Mocha Banana Muffins

Get your caffeine hit and tasty snack in one with these Mocha Banana Muffins. They are packed with the flavour of coffee and provide the comfort of cozy, warm banana bread. There couldn’t be a better snack for these cold, winter months.

If you’ve been following All Nutrition for a while, you will already know how much I love muffins. They are portable, packed with nutrients and super tasty! These Mocha Banana Muffins are no exception. I started by basing this recipe off of my go-to Banana Chocolate Chip Muffins but wanted to add a fun twist. I have also had a container of espresso powder in my cupboard for a random Instagram recipe that called for it. Low and behold, my fun twist.

Now a bit of a side note, but it comes together, I promise. This week on Instagram I shared a post outlining some nutrition strategies for when you feel burnt out. The response to this was overwhelming! So many of you are feeling run down, stressed and exhausted, and I am right there with you. You would think that as we approach the holiday season that we could be getting more excited. I’m hoping that phase will come, because as it stands right now, there is just SO. MUCH. TO. DO. before we can celebrate. Am I right?

So bringing it back to the point of this post: caffeine. I’m actually not a huge fan for relying on caffeine to boost energy levels as it can leave me feeling jittery and anxious. That being said, I don’t have kids and I mostly work from home so I may not be the best judge. But a little coffee kick to rally the troops every once in a while isn’t a bad thing. Plus, you can get your afternoon snack and your caffeine hit all in one with these muffins. Talk about a time saver!

How to create the mocha flavour

To get the mocha flavour for these Mocha Banana Muffins, I used this espresso powder. It’s pretty easy to come by in general grocery stores and is as simple as it comes when baking with it. All you have to do is scoop in 1-2 teaspoons of the espresso powder and fold it into the batter. No grinding of the beans or working your magic at the espresso machine, it’s all taken care of with the powder.

We also can’t forget the chocolate component of the “mocha.” Now, the chocolate is optional (although highly encouraged). Feel free to use whatever type of chocolate chips you prefer: semi-sweet, milk, skor, etc.!

Cooking time

I have made a note in the recipe but let’s make it abundantly clear. The original cook temperature is NOT to be maintained the whole time! I have set it at 425F for the first 5 minutes to give the batter a kickstart at rising. This results in fluffy and mountainous tops (yum!). After the first 5 minutes, reduce the heat to 325F and continue baking for the remainder of the cook time. This varies between 10-12 minutes, depending on your oven. To check if the muffins are done, just insert a toothpick and make sure it comes out clean. If there is still batter on the toothpick, place the muffins back in the oven for a couple minutes.

I hope you have a ton of fun making this recipe. You could even pour yourself a cup of Joe while you’re baking! I love to pair these muffins with a dollop of plain Greek yogurt for some extra protein and texture. Feel free to enjoy them alongside some fruit, extra chocolate or just on their own. Let me know if you decide to whip up a batch of these to get you through the next couple of weeks. And if you are also feeling burnt out, know that you’re not alone. Check out my post on nutritional strategies to hopefully help.

Check out some of my other go-to muffin recipes:

• Morning Glory Muffins
• Pear and Walnut Muffin Tops
• Lemon Coconut Muffins

If you make these Mocha Banana Muffins, I would love to see your comment and rating below. It also makes my day seeing your creations of my recipes on Instagram- don’t forget to tag @allnutrition.rd!