Banana Chocolate-Chip Muffins

I tend to stock-pile bananas.  Every weekend, without fail, I buy enough bananas to get me through the work-week.  Unfortunately, I tend to overindulge my banana enthusiasm.  And before I know it, I’ve tossed another two overripe bananas into the freezer – with the idea that some day soon they would find themselves in banana bread.

“Soon” soon took on new meaning.

Last week I opened my freezer to a veritable army of frozen bananas, their ranks having swelled over the preceding weeks.  Over fifteen members strong, they looked intent on taking over the ice tray, if not the entire arctic terrain.  Out of desperation, I took four frozen bananas, let them thaw, and then made

Banana Chocolate-Chip Muffins

Recipe adapted from Nigella Lawson’s Nigella Express.

PREP TIME: 2 minutes
COOK TIME: 20 minutes
YIELD: 6 monster-muffins, or 12 regulation-size muffins

WHAT TO GRAB:
1/2 cup vegetable oil
2 eggs, beaten
1 2/3 cups flour
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon Kosher salt
2 cups mashed bananas (3 to 4 overripe bananas)
1 cup chocolate, white-chocolate, or butterscotch chips (or some combination)

HOW YOU DO IT:

1. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. If making monster muffins, lightly grease a 6-cup muffin pan. If making normal size muffins, line a 12-cup muffin pan with paper liners.

2. Sift together the flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in a large bowl. With a rubber spatula, mix in the vanilla, beaten eggs, and then the vegetable oil. Fold the mashed bananas into the mixture. Finally, fold in the chocolate chips.

3. Divide the batter into the muffin cups. Bake for 20 minutes, or until a cake tester comes out clean. Cool on a baking rack, then serve!