Instant espresso gives these chocolate chip banana muffins a little kick! For extra indulgence and espresso flavor, don’t forget to drizzle them with chocolate espresso glaze.
Today, I’m collaborating with an incredible group of food bloggers and photographers from (quite literally) around the world for a virtual coffee party! I am loving this opportunity to gather with some truly inspirational individuals to share our unique perspectives on cooking/baking with coffee. Of course, my opinion is that no coffee date is complete without a delicious baked treat. So, I’m bringing these espresso banana muffins with chocolate espresso glaze to the party and I think you’re going to love them!
Once you’re done with this post, make sure to check out all the coffee-infused recipes by following along with the hashtag #VirtualCoffeeParty2018 on Instagram, or by checking out the list below. With recipes for everything from espresso cheesecake to mocha braised pork, there’s definitely something for everyone!
The irony about this little coffee party, for me, is that I don’t normally drink coffee! However, I always keep coffee and instant espresso in my pantry because I bake with it all the time. In particular, espresso almost always finds its way into my chocolate cake recipes (and also these decadent chocolate thumbprint cookies!). If you’re a baker, you probably already know that it’s the perfect way to bring out the chocolate flavor.
But for this project, I wanted to try something new that would feature the coffee flavor more prominently. So, after mentally contemplating adding espresso to every baked good you could imagine (there are a lot of options!)… I landed on these espresso banana muffins with a chocolate espresso glaze.
Chocolate, banana, and espresso are all really comforting flavors that complement each other well. I think you’ll find that each flavor in these muffins comes through clearly without overpowering either of the other two.
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My trick for getting the perfect amount of espresso flavor in the glaze is to brew the espresso at double strength. With the espresso brewed at normal strength, the flavor fell a little flat. But when I brewed it at double strength, it was just the right balance. I simply added twice as much instant espresso
The batter includes instant espresso granules as well, and it should yield exactly 12 muffins. Fill each muffin cup about ¾ of the way full with the batter. I also used one of my favorite baking tricks for muffins and cupcakes to get the perfect domes on top of the muffins. All you need do is bake at a higher temperature on the front end, which helps the muffins to rise a little taller and to set more quickly on the outside. Then, lower the temperature so that the inside of the muffin finishes baking, while still keeping moist.
These espresso banana muffins make for a cozy breakfast treat or the perfect afternoon pick-me-up. My hope is that you’ll enjoy them with a few friends over good conversation at your own (in-person) coffee party. Snap a photo of your gathering and share it by tagging @flourcoveredapron and #VirtualCoffeeParty2018 to join in the fun on Instagram!
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Black.White.Vivid • Emirati Sweet Dumplings with Coffee Syrup (Luqaimat)
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DisplacedHousewife • Banana Espresso Cake with Espresso Bean Buttercream
Feed The Swimmers • Fudgy Espresso Sweet Potato and Black Bean Brownies with Hazelnuts
and a Coffee Cream Cheese Frosting
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Harvest & Honey • Mocha-Braised Pork & Polenta Bowls
HonestlyYUM • Cafe Con Tres Leches Cake
Love Olive • Breakfast Almond Pancakes with Coffee Syrup
Stems & Forks • Espresso Cinnamon Buns
TermiNatetor Kitchen • Blueberry Creme Fraiche Coffee Cake
The Almond Eater • Mocha Tahini Fudge
The Cinnaman • espresso ricotta cheesecake with emirati date crumb (batheeth)
The Korean Vegan • Vegan Tiramisu
Espresso Banana Muffins + Chocolate Espresso Glaze
Instant espresso gives these chocolate chip banana muffins a little kick! For extra indulgence and espresso flavor, don’t forget to drizzle them with this simple chocolate espresso glaze.
Ingredients
Espresso Banana Muffins
- 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
- 4 teaspoons granular instant espresso
- 1 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/3 cup unsalted butter, melted & slightly cooled
- 1/4 cup light brown sugar
- 1/3 cup granulated sugar
- 1 large egg, room temperature
- 1/4 cup unsweetened almond milk
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 3/4 cup mashed banana
- 3/4 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
Chocolate Espresso Glaze
- 2 ounces semi-sweet baking chocolate, chopped
- 1/2 cup powdered sugar (plus a few tablespoons if needed, for consistency)
- 2-3 tablespoons freshly brewed espresso
Instructions
Espresso Banana Muffins
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Preheat oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit and line a 12-cup muffin tin with paper liners.
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In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, instant espresso, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Set aside.
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In a large bowl, whisk together the melted butter, both sugars, and the egg. Add the milk and vanilla and whisk until smooth.
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Using a wooden spoon or rubber spatula, stir in the mashed banana. Then, gradually add the dry ingredients, folding until just combined. Fold in the chocolate chips.
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Divide batter among prepared muffin cups, filling each one about 3/4 full. Bake at 375 degrees Fahrenheit for 9 minutes, then decrease the temperature to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Bake for another 6-10 minutes, until muffins pass the toothpick test.
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Remove from the oven and let cool in the pan for about 5 minutes. Then, transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.
Chocolate Espresso Glaze
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Melt chocolate according to package instructions. Let cool slightly.
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In a small bowl, whisk together the melted chocolate, 1/2 cup powdered sugar, and 2 tablespoons espresso. If needed, add up to 1 more tablespoon of espresso and/or a few tablespoons of powdered sugar to achieve your desired consistency.
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Drizzle glaze generously over each muffin and enjoy!
3 comments
I made these today (without the glaze) and they were delicious! My only comment would be that they didn’t really taste like espresso, so I would add more next time, but the actual banana chocolate chip muffin part was excellent.
Hi Lisa, I’m glad you enjoyed the muffins! I tried to balance the espresso flavor between the muffins and the glaze, so definitely feel free to add more espresso to pack a bigger punch if you’re only making the muffin portion!
Hello from Malaysia, I made this today. They were super soft and moist. I personally prefer a metric measurement for ingredients because I feel insecure using cups, they can give you a different amount of the actual Needed amount. My batter is a little too watery, so I suspect that I did not give enough flour. Do you happen to have the ingredients in metric measurement? I really appreciate that.