Double Chocolate Banana Muffins (GF)

These are my kids' absolute FAVORITE muffins in the world. Ok..mine too! Ha ha! This is a great way to use up overly ripe bananas (fresh or previously frozen & thawed). These muffins are moist, chocolaty and are easy to freeze and have on hand for a quick breakfast or snack. White whole wheat flour is my preferred choice for baking. It has all the nutrition of hard red whole wheat, but the softer variety of wheat (it might be called "white" but it's still "whole"--bran and germ intact) makes baked goods taste less "healthy" or "wheaty". I am not sure why I have never tried it before, but peanut butter would totally ROCK these muffins! Just saying. :)

**Make these gluten-by substituting oat flour (grind rolled oats to a fine powder in blender). I recently tried these with oat flour and I think I love them even more that way!

Makes 12 muffins

3 ripe bananas, about 1 1/3 c. mashed
1/2-2/3 c. sugar or sucanat (I use 1/2 c. of sucanat--natural sugar cane if you are wondering.)
1/2 c. butter, coconut oil or plain yogurt
1 t. pure vanilla extract
1 egg
1/4 c. Dutch-process cocoa (regular cocoa will work, but won't have the "depth" of flavor)
1 1/2 c. white whole wheat flour**
2 T. ground flax (optional)
1 t. baking soda
1/4 t. aluminum-free baking powder
1/3-1/2 c. mini chocolate chips

Cream sugar, butter or oil and bananas. Beat in vanilla and egg. Sift together dry ingredients and add gradually until thoroughly combined. Stir in chocolate chips. Fill the cups of a greased 12-cup muffin tin 3/4 full. Bake at 350 degrees for 15-20 min. or until toothpick inserted into muffin comes out clean. Cool 5 min and remove from tin to cool completely. Store in air tight container or freeze and reheat as needed.