I mean sure, you can make all sorts of paleo “blah-blah-naturally-sweetened-with-bananas” type things… but those aren’t really muffins. Muffins are fluffy, and slightly sweet, with a delicious crusty top. They’re basically cupcakes without the frosting if we’re being honest with ourselves. They’re cupcakes we can feel better about eating.

However, if there was such a thing as a healthy muffin – this would be it! It does contain sugar but also has pumpkin purée, apple, carrot, and zucchini (courgette) inside. Not to mention pumpkin seeds and sunflower seeds.

It might not seem like the kind of recipe for the beautiful sunny weather we’ve been having, but I think it works. The flavours may feel like fall (with the pumpkin, cinnamon, and cloves) but the fact that it’s healthy makes it feel like summer to me! I can’t be the only one who craves salad and other healthy foods once the weather heats up? Goodbye, hearty and rich stews – hello BBQ!

In my humble opinion, if carrot cake is acceptable all year round, why not these?

So if you’d like a morning treat, or something to bring to the office, and are looking for healthier options – why not try these? I can guarantee you that you won’t be disappointed.

Chocolate banana muffin recipe | Hello Victoria

So I’ve been on the hunt for the perfect banana recipe – banana bread or banana muffins, I’m not picky. I’m always buying bananas, in an effort to get my 5 a day, but they keep ripening too fast!

Richard thinks I’m crazy, but when a banana has more than a few spots, I sort of lose interest in eating it. I like my bananas more on the green side. Speaking of which, when I was in Nepal, they had the best bananas (and they were always super green)!! As the food in the orphanage I worked in was dal bhat twice a day (gets a bit monotonous) the piece of fruit as dessert each evening was most enjoyable. And one of the best fruits I found, was the humble banana! It might have been the lack of variety in my diet, but those bananas were like the equivalent of candy over there.

I’ll eat the ones on the right, but the other ones are only good for baking IMHO

So in an effort not to waste my spotted bananas, I’ve been baking with them! Unfortunately, lots of the recipes just aren’t quite as good as I’m hoping for. I wanted something decidedly more-ish but kept ending up with dry or bland, and certainly not banana-y enough. Like all my made-up words there?

After all those failed attempts (okay, two), I decided to rework a banana muffin recipe that I had. I could vaguely remember a good recipe from an old job that I had loved and used to alter my current one. I increased the banana amount considerably and added some chopped chocolate and a bit of cinnamon. It’s still not quite perfect yet, but good enough to share.

One thing that they did at my old job that I loved, was adding banana chips on top of their muffins. It always looked so cute! I tried using fresh banana slices, which were okay, but they prevented the crust from baking properly underneath the slice, and of course, they turned brown over time.

After that, I decided to try making homemade banana chips – crunchy like the fried ones you buy in the store – but healthier. I found some images and recipes on Pinterest, showing banana chips just like the fried ones! …but they were all lies! The recipes I found simply dehydrated them without turning them crunchy, and again… they turned brown. I ended up just using some store-bought ones instead.

So here it is, the best banana muffin recipe I have found so far. If you have one you think is better, please let me know! Otherwise, I’ll keep experimenting…