These light, fluffy muffins are ideal for an on-the-go breakfast or a mid-morning snack. Naturally sweetened by ripe bananas, they have less added sugar while still delivering plenty of flavour. Enjoy the satisfying crunch of walnuts and rich pockets of melted dark chocolate in every bite. They’re simple to make and will fill your home with a warm, inviting aroma.

The muffins freeze well, so if you have a glut of overripe bananas and fancy doubling up the recipe, you can build your freezer stash so you have plenty of snacks for the next few months.

To keep the cost of these muffins down, opt for a bag of walnut pieces rather than walnut halves. You’ll be breaking them up into smaller pieces anyway!

Ingredients (makes 12):
3 very ripe bananas
150ml oat milk (or other plant-based milk)
150g plant-based butter/spread
50g caster sugar
50g soft brown sugar
1 tsp vanilla extract
290g self raising flour
1/2 tsp baking powder
60g dark chocolate chips
100g walnuts, broken into small pieces


Method:
1. Preheat your oven to fan 180°C.

2. Put 12 liners in a muffin tin and lightly brush with a little oil to help stop the mixture sticking.

3. Mash the bananas in a large mixing bowl.

4. Add the milk, butter, sugar and vanilla extract to the bowl and mix well.

5. Fold in the flour and baking powder until the batter is combined, but avoid over-mixing.

6. Stir through the dark chocolate chips and roughly 80g of the walnuts.

7. Spoon the batter evenly into the muffin liners then sprinkle the remaining walnut pieces on top.

8. Bake for 22-25 minutes until the muffins are golden on top and a toothpick comes out clean.

9. Leave to cool for a few minutes before transferring to a wire cooling rack. If freezing, cool fully before putting them in an airtight container.