Banana Espresso Chocolate Chip Muffins are ultra tender and moist and absolutely loaded with flavor. The perfect breakfast treat!
Yield:
12 muffins
Prep Time:15minutes
Cook:25minutes
Tessa's Recipe Rundown...
Taste: The combination of banana, espresso, and chocolate is a morning dream!
Texture: Ultra tender, moist, and gooey.
Ease: Super easy, made in less than an hour!
Pros: Some of the tastiest muffins I've ever enjoyed.
Cons: None!
Would I make this again? I've been making this recipe for over 7 years!
As a kid I always heard adults talking about how fast time passes. It seemed like something that was said during every birthday, holiday, or family event. I never understood why until recently…
I originally published this Banana Espresso Chocolate Chip Muffins recipe in 2009. Just a few weeks after I graduated high school. That is craziness!!! I remember living in my first place and my roommates thinking I was absolutely insane for taking photos of the muffins I had just made. “Food blogging” wasn’t really a thing yet and I had no idea what I was doing in any aspect of life.
Now, 7 years later, my blog is my full-time business. I’ve graduated from university AND culinary school. I’ve published a cookbook. We bought a house. We have two adorable dogs. It’s pretty crazy how much things can change in what feels like a simultaneously short but also long amount of time.
Throughout all those changes one thing has remained the same… this is one of our all-time favorite muffin recipes!
And I’ve realized I don’t make them nearly enough. Also, the photos I took for these muffins 7 years ago were HIDEOUS. So new photos and a reminder of how good this recipe tastes was definitely in order.
You can pick up espresso powder online, or in the coffee aisle of some grocery stores. It’s the perfect way to add lots of bold coffee flavor in a pinch. I always keep some on hand because a small amount of espresso flavor also simply enhances the flavor of chocolate in many recipes.
If you can’t get your hands on espresso powder, you can substitute instant coffee powder. Use dark roast if you can and you may need to increase the amount to match the intensity of espresso powder.
4.84 from 37 votes
How to make
Banana Espresso Chocolate Chip Muffins
Yield:12muffins
Prep Time:15 minutesminutes
Cook Time:25 minutesminutes
Total Time:40 minutesminutes
Banana Espresso Chocolate Chip Muffins are ultra tender and moist and absolutely loaded with flavor. The perfect breakfast treat!
Ingredients
1 1/2cups(354 grams) mashed, very ripe bananas (about 4 medium bananas)
1/2cup(100 grams) granulated sugar
1/4cup(50 grams) firmly packed light brown sugar
1stick (113 grams) unsalted butter, melted
1/4cup(57 grams) whole milk
1large egg
1 1/2cups(190 grams) all-purpose flour
1teaspooninstant espresso powder
1 1/2teaspoonsbaking soda
1teaspoonsalt
1cup(170 grams) semisweet chocolate chips
Directions
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Spray a 12-cup muffin pan with nonstick cooking spray.
In a medium bowl, stir together the bananas, sugars, butter, milk, and egg.
In another medium bowl, whisk together the flour, instant espresso powder, baking soda, and salt. Make a well in the middle of the dry ingredients. Pour the wet ingredients into the well and stir until just combined. Fold in the chocolate chips.
Fill each cup about three-quarters full. Bake in the center of the oven for 20 to 25 minutes, until a toothpick inserted in the center of a muffin comes out clean.
Move the muffin pan to a cooling rack, and let cool for 15 minutes. After 15 minutes, remove the muffins from the pan and let them finish cooling on the cooling rack.
Muffins can be stored in an airtight container for up to 2 days.
I share trusted baking recipes your friends will LOVE alongside insights into the science of sweets. I'm a professionally trained chef, cookbook author, and cookie queen. I love to write about all things sweet, carb-y, and homemade. I live in Phoenix, Arizona (hence the blog name!)
I share trusted baking recipes your friends will LOVE alongside insights into the science of sweets. I'm a professionally trained chef, cookbook author, and cookie queen. I love to write about all things sweet, carb-y, and homemade. I live in Phoenix, Arizona (hence the blog name!)
These muffins were absolutely amazing! They were packed full of flavor and moisture. I didn’t have whole milk on hand so I had to use buttermilk substitute, but it was perfect! So glad I came across this recipe. I will definitely be making these again.
I made these with slighly less sugar (I almost always reduce it, here I used 10 grams less brown sugar and 20 grams less white sugar. I also omitted the coffee and used slightly less salt.
