it will make a small batch of around 6 muffins. Line every other cavity with a paper liner and fill the empty cavities halfway up with warm water. Scoop about 6 tablespoons of batter into each lined cavity and bake for 22 minutes.
Tips For Scooping and Portioning The Muffin Batter
- The recipe instructs you to fill your muffin tin with a generous portion of batter (1 ½ tablespoons per cavity). It will seem like a lot and that the muffins will overflow, but the batter is fairly thick and will hold its shape before and during baking—this is the secret to sky-high domes!
- I used this 1 ½ tablespoon measure and a small rubber spatula to measure out each cavity; it was accurate but a little on the time-consuming side. If I had to do it again, I would probably in vest in this 1 ½ tablespoon cookie dough scoop for the job. Whatever tool you decide for the job, be sure to level out your measure properly or you might run of batter to fill each mini muffin cavity!
How To Freeze The Muffins
- Can you freeze banana chocolate chip muffins? Yes, yes you can. They’ll lose their crispy tops but will still taste wonderful. To freeze banana chocolate chip muffins, individually wrap each one in plastic wrap and freeze for up to 3 months. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator and eat slightly chilled or rewarmed in the microwave or oven.
More Muffin Recipes
- Blueberry Cornflake Muffins
- Blueberry Muffins (Small Batch)
- Levain Bakery Blueberry Muffins
- Lemon Poppy Seed Muffins (Small Batch)
- Maple Brown Sugar Donut Muffins
- Maple Pecan Muffins
- Pumpkin Muffins (Small Batch)
More Banana Muffin Recipes
- Banana Cinnamon Muffins
- Banana Nut Muffins (Small Batch)
- Better-For-You Banana Muffins
- Small Batch Banana Chocolate Chip Muffins
Get the Recipe: Mini Banana Chocolate Chip Muffins Recipe
Ingredients
- 5 ounces (or 142 grams) very ripe peeled bananas (⅔ cups mashed bananas, from about 1 large banana)
- 2 Tablespoons sour cream
- ½ teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 1 cup (4.5 ounces or 128 grams) all-purpose flour
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- ¼ teaspoon baking powder
- ¾ teaspoon kosher salt
- 6 Tablespoons (3 ounces or 85 grams) unsalted butter, at room temperature
- ½ cup tightly packed (3.75 ounces or 106 grams) dark OR light brown sugar
- 1 large egg
- 1 cup (6 ounces or 170 grams) mini chocolate chips, plus more for garnish
Instructions
For the Mini Banana Chocolate Chip Muffins
- Prep your oven and pan. Position a rack in the center of the oven and preheat to 400°F. Line a mini muffin pan with paper liners.
- Make the muffins. In a medium bowl, use a fork to mash the bananas, adding the sour cream and vanilla and stirring them into the mixture as you do. The mixture will be thick and chunky, but that's totally okay, I promise!
- In another medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt.
- In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, combine the butter and sugar. Beat on medium until light, fluffy, and doubled in volume, 2 to 3 minutes, using a rubber spatula to scrape down the bottom and sides of the bowl as necessary. Reduce the mixer to low and add the egg, mixing until combined. Scrape down the bottom and sides of the bowl. With the mixer on low, add the dry ingredients in two equal parts, adding the second half only when the first half has been just combined. Add the banana mixture all at once and beat on low until just combined. Add the mini chocolate chips and beat until evenly distributed. Scrape down the bottom and sides of the bowl once more, and beat on low for an additional 30 seconds.
- Carefully scoop a scant 1 ½ tablespoons of batter into each paper liner. Sprinkle the top of each muffin with mini chocolate chips.
- Bake the muffins. Bake for 15 minutes, or until the muffins are domed and golden brown around the edges and a skewer inserted into the center of a muffin comes out with a few crumbs attached. Cool completely in the muffin tin on a wire rack.
- Serve and store. Serve warm or at room temperature. The muffins can be stored under a cake dome (or a large bowl turned upside down) at room temperature for up to 3 days.
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Weeknight Baking:
Recipes to Fit your Schedule
Over the past several years of running Hummingbird High, I kept a crucial aspect of my life hidden from my readers: I had a full-time, extremely demanding job in the tech world. In my debut cookbook, Weeknight Baking, I finally reveal the secrets to baking delicious desserts on a tight schedule.
I followed the recipe but my muffins came out flat and sunk in. I’m not sure what I did wrong. I’d love some feedback.
Oh no! I’m so sorry. This is hard for me to troubleshoot without being in the kitchen there with you, but I can try by asking you a ton of questions. First of all, did you make any changes to the recipe I should know about?
I just made these for a Labor Day cookout/potluck. They were easy and turned out well. My pastor reminded me to use fresh baking soda and powder so they wouldn’t sink in the middle. appreciated that the recipe specified Kosher salt. They weren’t too sweet which is my preference. I greased the tin and did not use paper liners and they all popped out easily and were easier to serve/eat that way.
Often we are in a hurry and pop them in the oven right after the tin is filled. BUT if you wait an hour or two, with the filled muffin tin in the fridge, and then bake them…they will rise for you.
It seems that because we only barely mix muffins, more time for the ingredients to get to know each other helps. Works similarly to pancake batters.
Hi! In the spirit of quarantine questions – say I’m running out of butter, could I use oil in this recipe instead? Or maybe do like half butter half oil? Not sure if you’ve tested it but was just curious. Thanks in advance! These muffins look adorable and super tasty and I’m dying to try.
