Mom's Banana Chocolate Muffins

Growing up my Mom only made one type of muffins. Well that's probably a lie. I'm sure she tried out other recipes, but this was the one she always went back to. Now, even though I've been on a muffin kick for the last several months, I actually haven't tried out this recipe. I thought I'd give it a try though today, because with the heat our bananas are turning quicker than we can eat them.

This recipe was originally a banana loaf recipe and it did not have any chocolate in it. My mom converted it to muffins though, because she found banana bread difficult to get cooked evenly throughout. Some batches, instead of putting in the chocolate she'd throw in blueberries. Now, while I love blueberries, I was never that fond of them in this recipe. I think because it just goes so well with the chocolate. I also have the faintest memory of her using canned peaches in these muffins as well, but she didn't do that all that often.

So the most amazing thing happens when you cook these muffins. They get incredibly crispy on top when you pull them out of the oven, but when you store them in a container they go very moist and soft. Meaning they will turn quite quickly if stored in a warm place. I don't care how full you are when these come out of the oven, you have to have one. Of all the other muffin recipes I've tried, I have never had anything quite like it. The thing is, when baking these, you need to make sure the tops are dark brown. No golden here, you want them to be dark. Be patient, it will happen, and it is so totally worth it. I can't stress this crispy factor enough.

My mom got this recipe from my Aunt Laurel (at least that's what it says on her copy of the recipe.) Where she found the recipe though is a mystery to me, so that's as far as i can take these credits.

Makes: 12 Large Muffins

Ingredients

1 C. Banana, mashed

1 C. White Sugar

1/4 C. Vegetable Oil

1/2 C. Sour Cream (we use either applesauce or soy yogurt instead to make this dairy free)

2 Eggs

1 1/2 C. Flour (I used whole wheat)

1 Tsp. Baking Powder

1 Tsp. Baking Soda

1/2 Tsp. Salt

1 C. Chocolate Chips

3/4 C. Milk Chocolate Bar, chunked

Directions

~Preheat oven to 375 F

~In a medium bowl, combine banana, sugar, oil, sour cream and eggs. Whisk well to combine.

~In a small bowl, combine flour, powder, soda and salt. Stir.

~Pour dry ingredients into wet ingredients. Stir just enough to combine.

~Mix in chocolate.

~Spoon mixture into prepared muffin tins. Fill them just about to the top. (These muffins puff up amazingly and go really crispy on top. You don't want to have not enough batter, because you'll miss out on this if there isn't enough batter to rise above the edge of the tin.)

~Place tins in oven.

~Bake for 18-20 minutes or until dark brown and crispy on top.

~Remove from oven and allow to cool. 

~Store in a sealed container (but make sure to eat a few with the crispy top before you store them away).

Enjoy