Chocolate Chip Sourdough Banana (Print Version)

Moist and tender banana muffins with sourdough discard and chocolate chips, ideal for breakfast or a quick snack.

# Ingredient List:

→ Dry Ingredients

01 - 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
02 - 1 tsp baking soda
03 - 1/2 tsp baking powder
04 - 1/2 tsp salt
05 - 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon

→ Wet Ingredients

06 - 1 cup mashed ripe bananas (approximately 2 large bananas)
07 - 1/2 cup granulated sugar
08 - 1/4 cup unsalted butter, melted and cooled
09 - 1/4 cup vegetable oil
10 - 1/2 cup unfed sourdough discard
11 - 2 large eggs
12 - 1 tsp vanilla extract

→ Add-Ins

13 - 1 cup semisweet chocolate chips

# Recipe Steps:

01 - Preheat oven to 350°F. Line a 12-cup muffin tin with paper liners or lightly grease with cooking spray.
02 - In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt, and cinnamon until evenly distributed.
03 - In a large bowl, mash bananas thoroughly. Add sugar, melted butter, oil, sourdough discard, eggs, and vanilla extract. Whisk until the mixture is smooth and well incorporated.
04 - Add dry ingredients to the wet mixture. Stir gently with a spatula until just combined, being careful not to overmix as this develops gluten and results in dense muffins.
05 - Fold chocolate chips into the batter using a spatula with gentle strokes until evenly distributed.
06 - Divide batter evenly among prepared muffin cups, filling each cup approximately three-quarters full.
07 - Bake for 18 to 22 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center of a muffin emerges clean or with only a few moist crumbs.
08 - Allow muffins to rest in the pan for 5 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.

# Expert Suggestions:

01 -
  • You get to use up sourdough discard guilt-free, turning kitchen waste into something your family will actually fight over.
  • The sourdough adds a subtle tang that keeps these from tasting one-dimensional, making chocolate-banana actually interesting.
  • They stay tender for days, making them a breakfast win when you're too tired to bake mid-week.
02 -
  • Overmixing is the silent killer here—stir just until the dry ingredients disappear and your batter looks intentionally chunky.
  • The baking time varies wildly depending on your oven and how full your cups are, so the toothpick test is your real guide, not the clock.
  • Don't use fed sourdough starter straight from feeding; unfed discard is thicker and won't make your muffins gummy.
03 -
  • Room-temperature wet ingredients mix more smoothly together and create a more uniform batter than cold eggs and butter straight from the fridge.
  • If you catch yourself overmixing, stop immediately—a few lumps of flour are infinitely better than overdeveloped gluten turning your muffins tough and dense.
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