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Nigella's Chocolate Banana Muffins

Lovely, chocolatey muffins with a longer shelf life thanks to the addition of bananas
Preparation time
15 mins
Standing time
~
Cooking time
25 mins
Total time
40 mins
 

Nigella’s Chocolate Banana Muffin recipe appealed to me for two reasons. Firstly, I often have overripe bananas that I can’t bear to throw out and secondly, the muffins can be frozen for up to two months, which is useful because I probably won’t get through twelve muffins in three days. The proper way to revive the frozen muffins is to defrost them for around 3 hours and then pop them in an oven for 5-8 minutes but I usually end up heating them on half power in the microwave for a few minutes instead.

The original recipe doesn’t include chocolate chips but I couldn’t resist adding a few to the batter before baking and I would definitely recommend this.

Ingredients

Makes: 12

  • 3 very ripe bananas
  • 125ml vegetable oil (or light olive oil)
  • 2 large eggs
  • 100g light brown sugar
  • 225g plain flour
  • 3 tbsp good quality cocoa powder, sifted
  • 1 tsp bicarbonate of soda
  • 50g dark chocolate chips (optional)

Method

  1. Preheat your oven to 200°C (180°C fan) and line a 12-hole muffin tin with paper cases.
  2. Mash 3 bananas vigorously in a large bowl until they turn glossy (I use a fork), then add 125ml of oil, 2 eggs and 100g of sugar, mixing well.
  3. In another medium sized bowl, sift 225g of plain flour, 3 tablespoons of cocoa powder and 1 teaspoon of bicarbonate of soda together then gently stir into the banana mixture.
  4. Add 50g of chocolate chips (if using) and give the batter a final stir.
  5. Spoon the batter into the muffin cases and bake in the oven for 25-30 minutes until the muffins have risen and a cake tester comes out relatively clean.
  6. Remove from the oven and allow the muffins to cool a little before transferring them to a wire rack to cool fully.