If you’re craving something rich, chocolatey, and just barely acceptable to eat for breakfast, these sourdough double chocolate banana muffins will hit the spot! They’re a delicious cross between banana bread and brownies, but really they’re cake disguised as muffins so it’s totally fine if you sneak one in before your morning coffee.
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You’ll Love These Muffins!
These are not your average banana muffins. They’re:
- Bakery-style, with beautifully tall domed & crackly tops
- So satisfyingly chocolatey with both cocoa powder and chopped chocolate (or chocolate chips)
- Moist and tender thanks to the ripe bananas, sourdough discard, and sour cream
Key Ingredients You Need (And Why)
- Ripe bananas bring tons of complex natural sweetness and moisture
- Sourdough discard adds a subtle tang and makes the crumb super tender. If you don’t have any, learn how to make your own sourdough starter from scratch (it’s easy to do, I promise!). Or you can ask for some from a local bakery, or buy a dehydrated starter online.
- Cocoa powder for deep, chocolatey flavour
- Chopped dark or milk chocolate provide melty pockets of goodness in every bite. You can use chocolate chips instead if you prefer. My kids like it better with milk chocolate, but if you like deep and rich chocolate treats, go for dark or semisweet.
- Sour cream keeps things rich and decadent. Go for full-fat if you can, the flavour will be so much better.
How to Make Sourdough Double Chocolate Banana Muffins
This is truly a no-fuss recipe! The simple steps, in a nutshell:
- Preheat the oven to 425˚F (220˚C) and line a muffin tin.
- Mix the dries.
- Blend the wet ingredients (including the bananas and sugar) until smooth.
- Mix the wets + dries until just combined.
- Fold in the chocolate chips or chunks.
- Bake for 5 minutes, reduce the oven to 350˚F (175˚C) and bake for another 25-30 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center of a muffin comes out clean.
- Cool, and enjoy!
Pro Tip
For beautiful sky-high domed tops, bake the muffins at 425˚F (220˚C) for the first 5 minutes, then lower the oven to 350˚F (175˚C) for the rest of the bake.
Tips for Perfect Muffins
- Don’t overmix! Stir the wets and dries until just combined for a nice tender crumb.
- For the smoothest batter, let your eggs and milk come up to room temperature.
- Check for doneness using a toothpick. Because it’s a dark batter, it can be difficult to tell when they’re done baking by checking for colour.
If you like making muffins, you’ll love my Sourdough Blueberry Lemon Muffins recipe too!
Pro Tip
For extra special bakery-quality muffins, sprinkle on some chocolate chips or chunks on top before baking.
Make-Ahead and Storage
- Room temperature: Keep the muffins on the counter for up to 3 days. They’ll stay fresher in an airtight container, but even left out on a plate they’ll remain moist for a few days thanks to the sourdough discard.
- Fridge: Store for up to a week in an airtight container.
- Freezer: You can freeze baked + cooled muffins in an airtight container for up to 3 months. Or portion the batter into muffin cups and freeze. You can bake them straight from frozen, just add a couple minutes to the bake time.
Pro Tip
Leave the batter in the fridge overnight to allow some fermentation to happen, which will deepen the flavour and improve the texture of your muffins!
Flavour Variations & Mix-Ins
To customize these muffins and make them your own, add up to 150 grams (or about 1 cup) of any mix-ins you like. Here are some ideas to get you started:
- Toasted chopped walnuts or pecans for some crunch
- Dried cherries or cranberries
- Reese’s pieces or peanut butter chips
- Add a crumb topping, like the one I use in my Sourdough Blueberry Lemon Muffins recipe.
- Make it a mocha by adding 2 teaspoons of instant espresso powder to the dry ingredients.
FAQs
Absolutely! Just swap out the all-purpose flour for an equal amount of a gluten-free baking flour mix, like Cup4Cup.
Yes! Either will work just fine, but active starter does have a stronger gluten structure which may affect the texture of the batter. Avoid using discard that’s more than 2 weeks old so the muffins don’t end up too sour.
Yes! You can either leave it to ferment in the fridge for up to one day, or portion the batter out into muffin cups and freeze. Store the frozen portioned batter in an airtight bag or container for up to 3 months. You can bake from frozen, just add a couple minutes to the bake time.
Yes! Let them thaw out in the fridge and drain out any excess liquid before blending them into the wet ingredients.
Sourdough Double Chocolate Banana Muffins
Ingredients
Method
- Preheat the oven to 425˚F. Line a muffin tin with paper liners.
- To a large mixing bowl, add 110 g all-purpose flour, 50 g cocoa powder, 1 ½ teaspoons baking powder, and ¼ teaspoon fine sea salt. Whisk to combine.
- To a blender or food processor, add 165 g granulated sugar, 150 g mashed bananas, 65 g sourdough discard, 70 g whole milk, 65 g unsalted butter (melted), 2 large eggs, and 1 ½ teaspoons vanilla extract. Blend until completely smooth.
- Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients, and mix until just combined. Add 75 g chopped semisweet or milk chocolate and fold in just until evenly distributed.
- Divide the batter evenly between the muffin cups. I like using a blue (2 oz) cookie scoop to make sure each muffin has the same amount of batter. If you don't have a blue cookie scoop, you can use a ¼-cup measuring cup instead. Sprinkle on a generous amount of coarse or turbinado sugar to cover the top of each muffin.
- Bake for 5 minutes, then lower the oven to 350˚F (175˚C) and bake for another 25-30 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center of a muffin comes out clean. Turn the pan halfway through to ensure even baking. Leave the muffins in the pan for 5-10 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.
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