Banana Chocolate Chip Muffins baked in cookie cutters

Bananas and chocolate are a classic combination that I love. I think these muffins are a good excuse for a "dessert-like" treat at breakfast.

Playing Around

I've heard of pastry chefs using bottomless molds to make cakes and tarts so I thought why not muffins too. I pulled out some of my favorite cookie cutters and gave it a go, and it worked! I sprayed each cookie cutter with some cooking spray first, and then set them on a parchment-lined baking sheet. I used a piping bag (aka a freezer bag) to fill each cookie cutter 3/4 full and popped them in the oven.

So, if they're muffins baked in cookie cutters, are they "cookie muffins" or "muffin cookies"?

Recipe

Makes 12 muffins

½ cup butter
1 cup sugar
3 ripe bananas
2 eggs
¼ cup buttermilk
1 teaspoon baking soda
2 cups flour
½ cup chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 350˚F.

Cream the butter and sugar. Mash the bananas with a fork in a separate bowl. Add the bananas to the butter/sugar mixture. Add eggs, and blend. In a separate bowl, whisk the baking soda and flour. Add the flour/soda mixture alternately with the buttermilk. Stir in chocolate chips.

Pipe batter into cookie cutters that are lined up on parchment paper on a baking sheet. Bake for 20 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.

Tasting Notes
I love these banana muffins. If you don't like chocolate, you can leave it out or replace it with nuts. It's a simple, but delicious recipe!