One Bowl Banana Chip Muffins

If you like to bake with your kiddos as much as I do, you know how nice it can be to use a recipe that only needs one bowl and a wooden mixing spoon.

My boys and I came up with this recipe to satisfy their craving for a "good snack" (i.e., something with chocolate in it) after school and to meet my goal of giving them something healthier than store-bought granola bars.

These muffins use apple sauce instead of oil or butter. After a few positive in-home tests, I decided to see what the middle school students we work with through the Junior League of Peoria's Kids in the Kitchen program thought of these treats.

The goal of Kids in the Kitchen is to empower kids to make healthy meals and snacks on their own, like these sweet potatoes topped with black bean and tomato salad. So a bowl and a spoon was as complicated as we wanted to get with our foray into baking.

As you guys know, I love to bake with bananas and I knew the pre-teens in our cooking group liked banana bread. This recipe was a hit with them. You can read more about it and see photos here.

The muffins are moist and flavorful and they freeze well.

Mangia! Mangia!
Andrea

One Bowl Banana Chip Muffins

2 medium ripe bananas
1 cup apple sauce
2 teaspoons vanilla
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
2 large eggs
1 cup sugar
2 cups flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
Pinch of salt
1 cup chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line a muffin pan with liners or coat with cooking spray.

In a large bowl, mash the banana with a fork. Add applesauce, vanilla, cinnamon and egg. Mix until smooth.

Add sugar, flour, baking powder and salt. Stir to combine. Add chocolate chips and mix well to incorporate.

Using a 1/4 cup measuring up, scoop mixture into muffin cups.

Bake for 15 minutes or until muffins rise and are golden brown on top. You also can test for doneness by using a toothpick inserted into the center of a muffin. It should come out clean.

Remove muffins from oven and let cool 15 minutes before eating.