chocolate-glazed banana bread muffins

You know how you stumble across a food blog and you just know you’re going to love anything and everything posted on that blog, ever? That’s what happened to me when I discovered Georgia’s unbelievably amazing blog, The Comfort of Cooking. Not only does this girl take the most breathtaking photos of food, but she’s got a great personality to boot (she also loves cheese, which pretty much makes us besties already). Anyway, I’ve asked her to post for me on this lovely Monday while I get back into the swing of things post-vacation (I’ll be back on Thursday, promise!), so I’ll stop talking now and let her take it away with these chocolate-glazed banana bread muffins. OH YES.

Hey there, lovely Girl Versus Dough readers! I’m Georgia Johnson from The Comfort of Cooking, a blog where I share easy, delicious twists on traditional comfort foods. I love everything about food, and the butter on my bread is cooking it for and sharing it with family, friends, and basically anyone who loves good food, too! Some of my recipes are light, some indulgent, but all are scrumptious, fresh and frugal.

It makes me so happy that Stephanie asked me to guest post for her today. I’ve been a longtime follower of her here, and am thrilled to be able to contribute in some small way. Today, that “way” is by sharing these amazing Chocolate-Glazed Banana Bread Muffins with you!

In my home, as a pint-sized kid barely tall enough to peer over the kitchen counter, love smelled like a warm, fragrant loaf of banana bread, baked for a lazy weekend breakfast. What my mom didn’t teach me about cooking, she more than made up for in baking lessons! The myriad of mouthwatering treats you can create out of flour, sugar, salt and baking powder always amazes me. Still, though, I turned out a cook. A little bit of this, a little bit of that – That’s my method. It’s a wonder I have measurements in my recipes at all! Hehe.

By putting a modern twist on the traditional banana bread loaf, I can enjoy those memories with mom in pint-sized form! These Banana Bread Muffins are so soft, sweet almost too good to indulge in for breakfast. Dipped in a smooth layer of creamy chocolate ganache and garnished with sprinkles, these mini morning treats are seriously melt-in-your-mouth good.

Enjoy these flavorful, fluffy little muffins for breakfast some weekend morning! They’re easy to make and irresistible for adults and kiddos alike. After all, I think we can all agree that rainbow sprinkles are the best thing in the world! … Just how is it that they make everything taste so much better?

I hope you come visit me at The Comfort of Cooking sometime soon, and say hi if you do! I’d love to hear what you think about these muffins! You can also find me on Facebook, Twitter and Pinterest.

Thanks again to Stephanie for having me at Girl Versus Dough today – it’s been a real treat!

Chocolate Glazed Banana Bread Muffins

Yields: 24 muffins

Ingredients:

For Banana Bread Muffins —

Nonstick cooking spray
2 2/3 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
3/4 cups (1 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter
1 cup light brown sugar
3/4 cup granulated sugar
2 large eggs
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
2 ripe bananas, mashed
1/2 cup milk

For Chocolate Glaze and Decoration —

1/2 cup semisweet or milk chocolate chips
1/2 cup heavy whipping cream
1/4 cup sprinkles, optional

Directions:

For Banana Bread Muffins: Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

Line the cups of a standard-sized muffin pan with paper liners. Spray cups with nonstick cooking spray.

In a medium bowl, whisk flour, salt and baking soda. In a separate large mixing bowl with a handheld electric mixer, or the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat butter and sugars until fluffy. Add eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition. Add vanilla and banana.

On low speed, alternate adding flour mixture and milk, beginning and ending with flour.

Fill muffin cups 2/3 full of muffin batter. Bake for 16-18 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean. Let sit for 10 minutes before removing to a wire rack to cool. Once cooled, dip in chocolate glaze (recipe below), if desired.

Store in an airtight container at room temperature for 5 days. You can also freeze the muffins in a re-sealable plastic bag or container for up to 1 month. Reheat in the microwave or oven.

For Chocolate Glaze: Add chocolate chips to a small bowl. In a small saucepan over medium-high heat, add heavy cream and heat until just bubbling hot. Remove from heat and pour over chocolate chips. Let stand 1 minute, then whisk until smooth. Once muffins have cooled, lightly dip the tops in the chocolate glaze. If you’d like, add sprinkles to a small plate and roll the edges of the glazed muffins in the sprinkles.

Enjoy!