Peanut Butter Banana Muffins

These Peanut Butter Banana Muffins are gluten-free, sweetened with honey and fruit, and are a true treat. They’re rich in flavor, light in texture, and there’s a bit of chocolate in every bite!

This Peanut Butter Banana Muffin recipe employs one of my secrets to good gluten-free baking, and they're easy to make and absolutely scrumptious!

There are a lot of secrets to good gluten-free baking, and there might be different secrets for different cooks/chefs -- but, a few stand out to me from my years of experience trying to hone my skills at it.

I've been making all sorts of gluten-free baked goods since my son was diagnosed with Celiac Disease when he was five years old.

About the Ingredients

• peanut butter - I use creamy, salted peanut butter in this recipe. If you want the crunchy bits of peanuts, use the chunky peanut butter. It's best to buy peanut butter that is not 'no-stir -- in other words, without oil on top. Most 'no-stir' peanut butters contain palm oil which is not only not healthy, it also contributes to deforestation.
• banana - Use overripe or very ripe bananas. The more ripe they are, the sweeter the muffins will be.
• honey - Use your favorite honey. Substitution: Maple syrup.
• coconut flour - The very subtle coconut flavor from the flour isn't detectable in this recipe. The necessary amount needed is small because coconut flour absorbs a lot of moisture -- more than most flours. It's available in many mainstream grocery stores, and the majority of health food and/or upscale markets like Whole Foods carry it. You can also order it online.
• apple cider vinegar - The vinegar reacts with the baking soda which helps aerate the batter so when it bakes it becomes fluffy and light.
• baking soda - If you don’t bake regularly, it’s a good idea to check to be sure your baking soda is still good. To do so, pour a couple of tablespoons of white vinegar or lemon juice over about ¼ teaspoon of the baking soda. If it starts to fizz, it’s still good.
• Kosher salt - If you use table salt, use half the amount.
• cinnamon - The hint of cinnamon adds a warm, earthy flavor to the muffins. Substitutions: Cinnamon can be substituted with cloves or cardamon, or any combination thereof.
• eggs - While the yolks and whites are both used in this recipe, the whites are whipped into stiff peaks, which is the key to the fluffy texture of the muffins, which is sometimes lacking in gluten-free baked goods.
• mini chocolate chips - I like the mini-sized chocolate chips in this recipe because they won't sink to the bottom of the muffins.

How to Make Gluten-Free Peanut Butter Banana Muffins

- Preheat the oven to 300°F, and adjust 2 racks towards the center. Prepare two muffin pans with approximately 22 paper cups.

- Spoon the peanut butter into a large mixing bowl and add the banana, honey, apple cider vinegar, coconut flour, baking soda, salt and cinnamon. Mix to blend and set aside.

Recipe Tip: If you're using peanut butter with oil sitting on the top surface, do not pour it off, mix it into the peanut butter before adding it to the mixing bowl.

- Separate the eggs and add the yolks to the peanut butter batter and add the whites to another, clean, large mixing bowl.

- Use a large spoon or an electric mixer with the beater attachment to blend the yolks into the batter. Set aside.

- Use an electric mixer with the whisk attachment, or a hand-held whisk to whip the whites just until stiff peaks form. Immediately add the whites to the bowl with the peanut butter mixture and fold them in. Once the whites are about halfway mixed in, add the chocolate and continue to mix just until everything is blended evenly.

Recipe Tips: The key to the success of these muffins is whipping the egg whites to stiff peaks, folding them into the batter immediately, and then getting them in the oven as quickly as possible.

- Very quickly, spoon batter into the paper cups in the muffin tins — filling them about ¾ of the way up.

- Place them in the preheated 300°F oven. Bake until the muffins are set and have risen to the top of the paper cups, about 25 minutes. Let them cool for about 20 minutes before serving.

* PLEASE NOTE * These muffins will sink a bit in the center as they cool. Please don't worry that something went wrong. It's the nature of this batter, and the lovely texture and delicious flavor are not changed because of this.

Variations

• Using other nut butters. Banana peanut butter muffins can also be made with almond butter or sunflower seed butter.
• Feel free to also add chunks of banana to the batter -- the vibe will be much like this Chocolate Banana Cake.

When to Serve Them

Okay, obviously there are no real rules as to when to serve something -- it's totally your call. I just like to offer ideas . . .

• These protein-packed peanut butter banana muffins can be a great power breakfast with your morning coffee.
• They would also make for a great afternoon snack -- or really, an "anytime" snack!
• And yes, they are certainly sweet enough for dessert. You can even frost them and call them cupcakes for a birthday party. The ideal gluten-free treat!

Making Them Ahead and Storage

• Room temperature. You can keep them at room temperature if you know the muffins are going to be eaten the next day. The best way to preserve their freshness is to let them cool completely, and then put them in an airtight container. They will last longer this way (two to three days) if you place a dry paper towel below and on top of the muffins.
• Freezer. The muffins can be frozen for about three months. The easiest method is to place them in Ziploc freezer bags, in a single layer. Let them defrost at room temperature.
• Refrigerator. Refrigerating muffins is not ideal, as it can change their texture and dry them out.

Other Gluten-Free Baked Goods with Nut Butters

Do you have a favorite gluten-free baked good? What is it?  I'd love to know.

I hope you love Peanut Butter Banana Muffins with Chocolate Chips!

Cooking On The Weekends is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to Amazon.com.