espresso banana muffins

I had bananas ripening on the counter and they were past their prime eating out of hand stage. So they quickly became banana muffins. To be frank, I had wanted a healthier recipe than this one, but there was no moving my daughter from in front of the computer. She was lost on youtube... So I had to fall back on my collection of neglected cookbooks, and remembered this banana muffin recipe from the first Baked cookbook.

The Baked guys include espresso powder in these, and it totally boosts the flavor of these incredibly moist muffins.

In typical quickbread fashion, the dry ingredients are mixed in one bowl, and the wet ingredients in another, then they quickly get mixed together until just combined. It is one of their easier, less involved recipe, and you've got to love the simple, simple method that get you the most ridiculously moist muffins!

Baked’s Banana Chocolate Chip Espresso Muffins
Recipe source: Baked: New Frontiers in Baking, by Matt Lewis and Renato Poliafito

1-1/2 cups mashed, very ripe bananas (about 4)
1/2 cup sugar
1/4 cup firmly packed light brown sugar
1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, melted
1/4 cup whole milk
1 large egg
1-1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon instant espresso powder
1-1/2 teaspoons baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
1 cup (6 ounces) semisweet chocolate chips

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 just until combined. Fold in the chocolate chips.
Fill each cup about 3/4 full. Bake in the center of the oven for 20-25 minutes, until a toothpick inserted in the center of the 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 was too lazy to melt butter, so I used vegetable oil instead, with no noticeable change in the final product. I also almost never measure mashed banana and use what I had on hand, in these muffins, 3 medium ones. And switched out the cup of chocolate chips for half a cup of miniature ones. Super yummy! I love keeping those in the freezer for buzy mornings.