TO BAKE, BREAKFAST AND BRUNCH, CAKE AND DESSERT TO BAKE, BREAKFAST AND BRUNCH, CAKE AND DESSERT

Banana Muffins with White and Dark Chocolate Chunks

We had a muffin feast in my kitchen this week, it started off with my marmalade muffins which I made with my tangerine jam instead of the blood orange spread that I normally use. They were fantastic, sweet and christmassy! The golden citrus muffins filled the air with a wonderful smell that only muffins can create after only a few minutes in the oven. It's so good I could have it in the kitchen all the time! Inspired by this sweet aroma, I had an idea for another recipe, banana muffins with lots of chunky white and dark chocolate. Luckily I bought too many bananas (again), they started to get darker and darker and seemed to say "you had better decide what you're going to do with us". When they are deep yellow with some brown patches they have just the right texture to be turned into a fruity purée for juices or muffins, honey sweet and velvety. I added milky white chocolate and its bittersweet counterpart to the dough and while I stirred the chunks in I could already smell that this would lead to a satisfying result. The two kinds of chocolate are a great match to the ripe fruit!

When I took pictures of these muffins, Emma from Malta was still here with us. She joined me in the kitchen which was freezing cold at that point as I had to leave the window wide open to have better light for my photos. Emma watched me impatiently like a hungry little squirrel, asking me once in a while how it was going. It looked quite funny, both of us in winter jackets, taking pictures of the most tempting sweets right in front of our noses as red as Rudolph's!

White and Dark Chocolate Banana Muffins

For a muffin tray with 12 molds you need

  • ripe bananas, 2 (about 200g/ 7 ounces)

  • plain flour 200g / 7 ounces

  • baking powder 2 1/2 teaspoons

  • baking soda 1/2 teaspoon

  • salt 1/4 teaspoon

  • butter, melted, 80g / 3 ounces

  • organic egg 1

  • maple syrup 2 tablespoons

  • vanilla bean, scraped, 1/4

  • white chocolate, roughly chopped, 70g / 2.5 ounces

  • bittersweet chocolate, roughly chopped, 70g / 2.5 ounces

Set your oven to 190°C / 375°F (fan-assisted oven) and put paper baking cups into the 12 molds of the muffin tray.

Purée the bananas in a food processor.

Combine the flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt in a large bowl. Whisk the melted butter, the egg, maple syrup and vanilla in another bowl and pour into the dry mixture. Stir with a wooden spoon until you have a lumpy dough (with a bit of flour left here and there). Gently fold in the chopped chocolate, and keep in mind, the more you mix it the more it will lose its light texture.

Fill the muffin tray with the dough and bake for 15 minutes or until golden.

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