Gluten Free Chocolate Chunk Banana Muffins

Why You'll Love These Chocolate Chunk Banana Muffins

Gluten free pumpkin banana muffins, gluten free strawberry banana muffins, gluten free mini banana muffins - yeah, I've got a real love for all kinds of banana muffins! But at the top of the list are chocolate chunk banana muffins because, well, chocolate. I love chopping the chocolate into big glorious chunks that rival any chocolate chip you can find. Plus, you need just a bowl to whip up the batter.

• You can't tell they're gluten free. My goal is always to create recipes that you'd never be able to tell are gluten free. These ultra moist, super flavorful muffins taste just like anything made with wheat flour.
• Long-lasting. Unlike some gluten free bakes, chocolate chunk banana muffins don't dry out, retaining their sweet softness for days with no grittiness to mar their beautiful texture.
• Anyone can make them. One bowl is all you need to make banana chocolate chunk muffins, making them a great choice for the beginning gluten-free baker.

What You'll Need

• Gluten free flour - I used my homemade gluten free flour blend for these muffins, and it worked perfectly. You can use your preferred 1:1 gluten free baking flour (note that my blend doesn't contain xanthan gum so if your flour has it the texture may be slightly different).
• Rising agents - Baking powder and baking soda - check to make sure they're fresh!
• Salt - I use fine sea salt and table salt will also work.
• Cinnamon - A little ground cinnamon adds warmth. You could also use ground ginger or nutmeg.
• Granulated sugar - For a slightly different flavor, substitute light or dark brown sugar, or coconut sugar.
• Vegetable oil - You can substitute any type of oil you like here, including olive oil.
• Eggs - Large eggs brought to room temperature will easily blend into the batter.
• Bananas - Use ripe bananas for these muffins (I've included a few notes below on how ripe they should be!) for the most flavorful, sweet results. You'll need about 2 large or 3 medium bananas for this recipe.
• Chocolate - I used a dark chocolate bar and chopped it into chunks, but you can use any chocolate bar you like!

Scroll down to my recipe card at the bottom of this post for the full ingredient amounts and instructions!

Some Variations

Make chocolate chunk banana muffins into extra crunchy morsels by adding nuts, or add natural sweetness in the form of shredded coconut. Here are a few ideas to vary this recipe a bit:

• Nuts - We always love nuts in our banana muffins! My favorite nut to add is chopped walnuts; chopped almonds or pecans are also very nice.
• Chocolate chips - Keep things easy and use 1 cup of semisweet chocolate chips instead of the chopped chocolate (although then technically these won't be chocolate CHUNK banana muffins ...)
• Oat flour - If you don't have gluten free flour on hand, you can substitute 1 ¾ (210 grams) of oat flour for the blend.
• Coconut - Shredded sweetened or unsweetened coconut adds natural sweetness and texture. Try 1 cup stirred into the batter.
• Ginger - Add ½ teaspoon of ground ginger or 1 teaspoon of grated fresh ginger to the batter for a little kick of heat.

Tips & Substitution Suggestions

• Fill the muffin cups ⅔ full for this recipe. While some muffin recipes advise filling the muffin cups to the brim, I’ve found that about ⅔ full is the sweet spot so that they rise nicely but don’t overflow the cups.
• Always rest the batter. Gluten-free flour blends, especially a blend that contains rice flour, needs to hydrate before its baked for the best results. Let the batter rest in the muffin tin for 20 minutes, or for at least as long as it takes to heat the oven.
• Adjust the sweetness. Bananas are very sweet on their own, and the riper they are the sweeter they'll be. You can reduce the sugar ½ cup or use ½ cup of maple syrup instead of the granulated sugar.
• Make them into pumpkin muffins. Swap 1 cup of applesauce for the mashed bananas (or just make my oat flour pumpkin muffins).
• Egg-free. Omit the egg to make these muffins vegan. They will be denser but the bananas will work as a nice binder even without eggs.

Serving Options

Serve gluten-free chocolate chunk muffins warm or at room temperature. I like a muffin spread with:

• Cream cheese - Softened block or whipped cream cheese is the best on a warm muffin!
• Butter - Softened salted or unsalted butter is delicious.
• Nutella - Sweet and chocolatey Nutella turns these muffins into a real treat!
• Nut butter - Peanut butter or almond butter adds a nice contrast and bit of protein, or try sunflower butter if you don't eat nuts.

Proper Storage

• Counter - Place fully cooled banana chocolate chunk muffins in an airtight container and store them at room temperature for up to 3 days.
• Fridge - Transfer the muffins in their container to the fridge and store them for up to 5 days.
• Freezer - Add the muffins to a freezer-safe bag or container and store them in the freezer for up to 3 months. Defrost the muffins in the fridge before eating.