chocolate chip banana pecan muffins-8

29 Mar Chocolate Chip Banana Pecan Muffins

I’ve been sick the entire week and my art lesson was cancelled on Friday so I spent the day baking since I hadn’t had the energy to do so while I was sick. I made chocolate chip banana pecan muffins and two loafs of whole grain spelt sourdough bread for my family. The kitchen looked like a mess and I had to spend so much time doing the dishes. If you bake (or cook) a lot you’ll know that it’s almost impossible to keep your kitchen nice and tidy.

Usually I have a couple of bowls with different soaked grains, nuts and seeds scattered around the kitchen, some sprouts in the window sill and dishes in the zink because the dishwasher is always full and some bags with ingredients that can’t fit in my cupboards because they’re also always full and it just goes on and on. It gets messy and so do I. When I bake I never use an apron which results in my clothes getting covered with flour all the time. I would get an apron if they weren’t either super cute with flowers and ruffles or really plain and ugly. At least I’m trying to convince myself that I’d use one but that will probably never happen. Very rebellious, I know.

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These muffins are everything but rebellious, they’re basically foolproof. You don’t have to cream butter and sugar or beat sugar and eggs until fluffy and light and that’s usually where things go wrong for most people, at least it did for me when I started baking. It’s easy to think that 3 minutes is enough but usually you need to keep beating for at least 7 minutes. It took me awhile to figure that out… Luckily that won’t be a problem in this case!

The muffins are made with almond flour so they’re very satisfying and most of the sweetness comes from the ripe bananas.  I added 2 tbsp of honey but you could add more or less depending on how ripe your bananas are. Then I added some pecans and chopped dark chocolate because chocolate chunks always beats chocolate chips. Basically all of my favorite things are packed into these muffins! When they come straight from the oven the chocolate on top is still warm and runny.

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Considering that these muffins are only made with almond flour they’re very light and moist. When I started baking gluten free a couple of years ago I was introduced to almond flour and coconut flour which were used in low carb and paleo baking. You couldn’t buy a lot of naturally gluten free flours like buckwheat, millet or oat flour in the stores so I had to settle with the flours available. I was never happy with the results of almond flour and coconut flour back then and I blamed it on the flours! I’ve started baking more with almond flour again and I actually love the results. Turns out it was the recipes that weren’t good, not the flours. What I’m trying to say is that a couple of years ago I’d never thought that these muffins could be delicious and moist but believe me, they are! My dad who’s sometimes sceptic to my gluten free baked goods loved these, and so did my mom.
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Pecan Chocolate Chip Banana Muffins

Prep Time: 15 minutes

Cook Time: 25 minutes

Total Time: 40 minutes

Yield: 10 muffins

Pecan Chocolate Chip Banana Muffins

Ingredients

  • 2 ripe (150 g) bananas
  • 2 eggs, whisked
  • 1/4 cup (57g) butter, melted
  • 2 tbsp honey
  • 1 tsp pure vanilla extract
  • 1 1/2 cups (145g) almond flour
  • 1 tsp baking soda
  • 1 tsp baking powder
  • 1 tsp cinnamon
  • Pinch of salt
  • 1/3 cup(40g) pecans, chopped
  • 1/2 cup(55g) chocolate (70%), chopped

Instructions

  1. Preheat oven to 350°F / 175°C.
  2. In a small bowl mash the bananas with a fork until gooey and sticky.
  3. Add the eggs, vanilla, melted butter and honey to the bananas and stir until combined.
  4. In a larger bowl, combine all the dry ingredients.
  5. Pour the wet ingredients into the dry mixture and stir into a batter.
  6. Next add the chocolate chips and chopped pecans and stir well. Save a couple of tablespoons of the pecans and chocolate chips to top the muffins.
  7. Pour batter into a muffin tin lined with 10 baking cups and fill each cup about 3/4 full.
  8. Sprinkle remaining nuts and chocolate chips on top of the muffins and bake in the oven for about 20-25 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the middle comes out clean. Let cool in the muffin tin for a couple of minutes.
  9. Serve while still warm and the chocolate is melted on the top. Store in a lidded container in the fridge, or keep in the freezer for a couple of weeks and reheat in the oven at 300°F / 150°C.

Notes

The butter can be replaced with melted coconut oil to make a dairy free version, I just didn’t want my muffins to taste coconut but if you do it’ll work perfectly! Recipe adapted from Paleo Newbie.

22 Comments
  • Peter
    Posted at 19:07h, 29 March

    Looks so nice and sweet. Must do these muffins tomorrow. Love to have your coffetablebook. When is it comming 😉

  • Aysegul
    Posted at 22:46h, 29 March

    Making this now! I was craving for some chocolate and these looked so yummy! 🙂

    • Thea Tillberg
      Posted at 07:35h, 30 March

      Thanks Aysegul! Hope you’ll like them! 🙂

      • Aysegul
        Posted at 16:03h, 31 March

        What a delicious muffin! I made these 2 days ago and both my husband and I enjoyed them so SO much with our morning coffee. Thanks for making our mornings super sweet with a healthier version of a regular muffin.
        Well done Thea!

        • Thea Tillberg
          Posted at 19:47h, 31 March

          Thanks Aysegul! I’m so glad you liked the recipe, obviusly I liked them too! 🙂

  • Renee Kemps
    Posted at 13:54h, 30 March

    They look AMAZING! I love every single ingredient in there. So delicious! Glad that you’re feeling better now and baking is the best thing you can do when feeling sick or having time because things have canceled.

    • Thea Tillberg
      Posted at 14:51h, 30 March

      Thanks Renee! I totally agree with you 🙂

  • Betty | le jus d'orange
    Posted at 16:59h, 30 March

    Oh Thea, your photos make me swoon. Beautiful. So happy to hear you are feeling better 🙂

  • Alison @Food by Mars
    Posted at 00:31h, 31 March

    These look so delicious, Thea!! Chocolate, cinnamon, banana, nuts… you have my full attention!!

  • Mariana @The Candid Kitchen
    Posted at 12:43h, 01 April

    I am so glad my kitchen is not the only one that is struggling at the moment, but the moment you get a recipe right it makes it all worth it. I love days like that, just baking all day with not a worry in the world. These muffins look so worth it x

    • Thea Tillberg
      Posted at 16:44h, 01 April

      Me too! And thanks Mariana 🙂

  • Summer
    Posted at 16:19h, 02 April

    Hey Thea,

    Thank you so much for your comment earlier! It led me to this lovely blog of yours. It’s gorgeous and these muffins look so dreamy and delicious! I love chocolate, banana, and pecans, must make these soon!

    • Thea Tillberg
      Posted at 22:18h, 02 April

      Thanks Summer! Love your blog too and I hope you’ll try these 🙂

  • Ania
    Posted at 06:39h, 06 April

    Made them for morning tea today. Very nice thank you.
    Having an omelette for lunch with a slice of your bread. Your creations are very much present in our lives.

    • Thea Tillberg
      Posted at 07:47h, 06 April

      Thanks Ania! I’m so glad you like my recipes 🙂

  • Christine // my natural kitchen
    Posted at 20:10h, 06 April

    These muffins look beautiful and are full of such lovely ingredients! Glad you’re feeling better!

    • Thea Tillberg
      Posted at 01:42h, 11 April

      Thanks Christine! 🙂

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