Banana Muffins – Make them special with Chocolate and Orange

Banana Muffins – make them special with chocolate chips and fresh orange peel. With oat bran and walnuts to give them a lovely texture, these super-moist muffins hit your sweet spot with every bite. I actually feel full after eating just half a muffin, and I’m always amazed when I watch young folks put away 3 or 4 of these in a matter of minutes! Their happy smiles never fail to lift my spirits!

These muffins are a big hit with my family and friends, including my rather large family of past and present students. One such ardent fan is a dear nephew who has been asking me to post this recipe for months. So, here it is: on his milestone birthday, the recipe for his favorite kind of banana muffins.

Bananas – The Brain Tonic

A much beloved fruit, bananas can truly be called nutritional gems. My Dad, an avid banana-lover, used to call the fruit a brain tonic. Indeed, there is scientific evidence that supports this idea: bananas are known to improve concentration and enhance memory, which helps students learn more efficiently. Easy to digest, this is also one of the first fruits given to babies, who typically respond well to its sweet taste and soft texture. The medicinal benefits of bananas are very well-documented in Ayurveda as well as Chinese medicine. Across the globe, the fruit provides an affordable source of nourishment to maintain good health.

What to do with Extra-ripe bananas?

What to do with extra-ripe bananas? It seems this is a common challenge everywhere in the world, and a popular “solution”, apparently, is banana bread. Well, the banana muffins showcased here belong in that same general category – cakes, muffins, quick breads, etc. I suppose even banana pancakes and waffles could be included in this category.

Of course, these are very “western” items served for breakfast, snack and/or dessert. My Mom also made several other banana-centric items that are very distinctly Indian. She made Banana-Paratha (Puh-raa-thaa), and Banana-Thalipeeth (Thaa with the ‘th’ as in thank; Thaa-lee-peeth), both of which are griddle-fried flatbreads. Slightly sweet and served hot off the griddle – they are simply delicious! If you are Maharashtrian, you might also like Shikran (Shik-runn): mashed bananas, with a bit of sugar and milk. Avid banana-lover that I am, of course I love all of these delectable “solutions” for using up extra-ripe bananas. I plan to share recipes for these items too, so be on the look out.

Even so, this particular banana muffin recipe is just a little extra-special. What makes it so special? Well, just look at the ingredient list – chocolate chips, orange peel, walnuts… doesn’t that sound exotic and special to you? It makes me drool, just thinking about it!

Making banana muffins: Do bananas have to be extra-ripe ?

Nope! Some folks like to use bananas that are seriously extra-ripe – they’re almost black on the outside. If that’s what you like, hey, go for it! Personally, I like to use bananas that are only just a bit past their prime. I know that’s not a really specific description – so, let me clarify what that means to me. In my book, a banana with lots of brown spots is a bit past its prime. My Dad disagreed: he liked them best when they had quite a few spots. He said that’s when they were the sweetest and therefore, in their prime!

Anyway, for the muffin recipe I’ve shared here, I recommend using a banana that has quite a few brown spots on the peel. The flesh is, as Dad rightly described, very sweet. It’s also just a little bit mushy, so mashing the banana should only take about 30 seconds.

Oat Bran and Walnuts: Texture, Fiber and Protein

I do like a little chewiness and texture in my muffins – this is where the oat ban and walnuts come in. They both add a little extra fiber to the muffins, and the walnuts add a bit of protein too, which improves their nutritional profile. So yes, these banana muffins are both delicious as well nutritious.

I do not recommend toasting the nuts before adding them to the batter. Even though they might taste better that way, their nutritional benefits are superior when they are not toasted. I also like to soak the oat bran for a few minutes in the “wet” mixture before mixing with the “dry” mixture. The extra soaking time makes the oat bran swell and become soft, giving muffins that are nice and moist.

If you don’t have oat bran, you could use rolled oats, gently crushed to a coarse powder. See Recipe Notes for other alternatives, in case oats are not readily available in your part of the world.

Chocolate Chips and Orange Peel: Inimitable Flavor!

Putting chocolate into anything sweet always seems such a no-brainer, doesn’t it? Of course it tastes amazing in these muffins – why wouldn’t it? I personally also love the combination of chocolate and orange. So I decided, years ago, to add a little bit of finely slivered fresh orange peel to the muffin batter. Ohh…, was that a inspired idea, or what?! The muffins are infused with a hint of the delightful flavor and aroma of oranges. The orange flavor becomes a bit more pronounced when you bite into a wispy thin sliver of the peel. I just love it and almost always add orange peel, to make banana muffins that are extra-special with a unique, inimitable flavor.

Special Diets

These muffins are soy-free, but not gluten-free or nut-free. The pictures show muffins made with eggs and dairy. However, I have also given detailed directions for making them vegan by using suitable substitutes for eggs, butter and milk. Chocolate chips typically contain dairy: to make vegan banana muffins, use dairy free chocolate chips. If you prefer to not use nuts, just omit them or use chopped pumpkin seeds, hemp seeds, etc..

If you are a muffin lover, perhaps you might wish to check out my fresh cranberry muffins recipe too. I also plan to post a few more muffin recipes, so be sure to lookout for those!

Hope you make these delicious and nutritious banana muffins soon, and enjoy them over a lovely chat with a friend. Do leave a review and a star rating. Your feedback is much appreciated.