Filled with rich cocoa and peanut butter flavors, this chocolate muffin recipe is a perfectly happy and nutritious way to start the day. And since they store so well in the fridge—and almost taste better as they sit—they are a great make-ahead toddler breakfast option.
Best Chocolate Muffins
The first time I made these muffins, we were in the midst of nighttime potty training and I basically didn’t have a decent night of sleep for 3 months. It was rough on the kiddo too and we were often grumpy and dragging in the mornings. These Chocolate Peanut Butter Banana Muffins saved us more than once.
A normal response would be to cuddle up on the couch with books while we adjusted to the morning, and while we did that on most days, I found that on occasion making a special breakfast really helped to improve my mood. These muffins, with their decadent chocolate flavor and balanced nutrition, were the result of one of those mornings. Warm out of the oven on a dark winter morning, they were pretty heavenly.
Gluten-Free Chocolate Muffins
I like to use rolled oats as the base for many of my muffins since they add nutrition and are an inexpensive gluten-free flour option. They work really well in this chocolate muffin recipe. I grind rolled oats in my blender to make a super easy flour. You can also buy oat flour at the store if you prefer. This recipe also has almond meal for additional fiber and moisture and helps the muffins avoid drying out. (If you have a Trader Joe’s, they have very affordable almond meal!)
If you don’t have almond meal, you can try substituting additional oat flour. Just start checking for doneness about 2 minutes before the recipe states to ensure that they are moist inside. If you insert a cake tester into the center of a muffin and it comes out cleanly, they are done.
How to Make Chocolate Muffins with Peanut Butter Step-by-Step
- Start with very ripe (with brown spots!) bananas. The brown spots mean that the bananas are nice and sweet.
- Gather the rest of your ingredients including peanut butter (or another nut or seed butter), oats, almond meal, cocoa powder, eggs, baking powder, vanilla, and honey.
- Grind up your oats to make a flour. (I like to do a big batch and keep it on hand for baking and making overnight oats.)
- Add all ingredients to the food processor and grind until smooth. Stop and scrape down the sides of the bowl if needed.
- Remove the blade and divide the batter evenly among 10 greased muffin cups. You’ll use about 1/4 cup batter per muffin.
- Bake! Then try to let cool before eating them all.
Dairy-Free Chocolate Muffin Recipe
If you have a dairy allergy or sensitivity in your house, these muffins are made without dairy. Which is nice because there’s no adjusting needed to make a delicious batch of chocolate muffins! (I have yet to work out a good egg-free chocolate muffin variation but I’ll keep working on it!)
Easy Muffin Recipe for Toddlers
We love this toddler breakfast or snack because the batter is made the food processor so you can make them with your toddler without too much worry that you’ll mess anything up! I like to grind the oats ahead of time so they resemble a flour and keep them in hand for whenever I need them. (Or just do it in the moment!) You can do that in a food processor or in a blender and store in an airtight container.
Healthy Chocolate Muffins
The addition of peanut butter adds protein and moisture and the rolled oats add whole grains. And since there is minimal added sweetener, each of these is a nicely balanced toddler breakfast that feels like a treat. Each has has almost 4 grams of fiber and over 6 grams of protein, so you can be sure that your toddler is getting the nutrition that they need to hold them over until the next meal without the risk of hunger-induced meltdowns.
They were almost as good right out of the fridge the next day, so you can serve them at whichever temperature you prefer. Eat them plain or slice and smear any topping you like—more peanut butter, cream cheese, or some jam.
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PinDescription
Rich and moist, these chocolate peanut butter muffins are a healthy way to enjoy a treat for any meal of the day.
Ingredients
- 2 very ripe bananas (about 1 1/2 cups sliced)
- 2 eggs
- 1/4 cup maple syrup or honey
- 1/2 cup unsweetened peanut butter
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1/2 cup almond meal
- 1/2 cup rolled oats, ground finely (or purchased oat flour)
- 1/2 cup cocoa powder
- 1 1/4 teaspoons baking powder
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 F. Grease 10 cups of a standard muffin tin. Add all ingredients to the bowl of a food processor and grind into a smooth batter.
