These banana chocolate chunk muffins are soft, moist, and packed with sweet banana flavour and generous chunks of melted chocolate. Inspired by McDonald's bakery-style muffins, this easy homemade recipe uses ripe bananas, melted butter, and a chopped chocolate bar for deliciously gooey chocolate in every bite.

The secret to those beautifully risen muffin tops? Starting with a hot oven before lowering the temperature!

Banana chocolate chunk muffin broken open to show its soft crumb and chocolate pieces.

Jump to:

🎥 My latest video

❤️ Why you will love these muffins

Homemade banana chocolate chunk muffins in a muffin tin with chocolate pieces and pink flowers.

🍌 Ingredients for Banana Chocolate Chunk Muffins

All-purpose flour: Gives the muffins structure while keeping them soft and tender.

Baking powder and baking soda: Both help the muffins rise and create beautifully fluffy muffin tops.

Cinnamon: Adds a subtle warmth that complements the banana and chocolate.

Ripe bananas: Use very ripe bananas with plenty of brown spots for the best natural sweetness and banana flavour.

Melted butter: Adds richness and moisture. You can substitute melted coconut oil if preferred.

Brown sugar: Adds sweetness and helps keep the muffins soft and moist.

Egg: Use a room-temperature egg to help the ingredients combine evenly.

Milk: Regular milk works well, but you can also use your favourite dairy-free milk.

Vanilla extract: Enhances the sweetness and flavour of the bananas and chocolate.

Chocolate chunks: Chop a chocolate bar into generous chunks for delicious pockets of melted chocolate throughout the muffins. Chocolate chips also work if that's what you have available.

Ingredients for banana chocolate chunk muffins, including bananas, flour, chocolate, butter, egg and brown sugar.

🥄 STEP-BY-STEP INSTRUCITONS

1. Preheat the oven: Preheat your oven to 425°F (218°C) and line a 12-cup muffin tin with paper liners.

2. Combine the dry ingredients: In a medium bowl, whisk together the all-purpose flour, brown sugar, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and cinnamon.

3. Mix the wet ingredients: In a large bowl, combine the mashed bananas and melted butter. Add the egg, vanilla extract, and milk, mixing until well combined.

4. Make the muffin batter: Gradually add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients, stirring gently until just combined. Do not overmix. The batter should be thick.

5. Fold in the chocolate chunks: Gently fold the chopped chocolate into the batter, reserving a few pieces to sprinkle over the tops of the muffins.

6. Bake: Divide the batter evenly among the prepared muffin cups and top with the reserved chocolate chunks. Bake at 425°F (218°C) for 5 minutes. Without opening the oven door, reduce the temperature to 350°F (177°C) and continue baking for another 18–22 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the centre comes out clean or with a few moist crumbs.

7. Cool and enjoy: Allow the muffins to cool in the tin for 5 minutes before transferring them to a wire rack to cool completely.

Preheat Your Oven: Start by preheating your oven to 425 F (218°C) and line a muffin tin with paper liners.

Flour, brown sugar and baking powder in a bowl ready to mix.
Combine the dry ingredients.

Mashed bananas and wet ingredients in a mixing bowl.
Add the wet ingredients, including the bananas.

Dry ingredients being added to the banana muffin batter.
Combine the dry and wet ingredients.

Dry ingredients being added to the banana muffin batter
Add the chocolate chunks.

Thick banana chocolate chunk muffin batter lifted with a spatula from a mixing bowl
A thick batter.

Why Start Baking Muffins at a High Temperature?

Starting these banana chocolate chunk muffins at 425°F (218°C) gives the batter an initial burst of heat, helping the muffins rise quickly and develop beautifully domed, bakery-style tops.

After 5 minutes, reduce the oven temperature to 350°F (177°C) without opening the door. This allows the muffins to finish baking more gently, keeping the centres soft and moist while the tops turn golden brown.

Banana chocolate chunk muffin with a golden top and melted chocolate in the center.

📝 Tips for Making the Best Banana Chocolate Chunk Muffins

Use Ripe Bananas

For the best flavor and natural sweetness, use very ripe bananas. The riper the bananas, the sweeter and more flavorful your muffins will be. Look for bananas with plenty of brown spots.

Don't Overmix the Batter

When combining the wet and dry ingredients, mix until just combined. Overmixing can lead to dense, tough muffins. A few lumps in the batter are perfectly fine.

Room Temperature Ingredients

Ensure your egg is at room temperature before mixing. This helps create a smoother batter and results in more evenly baked muffins.

Measure the Flour Correctly

To avoid dry muffins, spoon and level the flour rather than scooping it directly from the bag. Scooping can compact the flour, leading to too much flour in the batter.

Use Chopped Chocolate Instead of Chocolate Chips

For delicious pockets of melted chocolate, chop a good-quality chocolate bar into generous chunks rather than using regular chocolate chips. The uneven pieces create a lovely mix of small chocolate flecks and larger, gooey chunks throughout the muffins. Save a handful to sprinkle over the batter before baking for beautiful bakery-style muffin tops.

Stacked banana chocolate chunk muffins with a cut muffin showing chocolate pieces inside.

❓ FAQS

How ripe should bananas be for banana chocolate chunk muffins?

Very ripe bananas with plenty of brown spots are ideal. They are naturally sweeter, softer, and easier to mash, giving your muffins a delicious banana flavour and moist texture.

How do I mash bananas for muffins?

Peel the bananas and mash them in a bowl using a fork or potato masher. A few small lumps are perfectly fine and add texture to the finished muffins.

Should I let muffin batter rest before baking?

For this recipe, I recommend baking the batter straight away. The baking powder and baking soda begin reacting once combined with the wet ingredients, so getting the muffins into the oven promptly helps them rise.

