Banana Coffee Cake with Chocolate Chip Streusel Muffins

As we head into Spring next week, I'm trying to do Spring stuff. No, not buy a new wardrobe (dude, I live in Los Angeles, we only have one season...you just put on or take off the jacket as needed ;). I'm trying to do some Spring cleaning. And that includes my cache of orphan blog posts.

This is where it is like spring cleaning. Pulling out stuff you don't remember buying. Things you meant to do. And picking up stuff and having no idea how it got there.

This is one of those recipes.

I vaguely remember my mom throwing Costco bananas in my car after a visit. Then I remember them sitting on the table for a little too long. One fine morning long ago, I found this recipe and made it before work.

I took Bon Appétit's (January 2003) recipe by Jennifer Martin for Banana Coffee Cake with Chocolate Chip Streusel and made it into muffins. Fast and easy. But I have no memory of how many were made or how long they took to bake.

Because I didn't put a middle layer of streusel (like they do in the cake), I remember having a boatload of streusel leftover. So cut the streusel in half. And put more on...mine look skimpy in that department.

Expect a few more of these posts as I continue my computer Spring cleaning...if only I can find the recipe for this mysterious carrot cake bundt that is in my photo file. Sigh.

Recipe:
Adapted from Bon Appetit, Jan 2003, found on Epicurious, by Jennifer Martin, Portland, OR. Click here for the original 8x8 cake recipe.

Click here for printable recipe

Banana Coffee Cake with Chocolate Chip Streusel Muffins

(This is about half the original streusel recipe...you don't need that much for muffins because they don't have two layers of streusel)
3/4 cups semisweet chocolate chips
1/3 cup (packed) golden brown sugar
1/4 cup chopped walnuts (optional) (I skipped this)
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon

1 1/2 cups all purpose flour
3/4 teaspoon baking soda
3/4 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup sugar
1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, room temperature
1 large egg
1 1/3 cups mashed very ripe bananas (about 3 large)
3 tablespoons buttermilk

Preheat oven to 350°F. Line a muffin tin with liners or spray. Stir chocolate chips, brown sugar, walnuts, and cinnamon in small bowl until well blended; set streusel aside. Sift flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt into medium bowl. Using electric mixer (I used my Kitchenaid with paddle attachment), beat butter and sugar until fluffy. Add egg and blend well. Beat in mashed bananas and buttermilk. Slowly add dry ingredients until just incorporated. Don't overmix.

Scoop batter into muffin tins (2/3 full) Top with streusel. Bake until toothpick comes out clean. Cool and serve.

Note: I don't remember how long these baked...I would check after 13-15 minutes as it depends on your oven. I also don't remember how many muffins these made, but I see at least 14 in my photo above. Hey, it was early in the morning! If you make these, let me know! :) Cheer, - mary the food librarian