->the sweetness was good (more sugar would have been okay, but not as good)
+the consistency was amazing (they stayed very moist after 3 days in an airtight container with roomtemperature)
+they smelled and tasted delicious
-they were nearly too salty, I would almost call them something like Salted Banana Chocolate Chip Cupcakes because the salt level was similar to that of salted caramel
-I would bake them again and recommend others to try them with the recommendation to cut the salt in half (I think the cupcakes the instructed amount of sugar wouldn’t “even out” the saltiness) and reduce the sugar if they usually don’t eat very sweet things
–>overall very good cupcakes, some of the best I have made so far (of any kind)
Have a nice day
Not even kidding. The BEST banana recipe I’ve ever used. I used milk chocolate chips and ordinary espresso coffee grounds because I didn’t have instant. I could eat the whole batch.
Kiersten @ Handle the Heat
— October 10, 2022 at 9:20 am
Hi Lisa! These muffins can be stored at room temperature, in an airtight container for a couple of days. We haven’t tested freezing them, but I don’t see why that wouldn’t work – just thaw at room temp for a few hours, and pop in the microwave to warm up and heat through, if you wish. Let us know what you think once you’ve given these muffins a try!
These were so delightful. I added dark chocolate chips in place of semi-sweet and it was divine! Family enjoyed them too. Will make again , thanks for sharing!
These muffins were absolutely AMAZING! So soft and so well balanced with the banana and chocolate. Maybe ill add a little extra Espresso next time so enhance the coffee flavor. But these have become our new favorite muffins!
Adding this to a regular treat rotation!! Absolutely delicious and pretty easy to make. It was a lot of ganache for me so next time I make this I’ll halve it.
I made these yesterday after seeing I had some overripe bananas. I used WS espresso powder and I also added some espresso chips I randomly found in the grocery store. I found them pretty banana/espresso forward because of the chips when I ate one 30 minutes out of the oven. I though they were not very sweet and I knew it was my fault for the chips I added but this AM they were very chocolate forward and so perfect. The moisture content of these muffins is amazing. I think you could add any chips you want and they would turn out wonderfully simple because the base banana muffin recipe is so great. They do not dome up like some muffins because of the banana content but I still think they are so pretty. This is a must try recipe.
supposedly i make this recipe and pour the batter in a 8×8 inch metal pan instead of muffin tin (i don’t have the muffin tin, but i do have all the other ingredients ready)..
should i adjust the baking time in the oven?
Hi, Tessa…can I used frozen banana for this recipe? And this muffin recipe used baking soda instead of baking powder? So I can immediately baked it and I don’t have to chilled the batter for an hour in the fridge?
I haven’t tried frozen, but they should be fine once thawed. Just make sure to drain the juice! This recipe uses baking soda, I would not recommend switching it out with baking powder as they are two completely different ingredients. I’ve got a great article that discusses the difference here: https://handletheheat.com/baking-soda-vs-baking-powder/ There is no need to chill the batter for an hour in the fridge, these are baked immediately. Hope you enjoy your muffins!
these banana muffins are delicious! i halved the sugar (1/4 c. granulated & 1/8 c. brown), added a tsp. of vanilla extract, and used buttermilk instead of whole milk and oil instead of melted butter.
i also baked them at 400 deg for the first 5 minutes, then 350 deg for 15 mins.
thanks Tessa for creating such a wonderful, flexible recipe! i loved the the espresso flavour in these muffins 🙂
As a trained chef and cookbook author, I share trusted baking recipes your friends & family will love alongside insights into the science of sweets. I help take the luck out of baking so you *always* have delicious results! Learn more here.
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These muffins were absolutely amazing! They were packed full of flavor and moisture. I didn’t have whole milk on hand so I had to use buttermilk substitute, but it was perfect! So glad I came across this recipe. I will definitely be making these again.
Love this recipe! I added an extra tsp of espresso powder and it was delicious!!
I made these with slighly less sugar (I almost always reduce it, here I used 10 grams less brown sugar and 20 grams less white sugar. I also omitted the coffee and used slightly less salt.
->the sweetness was good (more sugar would have been okay, but not as good)
+the consistency was amazing (they stayed very moist after 3 days in an airtight container with roomtemperature)
+they smelled and tasted delicious
-they were nearly too salty, I would almost call them something like Salted Banana Chocolate Chip Cupcakes because the salt level was similar to that of salted caramel
-I would bake them again and recommend others to try them with the recommendation to cut the salt in half (I think the cupcakes the instructed amount of sugar wouldn’t “even out” the saltiness) and reduce the sugar if they usually don’t eat very sweet things
–>overall very good cupcakes, some of the best I have made so far (of any kind)
Have a nice day
Not even kidding. The BEST banana recipe I’ve ever used. I used milk chocolate chips and ordinary espresso coffee grounds because I didn’t have instant. I could eat the whole batch.
Confirm to store in the refrigerator? Also do they freeze well?