How do you keep banana chocolate chunk muffins moist?

Use very ripe bananas, measure your flour correctly, and avoid overmixing the batter. Bake until a toothpick inserted into the centre comes out clean or with a few moist crumbs. Overbaking can make muffins dry.

Banana chocolate chunk muffin with a golden top and melted chocolate in the center.

How to Store and Freeze Banana Chocolate Chunk Muffins

Make-Ahead

For the best rise and texture, bake the muffin batter immediately after mixing. You can prepare the dry ingredients ahead of time and store them in an airtight container until you're ready to bake.

Room Temperature

Allow the banana chocolate chunk muffins to cool completely before storing them in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days.

Refrigeration

Store the muffins in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 1 week. Refrigeration can make them slightly firmer, so warm them briefly before serving if preferred.

Freezing

These muffins freeze beautifully! Once completely cooled, wrap each muffin individually and place them in a freezer-safe bag or airtight container. Freeze for up to 3 months.

Thaw at room temperature or reheat directly from frozen.

Recipes to try next time

A tray of chocolate brownie with strawberries. The middle brownie is broken in half and you can see the fudgy centre.
CHOCOLATE STRAWBERRY BROWNIES
Chocolate marshmallow ice cream in a sundae glass with mini marshmallows and chocolate pieces on the top.
CHOCOLATE ICE CREAM
Muffins stacked on top of one another with a topping of cream cheese frosting.
CARROT AND BANANA MUFFIN

Muffin recipes to try next time

Vegan Blackberry Muffins - light and fluffy!

Oatmeal Banana Muffins

Blackberry Muffins.

Did you make this recipe? Let me know what you think by leaving a ★★★★★ star rating & comment below. It genuinely helps me & I really appreciate your support! Nikki 💚


Print
clock clock iconcutlery cutlery iconflag flag iconfolder folder iconinstagram instagram iconpinterest pinterest iconfacebook facebook iconprint print iconsquares squares iconheart heart iconheart solid heart solid icon

BANANA CHOCOLATE CHUNK MUFFINS (COPYCAT MCDONALD'S)

5 Stars 4 Stars 3 Stars 2 Stars 1 Star

5 from 1 review

  • Author: Nikki
  • Total Time: 37 minutes
  • Yield: 12 muffins 1x
  • Diet: Vegetarian
Print Recipe

Description

These banana chocolate chunk muffins are soft, moist, and packed with sweet banana flavour and generous chunks of melted chocolate. Inspired by McDonald's bakery-style muffins, this easy homemade recipe uses ripe bananas, melted butter, and a chopped chocolate bar for deliciously gooey chocolate in every bite. The secret to those beautifully risen muffin tops? Starting with a hot oven before lowering the temperature!

Ingredients

Units Scale
  • 1 ½ cups (188g) all-purpose flour
  • ½ cup (110g) packed brown sugar
  • 1 teaspoon baking powder
  • 1 teaspoon baking soda
  • a pinch of salt
  • 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
  • 1 ½ cups mashed bananas (345 g or 3 large bananas)
  • 85 g unsalted butter (melted)
  • 1 egg (at room temperature)
  • 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
  • 2 tablespoons milk (30ml)
  • 1 cup of chocolate chunks 170 g (you need a slab of chocolate cut into chunky pieces) 

Instructions

  1. Preheat your oven to 425°F (218°C) and line a 12-cup muffin tin with paper liners.
  2. In a medium bowl, whisk together the all-purpose flour, brown sugar, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and cinnamon.
  3. In a large bowl, combine the mashed bananas and melted butter. Add the egg, vanilla extract, and milk, mixing until well combined.
  4. Gradually add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients, stirring gently until just combined. Do not overmix. The batter should be thick.
  5. Gently fold the chopped chocolate into the batter, reserving a few pieces to sprinkle over the tops of the muffins.
  6. Bake: Divide the batter evenly among the prepared muffin cups and top with the reserved chocolate chunks. Bake at 425°F (218°C) for 5 minutes. Without opening the oven door, reduce the temperature to 350°F (177°C) and continue baking for another 18–22 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the centre comes out clean or with a few moist crumbs.

Cool and enjoy:

  1. Allow the muffins to cool in the tin for 5 minutes before transferring them to a wire rack to cool completely.

Notes

Why do I start baking at a high temperature and then turn the oven temperature down?

Starting at a higher temperature helps the muffins or other baked goods to rise quickly and develop a nice initial lift. This rapid rise creates a fluffy and light texture in the finished product.

BANANAS: For the best flavor and natural sweetness, use very ripe bananas. The riper the bananas, the sweeter and more flavorful your muffins will be. Look for bananas with plenty of brown spots.

DON'T OVERMIX: When combining the wet and dry ingredients, mix until just combined. Overmixing can lead to dense, tough muffins. A few lumps in the batter are perfectly fine.

STORAGE: Once baked, allow the muffins to cool completely. Store them in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days. This helps keep them fresh and prevents them from drying out.

  • Prep Time: 10 minutes
  • Cook Time: 27 minutes
  • Category: Baking, Desserts
  • Method: Baking
  • Cuisine: American

Nutrition

  • Serving Size: 1 muffin
  • Calories: 254 kcal
  • Sugar: 20 g
  • Fat: 10.7 g
  • Saturated Fat: 6.3 g
  • Carbohydrates: 36.4 g
  • Fiber: 1.8 g
  • Protein: 3.7 g

Did you make this recipe?

Share a photo and tag us — we can't wait to see what you've made!

One Response

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Recipe rating 5 Stars 4 Stars 3 Stars 2 Stars 1 Star