Banana Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Muffins (Gluten-Free)

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

The truth is there are a lot of secrets to good gluten free baking, and there might be different secrets for different 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 things since my son was diagnosed with Celiac Disease when he was five.

The Ingredients

• peanut butter - I use creamy, salted peanut butter in this recipe.
• banana - Use overripe or very ripe bananas.
• honey
• coconut flour
• 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 vinegar or lemon juice over about ¼ teaspoon of the baking soda. If it starts to fizz, it’s still good.
• Kosher salt - I cook with Kosher salt because I like its larger flake size and it usually doesn't contain additives. (If you use table salt, use half the amount.)
• cinnamon
• eggs
• mini chocolate chips

(See recipe card below for quantities.)

Substitutions and Variations

If I don't list an ingredient with a substitution, it means I think it's best not to substitute it.

• Peanut butter. Banana peanut butter muffins can also be made with almond butter or sun flower seed butter.
• Honey. Maple syrup is a great substitute for honey.
• Cinnamon. Cinnamon can be substituted with with cloves or cardamon, or any combination thereof. You can also omit it all together if you'd prefer.
• Mini chocolate chips. I often prefer mini chips in muffins, though the regular-sized chocolate chips are fine, too. Semisweet and milk chocolate are both delicious with the banana and peanut butter combination. And for a more intense peanut butter flavor, you can add some peanut butter chips, too.
• Feel free to also add chunks of banana to the batter -- the vibe will be much like this Chocolate Banana Cake.

Recipe Tip

• The key to the success of this banana peanut butter chocolate chip muffin recipe, is to whip the egg whites to stiff peaks, fold them into the batter immediately, and and then bake them as quickly as possible.

How to Make Them

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

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

- 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 batter and whisk just until it’s well incorporated.

- 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.

My Favorite Gluten-Free Baking Hack

• Egg whites — egg whites whipped to stiff peaks can often create a light and airy texture in gluten free baked goods. And using the egg whites in this way helps to make gluten-free cakes moist. And it's the egg whites that make my Gluten-Free Peanut Butter Banana Muffins work so well.

This muffin recipe I'm sharing today does include a little bit of coconut flour -- it's not replacing anything -- it's just enough to help thicken the batter.

Serving Suggestions

Okay, obviously there are not rules as to when to serve anything -- it's totally your call.  I just like to offer ideas . . .

• These protein-packed 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.

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 Baked Goods with Nut Butters

• Gluten-Free Almond Butter Bread
• Gluten-Free Macadamia Nut Honey Bread

This is one of my favorite gluten-free muffin recipes, and I hope you love it too!

Do you have a favorite gluten-free baked good?  What is it?  Please tell me in the comments, I'd love to know.

Enjoy!

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