My Recipe for Easy Gluten Free Chocolate Banana Muffins {based on a Nigella Recipe}

Hands up who has a couple of blackened bananas left in the bowl every couple of weeks!? I tend to keep a few back now because I love this recipe so much. I adapted it from a non gluten free Nigella one — this is my own version of easy gluten free chocolate banana muffins.

I’m not a fan of banana bread but I really LOVE these. Mega simple to make, the hardest thing about them is spooning the mixture into the cases without slopping it over the edge!! ;) Seriously, they’re so easy.

I occasionally make an adapted non-gluten free recipe too, which I’ll share another day. But for now, this is the gluten free version.

Moist and light — these cakes are a winner with the whole family — whether you follow a gluten free diet or not.

Here’s what you need to do.

Recipe for Easy Gluten Free Chocolate Banana Muffins

Makes 12 muffins (or 24 if you’re using small fairycake cases)

You will need:

Muffin cases (or fairycake cases)
3 very ripe or overripe bananas
125 millilitres vegetable oil (I usually use rape-seed oil)
2 large eggs
100 grams soft dark brown sugar
200 grams gluten free plain flour (I use Doves Farm Freee — but any would do) 
3 tablespoons best-quality cocoa powder (sifted)
1 teaspoon bicarbonate of soda
100g chocolate chips (I always use half a packet of Dr Oetker Milk Chocolate Chips and half a packet of Dr Oetker Dark Chocolate Chips — but that’s just my preference).

Method

Preheat the oven to 200C/180C fan/400°F/gas 6.

Line a 12-bun muffin tin with paper cases. Regular cake cases will do, if you don’t have the larger muffin ones (this just means you get smaller cakes, but double the quantity). 

Peel the bananas, then mash by hand; or with a stick blender. I always use my stick as you can really purée the bananas down.

Next add the oil, followed by the eggs and sugar. Beat well, until the mixture is all combined.

Mix the gluten free flour, cocoa powder and bicarb together, then add this dry mixture to the wet. I fold in, using a metal spool, trying to get lots of air into the mixture.

When the mix is all combined, throw in the chocolate chips and make sure they’re (fairly) evenly distributed. 

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Spoon the mixture into the muffin or cake cases. To be honest, I find this is the trickiest bit!! Filling the cases (and trying not to slop it all over the tray) takes me as long as making the actual batter!

 Bake in the preheated oven for 5 minutes.

Set the timer!

When the timer goes off, turn the tray round! I find that if I don’t do this, the ones nearest the back of the oven start to catch on the top. Since I’ve been spinning the tray round 180º, they never burn and always cook evenly and perfectly.

Cook — on timed — for another 5 minutes.

When They’re Cooked

When the timer goes off — check the muffins are cooked through with a skewer. Remember that, if it doesn’t come out clean, you might be hitting a melted chocolate chip!!

Check again in another part of the cake and if they’re not quite cooked, pop them in for a further minute or two. 

Allow to cool slightly in their tin before transferring to a wire rack.

I do love my easy bakes. The gingerbread that I’ve shared on the blog before is really simple to make; as are the shortbread biscuits. 

But these easy gluten free chocolate banana muffins take something that otherwise would be thrown away, and turn them into something that the whole family love!

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