Pumpkin Banana Chocolate Chip Muffins (Nut-Free)

I ended up making Pumpkin Banana Chocolate Chip Muffins when I really wanted to bake with a can of pumpkin puree on my counter but I also had some very ripe bananas. This recipe definitely satisfied both needs and were delicious and easy to make. The muffins were lightly sweetened, moist, and fluffy. This recipe is nut-free, dairy-free (if you use dairy-free chocolate), and easy to adapt egg-free.

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Making Pumpkin Banana Chocolate Chip Muffins My Way

My son who graduated from college and living at home now and he loves pumpkin, so I decided to make some pumpkin muffins for a quick and easy snack for him. I wasn’t sure if mixing two very wet ingredients such as ripe bananas and canned pumpkin would be too much. I checked online and decided to adapt All Recipe’s banana pumpkin bread recipe in the following ways:

• Use the entire 15-ounce can of pumpkin puree for the extra nutrition from the pumpkin puree.
• Reduced the sugar and oil in the recipe since I added chocolate chips to the recipe.
• Baked muffins instead of a loaf to reduce the baking time which saves energy costs and for the convenience for grab and go breakfast or snacks.

I’m happy to report that the muffins were amazing!!

Baking Tips

This recipe is easy and straight forward but here are a few things to keep in mind to help the recipe turn out.

• Use a 12-cup muffin tin. Because I used the entire can of pumpkin puree, the muffins will be big! You will need a 12-cup cupcake/muffin pan with wells that are actually 1 cup in size.
• Use parchment paper cupcake/muffin liners. It’s so super easy to peel the parchment paper liners off the muffin without tearing the muffins.
• Tiny first scoops of batter for neater muffins. Sometimes when I scoop a heaping tablespoon of batter into the muffin tins, I make a big mess when the batter touches the sides of the liner. Instead, I recommend dropping in a teaspoon of batter (size of a grape) into the liner to weigh it down. Then continue to drop in regular sized scoops into each liner evenly.
• Make pretty muffins by sprinkling the reserved chocolate chips on top. If you accidentally mix in all of the chocolate chips, that’s fine too!
• Test doneness with a wooden skewer (or toothpicks) to see if the muffins are ready. I like using a wooden skewer for the long reach. When you pull the skewer out, it’s fine to see a crumb or two but if you see a streak of batter, then the muffin needs more time in the oven.

Recipe Variations

Instead of using chocolate chips in this recipe, try baking with white chocolate chips. White chocolate chips are intensely sweet and have a carmelized flavor. 

I used Rodelle’s Vanilla Extract in this recipe. However, Rodelle also produces a chocolate extract which would be amazing in this recipe as well. I also use the chocolate extract in my recipe for Triple Chocolate Banana Bread, Nut Free. I love Rodelle’s allergen statement for their extracts, “Rodelle does not utilize peanuts or tree-nuts on its production floor or in its products.”

Lastly, if you prefer baking a pumpkin banana chocolate chip loaf, you can! I would estimate that it would take 50-55 minutes to bake.

Allergy Aware Pumpkin Banana Chocolate Chip Muffins

It can also easily be made egg-free by using a powered egg-replacer. I like using Ener-G’s egg replacer, use an immersion blender or whisk and beat it until it’s white and foamy.

I don’t have pumpkin pie spice on hand so I used cinnamon. However, I thought of someone I know who is allergic to cinnamon. In that case, I would recommend using a blend of different warm fall spice such as ground cloves, ginger, and/or nutmeg. Be careful about using no more than 1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon nutmeg in any recipe.

Gentle Reminder: banana bread and pumpkin bread are often baked with nuts. This is a delicious nut-free recipe but we can never let our guards down. It’s important to check whether or not there are nuts or other allergens in muffins or quickbreads when eating out, sharing foods with others, etc..

This recipe is free of peanuts, tree nuts, soy, shellfish, fish, and sesame as written. It’s also dairy-free if you use dairy-free chocolate chips.

5 from 10 votes

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Pumpkin Banana Chocolate Chip Muffins (Nut-Free)

I ended up making Pumpkin Banana Chocolate Chip Muffins when I couldn't decide between baking banana bread or pumpkin bread! I really wanted to bake with a can of pumpkin puree on my counter but I also had some very ripe bananas. This recipe definitely satisfied both needs and were delicious and easy to make. The muffins were lightly sweetened, moist, and fluffy. This recipe is nut-free, dairy-free (if you use dairy-free chocolate), and easy to adapt egg-free.

Course Breakfast, Snack

Cuisine American

Keyword banana pumpkin muffins

Prep Time 10 minutes

Cook Time 25 minutes

Total Time 35 minutes

Servings 12 muffins

Calories 185 kcal

Author Sharon Wong @Nut Free Wok

Ingredients

• 2 1/2 cup all purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 2 ripe bananas large
• 2 eggs
• 1 15- ounce can pumpkin puree
• 1/2 cup brown sugar granulated sugar is ok too
• 1/4 cup olive oil or neutral oil
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 3/4 cup chocolate chips dairy-free as needed, divided

Instructions

1. Line a 12-cup muffin tin with cupcake parchment paper liners, set aside. Preheat oven to 350°F.

2. In a medium sized bowl, combine the flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, and salt, set aside.

3. In a medium sized mixing bowl, lightly mash the bananas with a fork just until it's still chunky but no longer banana shaped. Add the two eggs and lightly beat the eggs. Add the pumpkin puree, sugar, olive oil, and vanilla extract and mix with a spatula to combine all the ingredients.

4. Add the dry ingredients to the banana and pumpkin mixture, and gently mix until 75% combined. Reserve 1-2 tablespoons of chocolate chips, add the remaining chocolate chips to the batter and fold the chocolate chips in until the flour is mostly incorporated, do not over mix.

5. Spoon all of the batter into the parchment paper cup lined muffin baking tray until the cups are nearly full. Sprinkle the remaining chocolate chips on the batter. Bake for 25 minutes until golden brown. Poke the muffins with a skewer or a toothpick to check for doneness. The muffins are best served warm.

Recipe Notes

Recipe variations:

Use your favorite egg-replacer method for an egg-free variation. 

Use white chocolate chips instead of chocolate chips.

Calories calculated are an estimate.

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