Hi Lisa! These muffins can be stored at room temperature, in an airtight container for a couple of days. We haven’t tested freezing them, but I don’t see why that wouldn’t work – just thaw at room temp for a few hours, and pop in the microwave to warm up and heat through, if you wish. Let us know what you think once you’ve given these muffins a try!
One of the BEST home-baked things that I’ve ever made. The texture and flavor are soooo amazing! Thanks so much for sharing this recipe.
These were so delightful. I added dark chocolate chips in place of semi-sweet and it was divine! Family enjoyed them too. Will make again , thanks for sharing!
So glad you and your family enjoyed these muffins so much, Ama!!
I have made these so many times! I get so many compliments on the flavor that is bursting with banana and espresso!
These are my favorite muffins. The espresso gives them a little kick and make them taste great! I’ve made them about 10x or more! You must make them.
Amazing!! So happy to hear how much you love them! Thanks for taking the time to let us know, we appreciate it 🙂
These muffins were absolutely AMAZING! So soft and so well balanced with the banana and chocolate. Maybe ill add a little extra Espresso next time so enhance the coffee flavor. But these have become our new favorite muffins!
So happy you enjoyed them!
Adding this to a regular treat rotation!! Absolutely delicious and pretty easy to make. It was a lot of ganache for me so next time I make this I’ll halve it.
I made these today and omg they’re so delicious and incredibly moist! Love your blog!
So happy you loved them, Stephanie! Thanks so much for taking the time to comment, we appreciate it 🙂
I made these yesterday after seeing I had some overripe bananas. I used WS espresso powder and I also added some espresso chips I randomly found in the grocery store. I found them pretty banana/espresso forward because of the chips when I ate one 30 minutes out of the oven. I though they were not very sweet and I knew it was my fault for the chips I added but this AM they were very chocolate forward and so perfect. The moisture content of these muffins is amazing. I think you could add any chips you want and they would turn out wonderfully simple because the base banana muffin recipe is so great. They do not dome up like some muffins because of the banana content but I still think they are so pretty. This is a must try recipe.
Love that you tried adding espresso chips as well! So glad you enjoyed this recipe 🙂
Great taste and I love how moist they are. Will be on the dessert menu at my home.
So happy to hear that!
Hi Tessa, i have a question..
supposedly i make this recipe and pour the batter in a 8×8 inch metal pan instead of muffin tin (i don’t have the muffin tin, but i do have all the other ingredients ready)..
should i adjust the baking time in the oven?
Hi Shirin! We haven’t tried that, but yes, you would need to adjust the baking time. Please let us know how it goes!
this came out perfect! thanks for the wonderful recipe. this will be my go to recipe for overripe bananas from now on!
Amazing!! I’m so happy to hear that!
Hi, Tessa…can I used frozen banana for this recipe? And this muffin recipe used baking soda instead of baking powder? So I can immediately baked it and I don’t have to chilled the batter for an hour in the fridge?
I haven’t tried frozen, but they should be fine once thawed. Just make sure to drain the juice! This recipe uses baking soda, I would not recommend switching it out with baking powder as they are two completely different ingredients. I’ve got a great article that discusses the difference here: https://handletheheat.com/baking-soda-vs-baking-powder/ There is no need to chill the batter for an hour in the fridge, these are baked immediately. Hope you enjoy your muffins!
tried the recipe and muffins were sooo yummy!! will make this again.
I made these to switch it up a bit, my husband said, and I quote, “Babe, these are DAMN good!” I have to agree!
I went with one tsp of espresso powder, but I would recommend two if you want to taste coffee in them. Either way, YUM!
Awesome! I’m so glad you both loved these muffins!
Super easy and tasty! I had left over cream cheese frosting which put these muffins over the top!
Sounds perfect!!
I don’t have whole milk. Can I use 1%? oOr, I have buttermilk. Which would be better?
I would recommend using the 1% milk!
The Best Banana Bread Ever!
Hi! I made these and they were soooo yummy. Would it still work if I made it as a bread?
I haven’t tried that but I believe it should work!
Perfect I have the bananas and didn’t want to throw them away
Thank you
Yay!
these banana muffins are delicious! i halved the sugar (1/4 c. granulated & 1/8 c. brown), added a tsp. of vanilla extract, and used buttermilk instead of whole milk and oil instead of melted butter.
i also baked them at 400 deg for the first 5 minutes, then 350 deg for 15 mins.
thanks Tessa for creating such a wonderful, flexible recipe! i loved the the espresso flavour in these muffins 🙂
I would like to know if I can add some cream cheese to the Banana Chocolate Chip Muffin? How much should I
add? Please email me the answers,
Thank you very much,
Gale