Gooey Banana Cocoa Muffins

I'm not much of a cake person. I'd go for a good gooey brownie or cheesecake over the fluffiest cake or muffin in the world. I'm that annoying customer at restaurants who asks a million questions in order to make sure that if I order a brownie, it is a brownie and not a small rectangular fluffy cake that someone likes to call a brownie. I even tend to under-bake most cookies and brownies so that I can make sure that they're melty and delicious rather than fluffy and cakey. 

These muffins are a result of my love of gooey yummy snacks. No need to under-bake them as they will be gooey in the center with full baking! I store them in the fridge so that they last longer. This makes them "set" and their gooey goodness is lost. BUT if you put them in the microwave for a few seconds when you reach for your next one, they're delicious once again. If you're in the mood for a more hearty snack, these are good cold too. I've definitely enjoyed them both ways for breakfast and snacks.

One thing I tried in this recipe instead of adding sugar was creating a sort of "syrup" with dates and warm water. This can be used to sweeten baked goods, but also smoothies, oats or whatever your heart desires! 

Cooking Tunes:

So Close [Jon Mclaughlin]

Claire de lune [Claude Debussy]

Listen [Beyonce]

Gooey Banana Cocoa Muffins

2 tbsp chia

6 tbsp water

5 ripe bananas

¼ dark brown sugar

¼ cup unsweetened almond milk

5 pitted, dried dates

¼ cup warm water

2 cups flour

2 tsp baking powder

2 tbsp cocoa

2 tbsp cinnamon

1. Preheat the oven to 350F

2. Combine the chia seeds and 6 tbsp of water together in a small bowl.

3.  Place the ripe bananas in a large bowl and begin to break up with a fork. You can use a stand mixer for this recipe (I did), but still break up the bananas.

4. Add ¼ cup warm water a small bowl and add the dried dates. Use your fingers or a spoon to massage the dates into the warm water. This will cause the dates to break down and firstly, they’ll be easier to incorporate into the entire loaf and secondly, they will create a sweet syrup with the water. This way, we don’t have to add to much sugar. When the water is foggy, brown and the dates are adequately broken down, add it to the bananas.

5. Add the chia seeds and the milk to the banana mixture. Stir well.

6. In a large separate bowl sift all the dry ingredients together.

7. Add the dry to the wet ingredients and continue mixing until it is thoroughly mixed.

8. Add the mixture to muffin tins- about ¼ cup in each tin. Bake for 60 minutes.

9. Enjoy their gooey center and delicious banana taste!

Don’t have muffin papers? Use parchment. I cut a giant piece into smaller squares and squash them into the muffin tins right before loading them with batter. It looks classy and since I already have parchment in my pantry, its cheaper than buying muffin wrappers!