Have not tested this, so I don’t have an official answer. In general I don’t recommend though unless you’re REALLY, truly desperate because you’re gonna lose a LOT of flavor and lightness in the crumb. This is a good summary from Nigella Lawson: https://www.nigella.com/ask/oil-instead-of-butter-for-baking
Looking amazing…
WOW! These are so good. I am in the middle of a move and realized after getting started on this that I had already packed up my stand mixer. Ended up using a mini food processor to cream the butter and sugar and beat in the egg (did a bit by hand after all that too). Did the rest by hand. I also used regular sized muffins and just kept an eye for the timing. I thought I was in trouble due to my lack of preparation but these turned out perfectly!
They’re extremely tasty. Sooo moist and fluffy with the perfect amount of saltiness. I usually make whole wheat banana muffins with a dump and stir approach so these are quite the treat. Amazing flavor. And I very much appreciate the weight, particularly for the bananas!
Thank you!
Banana Muffins are the treat you make when you have the ingredients in the house and you want something easy, one bowl and fast. This recipe was none of those things. It took all the bowls in the house, it wasn’t sweet enough, and they sunk in the middle, all that after following your overly described recipe. My pastor doesn’t pontificate this much, and it is only my soul. Sorry, but you asked for comments.
You seem like a nice, kind person. Thank you for the feedback! GOD BLESS.
These worked well for me, came out light and fluffy.
These came out perfectly! I had to use only baking powder Because I was out of soda but it still worked out. I am sick of buying mini muffins for the kids in the mornings before school and these taste great, the recipe is a little more complex then an all in one bowl recipe but they stay moist so it’s worth it. I was a little confused on cooking temperature? Is it 375 or 400. For me 400 for 15mins was a little more done then I’d like so in the future lll likely set for 10 mins and check. Def one of the better mini muffin recipes I’ve tried and totally kid approved haha! Do you have the nutritional facts somewhere? I’m doing WW but couldn’t resist and snuck a few and would like to track accordingly.
Have you tried this as a loaf? The mini muffins turned out perfectly. I’ve made thi twice now. It’s not any harder than a cookie recipe. Light and fluffy. Thanks!
Sort of! These muffins are based on this banana bread recipe of mine: https://www.hummingbirdhigh.com/2020/04/banana-bread-with-sour-cream.html. They’re technically reverse-engineered from that recipe!
I’ve had so many compliments with this recipe and have shared it with half a dozen people. It’s really good and easy to follow. Thank you!
I just made these and they were super tasty! I couldn’t wait for them to cool so I ate a couple of them hot and they are tender and the flavor is balanced. I didn’t have brown sugar, so I just used white sugar, it seemed to work fine! I’m sure the flavor would be a little richer with brown sugar though. I also used vegan sour cream, and the flavor isn’t weird or anything. I think I will skip the chocolate next time, that’s just my preference, but it’s a solid recipe!
I loved this recipe! First time making them and it was so easy to follow and insightful! I don’t have a stand up mixer so I used a hand mixer and spatula but it got the job done! Bonus points because my picky toddler enjoyed a warm one fresh (after cooling of course) out of the oven!
I made these for the first time and they turned out perfectly. It did take more bowls to put together, but my husband and church members loved them! I don’t usually use a mixer for muffins, but I managed with my hand mixer and rubber spatula. Will be sharing this recipe with others.
These turned amount amazing! I accidentally melted the butter before beating with sugar and they still turned out great. Making a second batch right now!
Fabulous! I had no trouble with the little muffins rising but added 1/2t more baking powder due to other reviews. Great flavor. I baked only 12 min and I really filled the little muffin pans to the top. If you don’t fill them, 10 min. Perfect sweetness. Thank you,.
These are the best muffins! I’ve come back to this recipe many times now. The crisp around the edges, the moist fluffiness inside, the perfect flavor, perfect rise. Yes they are more work than other recipes but only by a few minutes and dishes so for the quality, worth it. I’ve had great luck subbing in all purpose einkorn flour and swapping out maybe a quarter of the brown sugar for allulose. I am sure to use dark brown sugar when I do that so it still has enough brown sugar goodness. I feel like this recipe relies on fresh baking soda & powder more so than most so make sure yours are fresh. Oh and I also cut back on the chocolate chips using 1/2 c. total and they are plenty chocolatey for us.
OMG delicious and tiny and moist and banana-ey . The best recipe for mini banana muffins by far!!!!
I just made these and ate two, I couldn’t resist them ❤️ I followed the recipe perfectly and took mine out a few minutes early!
I made these with the 4-year old today and they are FANTASTIC – the perfect sweet banana flavor, super tender without being greasy at all like banana bread can be. A great recipe!
Probably one of the best banana bread recipes I’ve made. These were so light, moist, and most importantly they were decadantly buttery (I usually have to slather butter on after the fact but not today!) I subbed half walnut flour for the all purpose flour and left out the chocolate chips so the kids could top with their choice of marshmallows, nuts and chocolate. I ended up making another batch without toppings to stash away for myself 🙂
Made a batch this morning. They didn’t make it to the cooling rack. GONE!! So delish. Thank you for the recipe and definitely will make it again and again.
This is the BEST batter I have ever made!! I followed the instructions and doubled the recipe, they are light and fluffy and I will not use any other recipe ever again. Honestly best muffins – give them a try! 🙂
These are the best muffins I have made. I switched the kosher salt out with sea salt and it was amazing. The added sour cream into this recipe keeps these muffins moist. I have made other mini muffins and they can dry out quickly, but not these. We made a double batch and by the end of the day there was only 10 muffins left. My kids loved these and can’t wait till our bananas are ripe enough to make more.