I have a question for you, Chickens: do you always seem to have bunches of black bananas in your freezer? It seems like we eat a lot of bananas and yet my freezer stash continues to grow! This recipe is a great go-to to use up your stash and it’s truly the recipe that made me fall in love with the home cooks in this cookbook!

Last year, Norma had a couple of over-ripe bananas that were going to meet the compost bin when I told her to throw them in the freezer … she looked at me like I was crazy! I convinced her that when she baked with them, the banana flavor would be so much stronger. Norma still doubted me when she squeezed the slimy goo from the black skin (This is true! — NORMA). She was soon a believer when she tasted the end product. The flavor is so well-rounded, compared with using just an over-ripe banana.

Besides using up the freezer stash, I love this recipe because it’s quick and easy and you just need a bowl (okay, 2) and a wooden spoon – no mixer required. I always make a double batch so that I can put a dozen into the freezer for later. And, my kids love baked goods that they can grab and go. So, here’s my favorite muffin recipe from Joanne Shields of Olds, Alberta (hey, she’s in my neck of the woods!) …

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Banana Chip Muffins

1 egg
1/3 cup vegetable oil
¾ cup sugar
3 medium ripe bananas, mashed (about 1 1/3 cups)
2 cups all-purpose flour
½ cup old-fashioned oats
¾ teaspoon baking soda
½ teaspoon baking powder
½ teaspoon salt
¾ cup miniature semisweet chocolate chips (I use the regular size)

1.In a large mixing bowl, beat egg, oil and sugar until smooth. Stir in bananas. Combine the flour, oats, baking soda, baking powder and salt; stir into the banana mixture just until moistened. Stir in chocolate chips.

2.Fill greased muffin cups ¾ full. Bake at 375F for 18-20 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean. Cool for 5 minutes before removing from pan to a wire rack.

To be honest, I never grease my pans … I always use @paperchef parchment muffin cups. Nothing sticks to these, they’re fantastic! Also, I put ¼ cup of batter in each cup and with this recipe, I get 15 muffins to a single batch. The perfect bake is done at 17 minutes.

Did you know … if you don’t fill every well in your muffin pan, you should fill them with water? Baking with empty wells will ruin your pan!

What does Norma say about these muffins? It’s true! The banana flavor is sooo much better using the thawed freezer bananas — I wouldn’t have believed it if I didn’t try it because the bananas themselves are really gross looking in this condition, but close your eyes, mash ‘em up and throw ‘em in! mmmmmm – lovely little bundles of joy (they’re not huge muffins, more cupcake sized) to have with breakfast, lunch or a cup of tea 🙂

TEMPTATION LEVEL out of 10: The flavour is rich and natural — chocolate and banana are one of the ‘power couples’ of the baking world! I’d even throw in a few more chips … at least an extra 1/4 cup … A tasty 7 out of 10 🙂