Banana Mocha Macadamia Nut Muffins

This is one of those special banana nut muffin recipes that will jump start your day–a moist, subtle mocha-flavored banana muffin enhanced with macadamias and semi-sweet chocolate mini chips.

It’s made healthy with white whole wheat flour, bananas, and yogurt, and contains only 2 tablespoons of butter, which equals only 1/2 teaspoon per muffin.

This banana mocha macadamia nut muffin is adapted from a recipe I saw in Super Natural Cooking: Five Ways To Incorporate Whole and Natural Ingredients into Your Cooking for Espresso Banana Muffins that called for 6 tablespoons of room temperature butter to be creamed with sugar until light and fluffy.

Although, this creates a lighter cake-like consistency, digging out the electric mixer (affiliate link) first thing in the morning is a no-starter for a quick-and-easy focused cook like me, who likes to ease into the day.

I also prefer my banana nut muffin recipes a little heavier and less cake-like; they seem healthier and more satisfying somehow.

By opting to melt the butter I was able to stir the ingredients together with a wooden spoon – quick and easy. The result is my simpler version of banana mocha macadamia nut muffins.

How Many Calories and WW Points in these Banana Mocha Mac Nut Muffins?

According to my calculations, each muffin has about 244 calories.

WW Points: 7 To see your WW Points for this recipe, track it in the WW App!
(You must be logged into WW on a smartphone or tablet.)

8 PointsPlus (Old plan)

Ingredients and Substitutions

• White whole wheat flour – Adds whole-grain nutrition while keeping the muffins tender. All-purpose flour can be used if preferred.
• Baking powder – Helps the muffins rise and stay light.
• Salt – Balances the sweetness and enhances the chocolate flavor.
• Instant coffee or espresso powder – Deepens the chocolate flavor and gives a subtle mocha note. Espresso powder provides a stronger flavor than instant coffee.
• Unsweetened cocoa powder – Adds rich chocolate flavor. Use natural cocoa unless otherwise specified.
• Butter – Adds moisture and richness. Melted coconut oil or a neutral oil can be substituted.
• 0-calorie sugar substitute (monkfruit, Swerve, stevia blend, etc.) – Keeps the muffins lighter while adding sweetness. Regular sugar can be used if preferred, adjusting for taste and Points.
• Large eggs – Provide structure and help bind everything together.
• Vanilla extract – Enhances both the banana and chocolate flavors.
• Plain yogurt – Adds moisture and tenderness. Greek yogurt works well. Sour cream can be substituted.
• Mashed ripe bananas – Provide natural sweetness and moisture. The riper, the better.
• Chopped toasted macadamia nuts -Add crunch and a buttery flavor. Walnuts or pecans can be substituted.
• Mini semi-sweet chocolate chips – Distribute chocolate evenly throughout the muffins. Regular chips can be used but may sink slightly.

How to Make Banana Mocha Macadamia Muffins, Step-by-Step

Because we are a small family of two, I cut this recipe in half when I made it recently so we would only have 6 muffins.

Step 1: Gather and prepare all ingredients.

Step 2: Preheat oven to 375F degrees. Lightly grease the bottoms of a 12-cup muffin tin (affiliate link) or line with paper liners.

Step 3: In a medium bowl, whisk the flour, baking powder, salt, coffee powder, and cocoa powder until combined.

Step 4: In a large bowl, beat the butter, sugar, eggs, vanilla, yoga and mashed bananas with a wooden spoon (affiliate link) until well combined and creamy.

Step 5: Gently stir the dry ingredients into the liquid until just combined, being careful not to over mix or the muffins will be tough.

Step 6: Stir in 1/4 cup of the nuts and 1/4 cup of the chocolate chips.

Step 7: Fill the muffin cups equally. I love to use an ice cream scoop (affiliate link) to make quick, neat, and easy work of filling muffin tins.

Step 8: Sprinkle the remaining nuts and chocolate chips equally among the muffin tops.

Step 9: Bake until golden, about 25 minutes or until a toothpick inserted near the center of the muffins comes out clean.

Step 10: Cool muffins in the pan for 5-10 minutes and then remove the muffins from the pan and let cool completely on a wire rack or enjoy warm.

Step 11: Store leftover muffins in an airtight container.

Variations

This recipe can easily be made into banana mocha macadamia nut bread. Just pour the batter into a greased 9×5-inch loaf pan (affiliate link) and bake at 350F for about 45 to 60 minutes or until a wooden pick inserted in the center of the loaf comes out clean. If you are using a glass loaf pan, lower the temperature to 325F and bake about ten minutes less since glass is a better heat conductor than metal.

If you’ve made these Banana Mocha Muffins, please give the recipe a star rating below and leave a comment letting me know how you liked it. And stay in touch on Pinterest, Facebook, Instagram and Twitter for the latest updates.

Source: This banana mocha macadamia nut muffin recipes adapted from Super Natural Cooking: Five Ways To Incorporate Whole and Natural Ingredients into Your Cooking by Heidi Swanson.

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