Peanut Butter Banana Chocolate Chip Mini Muffins

Lately I have been buying bananas constantly in the hopes that they will turn black and overripe and I can bake with them.  But Mark has been eating bananas likes nobody's business.  And I have been using them in smoothies.  In fact, I went to toss one into the blender this morning, and they were gone.  We have been bitten by the banana bug, I assume, because there was a while there about a month or so ago when everything I baked was banana-based because I constantly had a basket of black bananas.  I guess you'd better be happy about this recipe, because you won't be seeing any banana baked good any time soon!

Anyway, these were another installment in Muffin Monday, and I believe they may have been the most popular.  They're mini muffins, first of all: perfect for a staff meeting when you can grab one, or two, or seven and it's totally acceptable.  Second of all, they are delicious.  Peanut butter and banana is a gift to humanity (any other Video Plus customers remember the monkey business smoothie?).  And third, believe it or not, they are healthy.  They're made with whole wheat flour, and there is only 1/4 cup brown sugar in the whole recipe.  The peanut butter and bananas give the muffins all the sweetness they need.

Oh, there is supposed to be chocolate in there as well. Mini chocolate chips, to be exact.  Now, I know full well that mini chocolate chips are exactly the same thing as the big ones, only small.  But I didn't have any mini chips, and I refused to use the big ones, so I left them out of my batch.  When you are dealing with mini muffins, you need mini chocolate chips, and that's that.  It's the rule.  My rule, at least. And I don't think anyone missed the chocolate!

Recipe:

peanut butter banana chocolate chip mini muffins
from Kitchen Treaty
yield 24 mini muffins

Ingredients:
1 cup whole wheat flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
1/2 cup all-natural peanut butter
1 cup mashed ripe bananas (about 2 medium bananas or 3 small)
1/3 cup milk
1 egg
1/4 cup packed brown sugar
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1/3 cup mini chocolate chips

Instructions:

1) Preheat oven to 400 degrees.  Grease the cups of a 24-count mini muffin tin with butter or nonstick cooking spray.

2) In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, and salt.

3) Add the butter to a medium microwave-safe bowl and cook in the microwave on 50% power for 20 - 30 seconds at a time until just melted.  Add the peanut butter and stir to combine.  Add the bananas.  Mash the bananas into the peanut butter and melted butter until combined.  Stir in the milk, egg, brown sugar, and vanilla.

4) Pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients and stir with a wooden spoon until just combined.  Mix in the chocolate chips.

5) Divide the mixture between muffin tins - about 1 1/2 tablespoons batter each.  Bake until the tops of the muffins spring back lightly when pressed, 8 - 10 minutes.  Remove from oven and let cool in tins 5 minutes.  Then transfer to wire racks to cool completely.

6) Store at room temperature in an airtight container for 3 - 4 days.  These muffins freeze well too!