I used to be totally fine eating the same thing for breakfast day after day. I went through a phase with Greek yogurt, granola and fruit that lasted for many months. In fact, the only reason I stopped was because fresh berries went out of season and I couldn’t find a substitute I liked as much. Frozen thawed berries just aren’t the same, sorry π
There was a period where I was obsessed with eggs too. Fried, scrambled, hard-boiled, egg white omelets – that’s the nice thing about eggs, lots of different options are possible with the exact same food. My egg obsession even rubbed off on Shane. I introduced him to the deliciousness that is the runny egg yolk, and fried egg on toast became his breakfast of choice on Saturday mornings.
The egg phase passed too, though I can’t really pinpoint why, and since then I’ve craved variety in my breakfast options like never before. I probably have three or four different choices I rotate through during the week now so I never eat the same thing two days in a row. I’m even back to eating cold cereal sometimes, which is weird because prior to the start of this year it’d been 10 (maybe more?) years since I was at all interested in it.
Anyway, muffins. They’re not actually in the breakfast rotation very often, but last week I had a few very brown bananas on my counter and this cocoa banana muffin jumped out at me as I searched for ideas. Technically, I think these may even be cupcakes masquerading as muffins. They’re made using the cake method (butter and sugar creamed, eggs added and dry and wet ingredients alternately mixed in) plus, hello, cocoa powder, peanut butter chips and a fair amount of sugar. But there are bananas too so that has to count for something! The muffins are moist and tender and I just love the combination of flavors. Whether you call them breakfast or dessert, they’re delicious and a fun change of pace when you’re trying to use up those overripe bananas π
Cocoa Banana Muffins with Peanut Butter Chips
slightly adapted from The Modern Baker by Nick Malgieri
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
2/3 cup Dutch-process cocoa powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 cups mashed very ripe bananas (about 3-4 medium bananas)
1/2 cup sour cream (light is fine)
3/4 cup (12 tablespoons) unsalted butter, at room temperature
1 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup packed light brown sugar
3 large eggs, at room temperature
1 1/4 cups peanut butter chips, divided
Preheat oven to 350 F. Line two muffin pans with paper liners.
In a medium bowl, sift the flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, and salt together (I rarely sift, but find cocoa powder tends to be lumpy if I don’t). In a second medium bowl, combine the mashed bananas and sour cream, stirring until combined.
In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream the butter and both sugars on medium speed until well combined, about 1-2 minutes. Add the eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition. With the mixer on low, add half of the dry ingredients followed by the banana mixture and then the remaining dry ingredients, beating just until combined. Scrape down the sides of the bowl with a rubber spatula and then give the batter one final stir to make sure everything is completely incorporated. Stir in 1 cup of the peanut butter chips.
Divide the batter evenly among the muffin cups, filling each about 3/4-full. Sprinkle the remaining peanut butter chips over the top of the muffins. Bake for about 25 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out with just a few moist crumbs attached. Transfer the pan to a wire rack and allow the muffins to cool for a few minutes then remove them to the rack to finish cooling.
Makes about 20 muffins
These look fabulous – and are so simple! Yum!
I am SO boring when it comes to breakfast (I literally eat the same thing every day) but I do love mixing up my midday treats…and these would be So ideal!
I really REALLY need these for breakfast! Any excuse to have chocolate for breakfast, right? PLus with the banana, they’re totally healthy!
I had some super brown bananas the other day that were on the brink of going bad so I made a breakfast treat with them too! And since they were super brown it made it taste that much better. These muffins would be perfect for peanut butter lovers day tomorrow too π
I’m always looking for a way to utilize those mashed ripe bananas…trying this recipe next.
I call them breakfast because I would love to have a couple of these in the morning!
I eat the same breakfast daily: oatmeal with pb…but I’m also obsessed with eggs so I eat those for dinners a lot π However, I’m never one to turn down muffins (or cupcakes!) for breakfast!
Who doesn’t love chocolate and peanut butter together! These muffins look like an amazing way to start the day!
I love cupcakes masquerading as muffins. I’ll go for that any day. Yum.
I am often in a breakfast rut as well: banana & almonds on the weekdays, oatmeal on the weekends. A gorgeous chocolate muffin with peanut butter chips sounds like a fantastic way to get out of my rut!
These look phenomenal! A little dessertish for breakfast, but we’re certainly not above that around here.
I have been eating pineapple with my yogurt and granola lately – almost as good as berries.
Love this recipe – I posted about it today!
http://spotgirl-hotcakes.blogspot.com/2013/06/baking-monday-chocolate-banana-muffins.html
Delicious! I was out of sour cream so I used vanilla yogurt instead….and decreased the sugar a little. And I also used expeller pressed coconut oil instead of butter. The kids said they were the best banana muffins ever. π