Banana Chocolate Chip Muffins with Roasted Strawberries: Enjoying a California Fall

According to the calendar and the color of the leaves, this post should be about pumpkins, persimmons, Halloween, or dare I say it — Thanksgivukkah, but it’s not. It’s about banana chocolate chip muffins with roasted strawberries, lightened up with just a bit of oats and Greek yogurt.

One of my very first OMG! Yummy posts was about a family favorite, banana chocolate chip loaf. We still adore it just as the recipe is written. But strawberries and bananas pair up so well and who doesn’t love a strawberry dipped in chocolate? So somehow all this data, my current obsession with roasting fruit, and my great fortune of living in Northern California where strawberries are available year round all collided to create these muffins last Saturday morning.

Creating the Muffin Recipe

After studying several other roasted strawberry creations, I decided to roast mine with some pomegranate molasses and vanilla. But you can use maple syrup, balsamic vinegar, even honey.

Then I pondered whether to use my loaf recipe or create some variation. I decided to experiment by adding some extra nutrition in the form of oats and reducing the fat content a bit. After a bit of research, I figured out how to sub Greek yogurt for part of the butter.

Roasted Strawberries

I started by roasting the strawberries. slicing them in half, putting them on a parchment lined cookie sheet, and tossing them with the pomegranate molasses and vanilla mixture, then roasted them for about 12 minutes at 375 degrees convect roast setting. At that point I was running short of time so I put them in a bowl and saved them for the next day. This worked well and is a good time management tip for this recipe.

Preparing the Muffin Batter

The next morning, I ground up the oats, mashed the bananas, then mixed the dry ingredients in one bowl and the wet in another. From there I mixed the dry ingredients into the wet mixture, then added in the chocolate chips and finally the drained roasted strawberries, mixing just enough to combine. I scooped the mixture into muffin liners sprayed with just a touch of baking spray, brushed the top with the strawberry juice left from the roasted gems (great suggestion from this post), placed an extra roasted strawberry on each, and into the oven they went.

Twenty minutes later they were done and ready for a pre-soccer breakfast and delivery to my niece for a late birthday brunch.

Fall Recipe Inspiration

No strawberries where you live? Pin this recipe for later use and check out some of these other fun fall posts from my blog and others:

• Squash Soup Shooters
• Persimmon Bread
• Stuffed Pumpkin
• Pumpkin Pancakes (use this recipe and sub pumpkin puree for the banana)
• Pumpkin Pie
• Delicata Squash – a great fall vegetable via East of Eden Cooking
• Apple Crumble via InMedias Recipe
• Blueberry Apple Jam via Blue Kale Road
• Pumpkin Orange Flan via Liz the Chef
  

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  Banana Chocolate Chip Muffins with Roasted Strawberries

  A variation of my tried and true banana chocolate chip loaf, enhanced with some roasted strawberries and lightened up just a bit with some Greek yogurt and oats.

  Course bread

  Prep Time 25 minutes

  Cook Time 32 minutes

  Total Time 57 minutes

  Servings 12 servings

  Calories 273 kcal

  Author Beth Lee

  Ingredients

  Roasted Strawberries:

  • 1 1/2 pints strawberries cut in half
  • 1/8 cup pomegranate molasses
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

  Muffin Mix:

  • 1/2 cup oats ground in cuisinart will yield just under a half cup
  • 2 medium bananas
  • 1/2 cup chocolate chips
  • 2 cups all purpose flour could use white whole wheat
  • 1 teaspoon baking powder
  • 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 1/2 cup organic sugar
  • 1/4 cup brown sugar I used light
  • 1/4 cup butter
  • 1/8 cup Greek yogurt
  • 1 tablespoon maple syrup
  • 2 eggs
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

  Instructions

  Roasting Strawberries:

  1. Preheat oven to 375 convect roast or 400 regular bake.
  2. Place the cut strawberries on a parchment lined baking sheet.
  3. Combine the pomegranate molasses and vanilla and then pour on strawberries and toss to coat evenly.
  4. Place cookie sheet in the oven. The strawberries should be done in about 12 minutes but check at 10 minutes. If they are bubbling and just starting to break down, they are ready. You want them to start caramelizing and softening up but not to fall apart. I originally roasted mine for 13 minutes but think I could have taken them out a minute or two sooner. If not using convect, still check at 10 minutes but might take up to 15 minutes to finish. Go by sight, not just by time.
  5. Now turn the oven to 425 regular bake for the muffins.
  6. After removing the strawberries from the oven and letting them cool, put into a strainer and reserve any liquid that strains out. (Strawberries can be prepared a day ahead and stored in the fridge. Take them out and strain while you prepare the rest of the ingredients.) They should yield about 1 cup of strawberries.

  Preparing the muffins:

  1. While the strawberries are roasting, prepare your muffin tin by either greasing the individual openings or using baking liners. (The recipe yielded 14 muffins but if filled a bit higher, you can probably squeeze the batter into 12.)
  2. Then grind the oats, mash the bananas, and measure out your chocolate chips. Be sure to check on your strawberries!
  3. Prepare your dry ingredients in a small mixing bowl. Combine the oats, flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.
  4. In a medium mixing bowl, cream the sugars and butter together (could do this in a kitchenaid mixer but I did it by hand with a wooden spoon)
  5. Then add in the Greek yogurt, 1 tablespoon of maple syrup, 2 eggs,1 teaspoon of vanilla extract, and the mashed bananas. Use a whisk to combine it all together or mix on medium speed in your mixer.
  6. Then add the dry flour mixture into the wet ingredients, mixing just enough to combine.
  7. Add in the chocolate chips and about 3//4 cup of strained strawberries.
  8. Scoop the batter into your muffin tins. If you have strained strawberry juice and any leftover strawberries, place a roasted strawberry on top of each muffin and brush each with a bit of strawberry juice. Place in the oven at 425 regular bake for 5 minutes, then turn the temperature down to 375 and bake for 15 more minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean (except for oozy melted chocolate).
  9. Cool on a wire rack and enjoy still warm or store in a container once cooled.