- Fill 10 muffin cups about 2/3 full. Bake for 26-30 minutes or until a cake tester inserted into the center comes out clean. Let cool for 5 minutes in the pan, then cool on a rack.
- Serve slightly warm or store in an airtight container and serve cold.
Notes
Store any leftovers in an airtight container for up to 5 days in the fridge or up to 3 months in the freezer.
Just made these for the first time yesterday, followed the recipe exactly, and they are SO good— equally as good warm as cold from the fridge this morning 😉 I love how all of your muffin recipes have ingredients I wouldn’t really know how to use (like the almond meal in this one, ground flaxseed in another) to really boost the nutritional value.
★★★★★
I’m so glad you’re enjoying the recipe!
Made these as mini muffins for my boys (18 mos & 3 yrs) for Valentine’s Day & they ask for more every single day! Even caught my gluten-free parents stealing a bunch too. So yummy.
Based on ideas from your Insta feed, I’ve been having my picky 3 year old help me more in the kitchen (measuring, cracking eggs, mixing), and it’s lead to him trying new foods & finding lots of pride in “cooking for Daddy & baby” 🙂 Thank you so much! Congrats on your new addition too!
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Hooray and I love hearing about this progress–thank you for sharing! (And thank you re the baby!)
I made these and thought they were yummy, but my banana-hating 7-year-old wasn’t into them because she could taste the bananas. Is there anything I can sub for bananas in this?
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Generally speaking (though I haven’t tried either in this recipe), pumpkin puree and applesauce (as long as it’s not too runny) work well in place of bananas!
Hi there, I’d like to try this recipe and just wondered if you had the ingredient measurements in grams please? I’m from the UK and not so savvy with cup measurements. Many thanks
Hi. I would love to try this recipe as I’m forever looking for healthy treats for my toddler. Just wondering if I could use mejdool dates instead of bananas. Has anyone has tried that? If yes, what proportion? TIA.
I haven’t tried this with dates and I’m not certain it would work given the volume of bananas in the recipe. Is there an allergy or is this just a preference? I can try to help if I can!
Excited to try these! Do you think I can use Cacao powder instead of Cocoa?
Yes absolutely, it will work the same! (That’s what I use more often and it has delicious flavor!)
We’ve loved these muffins for several years! I make them in a mini-muffin tin. Adjusted cooking time is 18-20 minutes, depending on your oven (I tested at 18 and kept them in for 2 more minutes). The only problem is they disappear into happy bellies too quickly!
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Thanks so much for sharing the timing of the minis Anne, that’s such good info to have!
I forgot to add that the yield for mini-muffins is about 32. I fill the muffin cups 2/3 full.
Thanks Anne!
Made these this morning, followed the recipe and they are so good!
Hooray! I’m so glad to hear that!
I made these tonight with a couple of changes to make them Passover-friendly. They turned out great! Here’s what I did, in case anyone finds it useful. (p.s. I’ll make them Amy’s way the rest of the year – the recipe is great as is. But they also adapt super easily for the week of Passover.)
The changes:
– I omitted the oat flour. Instead, I upped the almond flour to 3/4 cup and added 2 tablespoons of potato starch – texture is great.
– I swapped almond butter for the peanut butter. (Folks who eat kitniyot can leave the PB as is.)
★★★★★
I love knowing how you adjusted them—thanks so much for sharing!
Hi Amy,
I made these today and used regular flour. Baked them for 25 minutes and they came out perfect. Baby and hubby are eating them now… I better hurry up or they will be gone 🙂
I’m so glad I found your website, so many great ideas!
Rachel Melroy
Hi Rachel!! I’m so glad that they worked well with regular flour and I appreciate you letting me know. Enjoy what’s left of the batch!
OK, I am so making these this weekend. (PS. Can I use regular flour instead of almond?)
I bet you could use regular or even whole wheat flour, though I haven’t done it. Check them for doneness starting a few minutes earlier though since all purpose or ww flour is drier than almond flour and may not need as much baking time.