Chocolate Banana Muffins

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     I just realized that the majority of my posts involve bananas... they just taste so good! But I've gotta say, the banana+chocolate combo is even better.

     I made this recipe about 6 months ago while I was in school (yes, I was procrastinating). I was in the mood for something chocolatey but I had a few bananas on hand. I put them together in a baked good hoping that it would be a good combination, but sadly, my first batch was not very tasty--it smelled of chocolate but it tasted like plain banana bread to me, however that may be because my tastebuds cannot detect chocolate anymore after inhaling so many when I was younger...  So, my second batch needed more chocolate (oh, and a little bit more moisture, it was on the dry end).  Turns out, I needed to make a total of 3 batches to get the perfect banana//chocolate balance!  I went on FoodGawker to see if anyone else made Chocolate Banana Muffins, and apparently lots of people do! I found quite a few recipes, but many of them had daunting ingredients lists. One recipe called for 1-2/3 cups of sugar and another called for 14 tbs of butter (that's almost 1 cup!). Why make muffins using those ingredients when you can make it so much healthier and tastier? I mean, no one wants a heart attack in a muffin liner. That is why these muffins were made.

     This cake is low-cholesterol, low-sugar, and full of antioxidants from the cacao powder and bananas.

Chocolate Banana Muffins:
(makes 6 large muffins)

Dry:
  150g (1+1/4 cups) Whole Wheat Pastry Flour
  42g (7.5 tbs) Regular Cocoa Powder (unsweetened)
  48g (1/4 cup) Sucanat (or sweetener of choice)
  1 tsp Baking Powder
  1/4 tsp Sea Salt
Wet I:
  4 Egg Whites, large
  240g Banana (~2 large)
  113g (1/2 cup) Plain, Nonfat Greek Yogurt
  1 tsp Vanilla Extract
  1 tsp Stevia Extract
Wet II:
  60g 60% Cacao Chocolate Chips
  42g (3 tbs) Coconut Oil (or any other neutral oil)

Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit
2. In a large bowl, whisk together the dry ingredients
3. In another large bowl, whisk together the Wet I ingredients
4. In a medium bowl, heat the Wet II ingredients until smooth
5. Pour the Wet II mixture into the Wet I mixture and stir until combined
6. Pour the wet mixture into the dry mixture and stir until combined
7. Spray a muffin pan and fill each muffin tin 3/4 deep (the batter made 10 large muffins for me), bake for 35+ minutes, or until a toothpick comes out clean)

This cake is moist, flavorful, and best eaten warm out of the oven  :)

Note: These muffins turn hard in the fridge, so just microwave it for 30 seconds and POOF... it is a soft, warm muffin that oozes delicious, creamy chocolate... mmm, I'm reliving the moment!