comfort in the form of food. i think it’s a place where we’ve collectively found relief in these times (if we’re fortunate enough). the past few weeks i’ve been craving everything from eggs, to meaty pasta dishes, buttered toast, and very specific baked goods. i think the psychological toll of a pandemic has us reaching to foods that soothe us/make us happy. no wonder then, the internet is aflame with homemade sourdough, pasta & carbs aplenty, banana bread, focaccia, etc., etc., etccccc. yes, many have more time on their hands to cook and pick up a new hobby, be that cooking or baking. but many of us, have way less time if there are children running or crawling around the house. i am grateful to be able to spend this time with my family, so many with essential jobs don’t have the opportunity to do that. but i would be remiss if i didn’t mention that i’m exhausted. both frank and i can easily feel overwhelmed at any given moment. despite that, we’re trying to make the most of our days - art projects, little morning walks, lots of music and dancing, and baking - lots of baking!
but let’s talk muffins, because we all deserve one (or 10). i took a bit of liberty with the recipe title. if you’re familiar with the ben & jerry’s ice cream flavor, chunky monkey, then you already know there’s banana and lots of chocolate chunks and walnut pieces. not much has changed here, except that instead of ice cream, it’s chunky monkey in muffin format. which naturally means you can eat one any time of day.
we use a couple brown, spotty bananas - the kind that sit on the counter that no one wants to touch (they should be that ripe). from there we use a few different flours to get a super puffy/fluffy gluten-free muffin with a good texture to boot. i call for 1 cup + of chocolate chunks because you will want and need more to top these muffins. while a couple ingredients are non-negotiable, many of them can be swapped for what you have on-hand - so ask away in the comment section if you don’t have some of the ingredients, and i can do my best to guide you, because you’re going to want to make these asap 😉
all my love and wishes for good health ❤️
chunky monkey banana bread muffins | gluten-and-dairy-free
notes:
while i love the combination of flours here to achieve a really good muffin, some can be substituted if you don’t have them all on-hand. please ask in the comment section and i will do my best to guide you :)
| makes 12 large muffins |
1 cup fine brown rice flour
1/2 cup almond flour
1/4 cup arrowroot flour
1/4 cup oat flour
2/3 cup coconut sugar
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon fine salt
1 cup banana (roughly 2 large bananas), smooshed with a fork
1/2 cup melted coconut oil
2 large pasture raised eggs, at room temp
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1 cup chocolate, plus more for topping
1/2 cup chopped walnuts, plus more for topping
method
preheat oven to 350°F, and line a muffin tin with 12 liners.
in a large bowl, whisk together the flours, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. in another large bowl, whisk together the smooshed banana, oil, eggs, and vanilla. mix the dry ingredients into the wet a little at a time, until combined. then fold in the chocolate chunks, and walnuts.
evenly divide the batter among the 12 muffin tin liners, and top with extra chocolate and walnuts.
bake in the center of your oven until a cake tester inserted into the middle of a muffin comes out clean, about 20-25 minutes.
let muffins cool for 10 minutes, then carefully transfer the muffins to a cooling rack.
eat warm, or at room temp. muffins will stay good for roughly 3 days on your counter, covered with parchment paper.
similar recipes:
STRAWBERRY-OAT COCOA MUFFINS
COZY BANANA BREAD GRANOLA
DARK CHOCOLATE KABOCHA SQUASH MUFFINS
